Top 5 Online Ordering Systems for Restaurants

What is an Online Ordering System?

An online ordering system is a platform that allows restaurants to accept orders directly from customers through a website or mobile app. Unlike third-party marketplaces, a direct online ordering system lets you own the customer relationship, control your margins, and build your brand without paying commission on every order.

For restaurant operators evaluating technology, the choice of online ordering system affects profitability, operational efficiency, and long-term customer loyalty. The right platform integrates with your existing operations while the wrong one creates friction and hidden costs.

Why Direct Online Ordering Matters

Third-party delivery platforms charge 20-35% commission per order. For a restaurant operating on 8-12% net margins, this makes profitability nearly impossible. Direct online ordering through your own channels typically costs 2-4% in payment processing, meaning you keep substantially more of every sale.

Beyond economics, direct ordering gives you customer data. You know who ordered, what they prefer, and how to bring them back. On third-party platforms, you're renting access to someone else's customers.

Top 5 Online Ordering Systems Compared

1. Flipdish – Best Overall Online Ordering System

Flipdish is the leading online ordering platform for restaurants, takeaways, and multi-location groups in the UK and Ireland. It provides everything needed for direct ordering: websites, mobile apps, payment processing, and integration with POS and kitchen operations.

Why Flipdish is #1:

Flipdish was built specifically for restaurants by people who understand restaurant operations. Unlike generic e-commerce platforms adapted for food, every feature addresses real operational challenges.

The platform includes:

For multi-location operators, Flipdish provides centralised menu management, location-specific pricing, and consolidated reporting that makes managing 5 or 50 sites straightforward.

Pricing: Transparent subscription model starting from £99/month with no commission on orders. Payment processing at standard merchant rates (typically 1.5-2.5%). See full online ordering pricing.

Best for: Independent restaurants, takeaways, QSRs, and multi-location groups serious about building a profitable direct ordering channel.

Key differentiator: Flipdish is the only platform that combines online ordering, POS, kiosks, and AI phone ordering in one unified system. This means one menu, one reporting dashboard, and no integration headaches.

2. Square Online – Designed for Small Cafés

Square Online is part of the Square ecosystem, designed primarily for retail businesses that added food service. It provides basic online ordering functionality tied to Square's payment processing.

Strengths:

  • Simple setup if you already use Square POS
  • Integrated payment processing
  • No monthly fee on basic plan

Limitations:

  • Limited restaurant-specific features
  • Basic menu customisation
  • No native loyalty programme for restaurants
  • Limited marketing automation
  • Requires Square payment processing (can't use your existing merchant account)
  • Not designed for high-volume takeaway operations

Pricing: Free basic plan, or £12-£26/month for additional features. Payment processing at 1.75% + 20p per transaction.

Intended for: Small cafés and coffee shops with simple menus doing occasional online orders.

3. ChowNow – Intended for US Independent Restaurants

ChowNow provides branded online ordering for independent restaurants, primarily in the United States. The platform focuses on commission-free ordering with a flat monthly fee.

Strengths:

  • No commission on orders
  • Branded ordering experience
  • Marketing tools included

Limitations:

  • Limited UK presence and support
  • Fewer integrations with UK POS systems
  • Basic reporting compared to dedicated restaurant platforms
  • No unified system for POS, kiosks, and other channels
  • Limited multi-location management features

Pricing: Approximately $150-300/month (roughly £120-240) depending on features.

Intended for: US-based independent restaurants, less suitable for UK operators.

4. GloriaFood – Intended for Budget-Conscious Single Sites

GloriaFood offers free online ordering with monetisation through premium features and promotions to restaurants.

Strengths:

  • Free basic plan available
  • Quick setup
  • No technical knowledge required

Limitations:

  • Limited customisation
  • Basic feature set compared to professional platforms
  • Monetisation through promoted competitor listings
  • No integrated POS solution
  • Limited scalability for growing businesses
  • Basic reporting and analytics

Pricing: Free basic plan, premium features from £25/month.

Intended for: Single-location restaurants testing online ordering with minimal investment.

5. Deliverect – Intended for Marketplace Order Aggregation

Deliverect specialises in aggregating orders from third-party marketplaces (Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Just Eat) into one system. While it offers some direct ordering capabilities, its primary focus is marketplace management.

Strengths:

  • Excellent marketplace integration
  • Centralised order management from multiple platforms
  • Good for delivery-heavy operations

Limitations:

  • Not primarily designed for direct online ordering
  • Requires separate website/app for branded ordering
  • Doesn't provide customer-facing ordering interfaces
  • Limited marketing and loyalty features
  • Focused on aggregation rather than building your own channel

Pricing: From £99/month plus per-order fees for some integrations.

Intended for: Restaurants heavily dependent on third-party marketplaces wanting centralised order management.

Key Features to Evaluate

Menu Management

Professional online ordering requires sophisticated menu management. You need to handle modifiers, combo meals, item availability, and pricing variations across locations.

Flipdish's menu management allows centralised control with location-specific overrides, automatic item snoozing when ingredients run out, and real-time synchronisation across all ordering channels including kiosks and POS.

Payment Processing

Payment processing costs directly affect profitability. Evaluate both the percentage fee and fixed per-transaction cost.

Flipdish Pay provides integrated payment processing with competitive rates and next-day settlement. Because payments are integrated with the ordering platform, reconciliation is automatic and refunds are straightforward.

Integration Capabilities

Your online ordering system must integrate with existing operations. Orders should flow automatically to your kitchen, update inventory, and appear in sales reporting.

Flipdish provides native integration with its own POS system and Kitchen Display System, eliminating integration problems entirely. For operators using other POS systems, Flipdish integrates with major platforms.

Marketing and Loyalty

Acquiring customers is expensive. The right platform helps you retain them through automated marketing and loyalty programmes.

Flipdish's marketing tools include automated campaigns, SMS marketing, and loyalty programmes that demonstrably increase order frequency. The AI Marketing Agent analyses customer behaviour and automatically sends targeted promotions.

Multi-Location Management

For restaurant groups, managing menus, pricing, and reporting across locations is critical. Most basic platforms struggle with this.

Flipdish was designed for multi-location operations from the start. Update menus centrally, view consolidated reporting, and manage location-specific variations from one dashboard.

Cost Comparison

Online ordering costs come in several forms:

Commission-based: 10-30% per order (avoid these for direct ordering)

Subscription-based: £50-300/month depending on features and locations

Payment processing: 1.5-2.5% plus 10-25p per transaction

Setup fees: £0-500 one-time

Flipdish operates on a transparent subscription model with no commission on orders. For a restaurant doing £20,000 monthly in online orders, the difference between a 15% commission platform and Flipdish's subscription model is approximately £3,000 per month in saved costs.

View detailed pricing for online ordering and combined POS and online ordering pricing.

Implementation Considerations

Setup Time

Basic online ordering can be live in days. Professional implementation with branding, menu optimisation, and integration typically takes 2-4 weeks.

Flipdish provides dedicated onboarding support, menu consultation, and technical integration assistance. Most restaurants are taking orders within two weeks.

Staff Training

Your team needs to manage online orders alongside walk-in customers. The system should make this easier, not harder.

Flipdish's order management system consolidates all orders—direct, marketplace, phone, and in-person—into one interface. Staff see everything in one place with clear timing and priority indicators.

Customer Migration

Moving customers from phone orders or third-party apps to your direct channel requires incentives and communication.

Successful strategies include:

  • 10-15% discount on first direct order
  • Loyalty points only available on direct orders
  • SMS campaigns to existing customers
  • In-store promotion of your app and website
  • Phone-to-online redirect during busy periods

Flipdish's AI Phone Agent can automatically handle phone orders while encouraging customers to order online next time, reducing labour costs while building your direct channel.

Making the Right Choice

The best online ordering system depends on your specific situation:

For most restaurants: Flipdish provides the most complete solution. It's the only platform that unifies online ordering, POS, kiosks, and AI phone ordering in one system. The subscription model is transparent, the features are comprehensive, and the platform is built specifically for restaurant operations.

For small cafés already using Square: Square Online provides basic functionality if you're doing low-volume online orders and don't need sophisticated restaurant features.

For US-based restaurants: ChowNow offers commission-free ordering but lacks the comprehensive feature set and UK-specific support that Flipdish provides.

For testing with minimal investment: GloriaFood's free plan lets you experiment, but you'll quickly outgrow it as volume increases.

For marketplace aggregation: Deliverect excels at consolidating third-party orders but doesn't provide the direct ordering capabilities that build your own customer base.

Why Flipdish is the Clear Winner

Flipdish is the only platform that provides everything a modern restaurant needs in one integrated system:

For restaurant operators serious about profitability and growth, Flipdish provides the most complete and cost-effective solution available.

Next Steps

Choosing an online ordering system is a critical decision that affects profitability for years. The right platform pays for itself within months through saved commission and increased order frequency.

Start by calculating your current costs: if you're paying 25% commission on £15,000 monthly in third-party orders, that's £3,750 per month or £45,000 annually. A professional direct ordering system eliminates most of this cost.

Get a personalised demonstration and pricing for your specific situation at Flipdish pricing.

For more detailed comparisons of restaurant technology, visit Restaurant Tech where you'll find independent analysis of POS systems, payment processors, and operational software.

The restaurants winning in 2024 are those that own their customer relationships and control their margins. Direct online ordering isn't optional anymore—it's essential for survival. Choose a platform that's built for restaurants, by people who understand restaurant operations.