How to Choose the Best Online Ordering Platform for Your Restaurant: Boost Profits and Cut Out Delivery Fees

As third-party delivery apps eat into restaurant profits with high commission fees, more small restaurants are looking for ways to take control of their online orders and customer data. The right online ordering platform can help you not only save on fees but also increase your sales, enhance customer loyalty, and improve your online reputation. But with so many options available, how do you choose the best one for your restaurant?

To provide more credible insights, I asked five restaurant marketing experts to weigh in on what factors matter most. Their consensus was clear: when selecting an online ordering platform for your restaurant, it’s crucial to evaluate how each service aligns with your specific business goals. Whether you’re looking to increase direct online orders, boost your SEO presence, or improve customer retention through marketing, the right platform can make all the difference. Below, we’ll dive deeper into the core criteria that matter most: online order volume, SEO traffic generation, email and text message marketing, loyalty program, app experience, photos and pricing.

Driving More Online Orders

Online order volume is one of the most critical factors in choosing a platform. The best platforms will focus on optimizing your website to ensure a seamless customer experience, encouraging repeat orders, and offering upsell opportunities. When comparing platforms, it’s important to consider not only their ability to handle online orders but also the features they offer to maximize the size and frequency of those orders.

Looking at the High Order Volume column in the table, Air Platter, Owner, and Popmenu are the top performers, each earning a checkmark for their ability to drive significant online order volume. These platforms excel in delivering user-friendly experiences with seamless navigation and effective marketing tools that help convert website visitors into customers. For example, Air Platter leverages AI to deliver personalized food suggestions, offering dynamic recommendations in the “Commonly Paired With” section, making every order feel tailored and encouraging customers to add more to their carts!

In contrast, Toast and SpotHopper did not receive checkmarks in this column, indicating weaker performance in this area. Toast, while a popular platform for in-restaurant operations, lacks advanced tools to drive direct online orders. It doesn’t prioritize website optimization or repeat order incentives, which limits its ability to compete with platforms focused on boosting online sales. 

In summary, if your goal is to drive more online orders and retain more of your profits, platforms like Air Platter, with its comprehensive toolset for enhancing order volume, will provide the best return on investment. Meanwhile, platforms like Toast and SpotHopper may fall short in helping your restaurant reach its full sales potential online.

Pricing

For small and independent restaurants, return on investment (ROI) is crucial when selecting an online ordering platform. It’s not just about minimizing costs—it’s about maximizing the value gained from the platform’s features. The right platform should provide comprehensive tools for order management, marketing, and customer retention, ensuring a high ROI that drives growth and profitability while maintaining healthy margins. In this regard, Air Platter clearly outperforms its competitors. With a starting price of just $99, it offers an exceptional array of features—including email and text marketing, social media remarketing, and loyalty programs—making it an unbeatable choice for restaurants seeking high-impact results without hefty costs.

While Toast offers a free version and seems attractive for budget-conscious owners, it sacrifices key functionalities like SEO, marketing tools, and loyalty programs. This limits its ability to generate a strong ROI despite its minimal upfront cost. Owner, on the other hand, comes with a steep starting price of $499, which, while offering many powerful features, may be difficult to justify for smaller restaurants that need to carefully manage their budgets. Popmenu and SpotHopper, priced at $149 and $249 respectively, offer valuable tools such as professional photoshoots but lack the comprehensive functionality to boost profits from online ordering.

Generating SEO Traffic

Organic traffic from search engines can be a game-changer for small restaurants. Platforms that prioritize search engine optimization (SEO) help your restaurant appear in more local search results, driving more customers to your site without paid ads. Key SEO features include fast load times, mobile optimization, and the ability to customize meta tags and content. A platform that boosts your visibility on Google, Yelp, and Google Maps will give you a significant advantage over competitors relying solely on third-party apps for exposure.

In the SEO Traffic column from the table, Popmenu and Air Platter stand out as the best performers, each receiving a checkmark for their SEO capabilities. These platforms provide the essential tools that help restaurants rank higher in local search results, increasing organic traffic. Popmenu, for instance, not only ensures fast, mobile-optimized websites but also supports meta-tag customization and structured data, giving it an edge in boosting local SEO. Air Platter and Owner similarly offer solid SEO features, helping restaurants gain more visibility on search engines and platforms like Google Maps and Yelp.

On the other hand, Toast is a notable underperformer in this category, lacking many of the advanced SEO features provided by the other platforms. With no real focus on website optimization or tools for enhancing local SEO, restaurants using Toast may struggle to increase organic traffic through search engines. This lack of SEO support could limit the restaurant’s online visibility and make it more reliant on third-party platforms or paid ads to attract customers.

Email and Text Message Marketing

Effective marketing campaigns can help drive repeat business and boost customer loyalty. Platforms with built-in email and text message marketing tools allow you to stay connected with your customers through promotions, loyalty programs, and personalized offers. Automated campaigns, like reminders for abandoned carts or repeat order incentives, are particularly useful for keeping your restaurant top of mind. A great platform will provide detailed analytics, so you can track campaign performance and continually refine your approach.

Looking at the Email & Text Marketing column from the table, Owner, and Air Platter emerge as the top performers, each receiving a checkmark for providing robust built-in tools. These platforms offer comprehensive email and SMS marketing features, allowing restaurants to automate promotions, send personalized messages, and segment their customer base for targeted campaigns. 

In contrast, Toast fall short in this area, with neither platform offering built-in email or text message marketing tools. This lack of marketing functionality means restaurants using these platforms may miss out on crucial opportunities to re-engage customers through direct communication. 

Social Media Remarketing

Social media remarketing is a powerful tool for bringing back customers who have previously interacted with your restaurant. Platforms with built-in social media remarketing capabilities allow you to retarget customers through ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, reinforcing brand presence and encouraging repeat orders. This can be especially useful for driving promotions or reminding customers about special offers, helping to maintain a steady stream of online orders.

In the Social Media Remarketing column from the table, Air Platter is the clear winner, being the only platform that offers this feature out of the five compared. With Air Platter, restaurants can set up remarketing campaigns that target users who have visited their website or made an order, ensuring that these customers are consistently engaged through social media. This feature allows restaurants to reach potential repeat customers with tailored ads, significantly improving the chances of bringing them back for more orders.

App Experience

In today’s mobile-driven world, providing an excellent app-like experience for customers is crucial. An app-like interface, even when accessed via a web browser, ensures a seamless and fast ordering process on mobile devices. A well-optimized mobile experience can significantly increase customer satisfaction, leading to higher conversion rates and repeat orders. Restaurants that offer a smooth mobile experience can better compete in a market where convenience and ease of use are top priorities for consumers.

In the App Experience column from the table, Owner and Air Platter stand out as the top performers. Both platforms provide a smooth, mobile-optimized experience that mimics the feel of a native app. This seamless interface makes it easy for customers to place orders directly from their phones, reducing friction and increasing the likelihood of repeat business. 

Photoshoot

High-quality images can make a significant difference in how your restaurant and its dishes are perceived online. Platforms that offer photoshoot services or professional-grade image support give restaurants a visual advantage, allowing them to showcase their menu items in the best possible light. 

In the Photoshoot column from the table, Popmenu and SpotHopper are the clear winners. Both platforms provide professional photoshoot services, enabling restaurants to have beautifully crafted images of their food and ambiance.