Online ordering system for restaurants: what it is and how it works

How is an online ordering system different from a delivery app?

A delivery app such as DoorDash, Uber Eats or Grubhub is a marketplace: a shared app where diners browse many restaurants. The marketplace owns the customer and charges the restaurant a 15% to 30% base commission on each order. The blended real cost is 25% to 35% once delivery, marketing and processing fees stack.

An online ordering system runs on the restaurant's own site. The restaurant pays a subscription instead of a commission and keeps the customer's details. Most restaurants use both: the apps to be found, their own site for regulars.

What types of online ordering platforms are there?

There are four. Ordering built into a register, such as Toast or Square. Direct ordering platforms sold on their own, such as Owner.com, ChowNow and Zayos. Enterprise platforms for chains, such as Olo. And the marketplaces, which also sell their own direct ordering add-ons.

The right one depends on the register you run, how many locations you have and whether you want marketplace orders on the same screen as direct orders.

How much does online ordering for restaurants cost?

Pricing comes in three shapes: a flat monthly fee, a percentage of each order, or a mix of both. Card processing applies on every card payment whichever shape you pick.

Zayos is a flat fee per location per month: Operator $399, Operator + Tablet $499, Concierge $599. No setup fee, month to month, no contract. Zayos takes no cut of food revenue and no cut of tips. The diner pays a flat $0.99 service fee on pickup and delivery, $0 dine-in, and 10% on catering.

What does the Zayos online ordering system include on each plan?

Operator at $399 is direct ordering on your own branded site, email marketing, loyalty, gift cards, promo codes and POS integration. Orders inject into Clover, Square or Shift4 at no extra cost. Toast works too; Toast bills the restaurant its own $50 a month integration fee.

Operator + Tablet at $499 adds the kitchen tablet and marketplace orders: DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub orders arrive in one feed with direct orders, on the Otter tablet. Otter is the order-aggregation tablet software we integrate with. Concierge at $599 adds white glove setup, nationwide shipping of packaged goods and up to 5 virtual brands per kitchen.

What it does not do yet: ordering sites are English only, and there is no branded mobile app. Order updates go out by text and email.

How long does it take to set up an online ordering system?

It depends on the menu and the register. The menu has to be built, the payment account opened, the POS connected and a test order run.

On Zayos, we get you live in under a week. Most restaurants take their first direct order within two weeks. Restaurants are live on Zayos and taking direct orders today, including Farooj Abo Alabed and Melt N Dip.