6 Best Online Ordering Platforms For Restaurants In 2024
If your restaurant doesn't offer online ordering, it could miss out on major profits. Find out which POS system is best for online ordering.
Nicolette began writing on small business topics in 2020. After hundreds of hours researching, testing, and assisting small business owners with web building and point of sale software, she is now an expert on all things eCommerce and point of sale. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Nicolette KierNicolette began writing on small business topics in 2020. After hundreds of hours researching, testing, and assisting small business owners with web building and point of sale software, she is now an expert on all things eCommerce and point of sale. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Matt has been helping small businesses make decisions since 2017. He has written reviews and articles across many different channels but specializes in the point of sale, payroll, and small business insurance categories and has been quoted in articles for Fox Business, Forbes, and other publications. Prior to joining Merchant Maverick, Matt was a journalist and editor for 14 years for a pair of weekly newspapers. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and currently resides in Gladstone, Oregon.
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Matt ShermanMatt has been helping small businesses make decisions since 2017. He has written reviews and articles across many different channels but specializes in the point of sale, payroll, and small business insurance categories and has been quoted in articles for Fox Business, Forbes, and other publications. Prior to joining Merchant Maverick, Matt was a journalist and editor for 14 years for a pair of weekly newspapers. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and currently resides in Gladstone, Oregon.
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An online ordering platform allows you to accept orders on your own website and third-party ordering platforms like DoorDash and Grubhub, which helps you gain exposure online and meet customer expectations.
We compared several restaurant online ordering systems based on factors like pricing, features, kitchen display system (KDS) software integrations, compatibility with the best POS systems, and user reviews to help you find the best online ordering system for your restaurant.
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Pros
Free online ordering platform builder
Free restaurant POS software
Third-party delivery integrations
On-demand drivers for restaurants without permanent drivers
Cons
Occasional hold on funds
Limited inventory management
Why We Picked Square For Restaurants As The Best Low-Cost Option
Customize Square For Restaurants online ordering site for an Indian restaurant. (Source: Square)
We picked Square For Restaurants because restaurant owners get a free all-in-one POS software and online ordering platform, built-in payment processing, and affordable POS hardware for restaurants looking to take in-person and online payments. Square offers connections with the company's fleet of delivery drivers (in partnership with DoorDash) for a low per-order fee, so restaurants without a dedicated delivery staff can still offer delivery.
A Square online ordering site builder comes free with every Square For Restaurant POS software and payment processing plan.
Paid Square For Restaurant POS plans include more online ordering features like customer order status text updates, pre-ordering, more online ordering platform customizations, and removing Square branding from your site.
Additional fees include:
Delivery Fees: $0.50 per in-house delivery order; $1.50 per delivery-by-Square order
Kitchen Display System: $20/device/month on the free plan; free on the paid plan
Third-Party Delivery Platform Order Manager: $89+/month
Third-Party App Business Accounts: 15%-30% commission on every order (fees vary for DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc.)
Payment Processing Fees: 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person orders; 2.9% + $0.30 for online orders
Note: You have to pay payment processing fees no matter what online ordering system you use, so it’s not like you’ll get to avoid payment processing fees with a different provider.
Online Ordering Features
Square For Restaurants Features
Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Add-on
Marketing Tools
Add-on
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging
Square’s free features include:
Free customizable online ordering platform for pickup and delivery orders
Automated inventory tracking that syncs with all ordering types
Free in-person POS software to connect to online ordering
Different menus for in-person and online ordering types
Discounts and coupons to encourage buyers to spend more
Free Order With Google integration so customers can order from your restaurant when it appears in local Google search results
You can pay a per-order fee to accept online orders for delivery, either from your own in-house restaurant delivery drivers or drivers sourced from Square On-Demand (in partnership with DoorDash.)
You can also get a very affordable kitchen display system (KDS) to help kitchen staff navigate in-person and online orders. Connect your KDS to third-party ordering platforms like Grubhub and DoorDash to effectively manage all your orders with no mishaps.
Who Should Use Square For Restaurants
Restaurants looking for a free online ordering platform
Businesses that need low-cost online ordering and POS software
Restaurants that do not have their own delivery fleet
We appreciate that TouchBistro is customizable enough for most restaurants, but doesn't overwhelm users with the setup process and everyday use. The online ordering platform is clean, delivery rules are easy to set up, and you can integrate loyalty, gift card, and marketing software with your online ordering site.
TouchBistro is an affordable middle-of-the-road software, especially for restaurants that need a lot of POS licenses to operate. The company offers advanced features like Toast and Lightspeed Restaurant, but TouchBistro's features are less thorough. This makes the software easier to navigate and less expensive.
Pricing
TouchBistro’s online ordering platform starts at $50/month and is an add-on to TouchBistro POS packages, which range from $69-$399/month depending on the number of POS device licenses you sign up for.
The $399/month plan includes unlimited POS licenses, making it a cost-effective option for larger restaurants with several employees and stations.
Other popular add-ons that are beneficial for online ordering include:
Loyalty: $99/month
Gift Cards: $25/month
Reservations: $229/month
Marketing: $99/month
KDS: $19/month
Third-Party Online Order Management: $119-$249+/month (Deliverect integration)
Why We Picked Clover For Online Payment Processing Options
Clover online ordering platform on laptop and smartphone. (Source: Clover)
Clover is a unique POS provider because, unlike Square, Toast, and other popular restaurant POS system companies, Clover allows you to choose your own merchant services provider and purchase your POS hardware from that third-party provider (also known as a Clover reseller.) With a good Clover merchant services provider, your business will get the best online payment processing rates and immediately save money on payment processing fees.
We also appreciate that Clover creates a free online ordering program module for you and offers several POS and online ordering integrations to help you build a more custom order management solution.
Payment Processing Fees: Varies depending on your merchant services provider
POS Hardware: $599-$1,799
Third-Party Order Management: Pricing based on integration (Chowly, OrderOut, Cuboh, Otter, etc.)
Kitchen Display Software: $25/screen/month
Clover Loyalty Program: $0-$99/month
Note: Clover offers its own payment processing services but charges 3.5% + $0.10 for online orders, which is very expensive. We recommend you find a different Clover merchant services provider for better payment processing rates.
Online Ordering Features
Clover POS Features
Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Depends on hardware choice
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Depends on software plan
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Add-on app
Employee Management
Text Messaging
Clover includes a free basic online ordering site and an easy connection to your Google Business Profile so customers can find your restaurant in local search results.
Other Clover online ordering features include:
Integrations with third-party platforms through several order management apps (Chowly, Otter, Cuboh, etc.)
Connection with the Clover loyalty program
KDS software integration
Partnership with Bentobox for a more advanced online ordering restaurant website and better online order and delivery management
Estimated pickup and delivery times
Online ordering time restrictions
Integrations with gift card sales apps
In-house delivery and pickup management
Third-party delivery of Clover website orders through DoorDash Drive (also called Delivery Now)
Check out as a guest or create a customer profile
Who Should Use Clover
Restaurants looking for the best online payment processing rates
Restaurants that want durable restaurant POS hardware
Businesses looking for affordable loyalty and gift card sales features
We like that Lightspeed Restaurant offers many integrations with popular third-party delivery platforms, with the ability to customize pricing and item availability for each delivery platform menu. Lightspeed KDS software also displays information for driver pickup and an estimated arrival time, so it's easy for kitchen staff to pace orders and ensure the right carryout bags go to the right drivers.
Note: Lightspeed has partnered with Deliverect to build Lightspeed Delivery, an all-in-one multichannel dine-in, pickup, and delivery management platform compatible with Lightspeed Restaurant POS and Lightspeed KDS software.
Larger restaurants & hotels looking for custom payment processing rates
Online ordering comes with the Essential plan and up, but you can add online ordering to the Starter plan for an added monthly fee if you don’t want to move up a plan level.
Other fees include:
Third-Party Online Order Management: $119-$249+/month (Deliverect) or $89-$219+/month (Otter integration)
Third-Party App Business Accounts: 15%-30% commission on every order (fees vary for DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc.)
Payment Processing Fees: 2.6%+$0.10 for in-person orders; 2.9%+$0.30 for online orders
Kitchen Display System: Custom pricing
Online Ordering Features
Lightspeed Restaurant Features
Availability
Multi-Store Support
Essential plan and up
Contactless Payments
Essential plan and up
Multi-Channel Selling
Online and third-party delivery platform orders
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Essential plan and up
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
Paid add-on
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging
Lightspeed’s best third-party app management features include:
Menu availability and pricing variations to account for different platform requirements and fee structures
Modifier and allergen details on all menus
Delivery and pickup information available on POS and KDS
Order status board add-on displays order progress for pickup and delivery orders
Several third-party order platform integrations and strong online order managers
Timed events and promotions can be duplicated across all custom menus
We also appreciate Lightspeed’s customizable POS and KDS screen interfaces, raw ingredient tracking, and the Lightspeed Loyalty program available on all plans.
Who Should Use Lightspeed Restaurant
Restaurants wanting to gain exposure by listing on all major ordering platforms
Restaurants that need strong kitchen management software
Quick-serve restaurants with lots of pickup and takeout orders
Loyalty program works well with online ordering platforms
Excellent delivery driver management
Strong customer communication
Great POS and KDS software and hardware
Cons
Add-ons get expensive
Two-year minimum contracts
Early termination fee
Why We Picked Toast POS As The Best All-In-One Online Ordering Platform
Toast offers more online order management features than any other online ordering platform on this list, including an excellent built-in loyalty program that easily syncs with your online ordering site, third-party delivery platform management, commission-free in-house delivery software modeled after apps like DoorDash, listing on Toast's own takeout website, and more.
On top of all these features, Toast offers an entire ecosystem of restaurant management products, including strong POS and KDS software and hardware.
Toast-Powered Delivery Services: $7.49 per order ($9.49 in California)
KDS Software: $35/screen/month
Loyalty: $50/month
Gift Cards: $50/month
Payment Processing Fees: 2.49%-3.69% + $0.15
Note: You can get your POS, online ordering, third-party delivery management, gift card, and loyalty program builder for free if you agree to a higher per-order payment processing fee (3.39% + $0.15) and only need one or two POS terminals. However, the per-order fee may cost more than the monthly fees in the long run, so switch to at least the $69/month plan as soon as possible.
Online Ordering Features
Toast POS Features
Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging
Toast’s best online ordering features include:
Loyalty Program: With Toast Loyalty, customers can sign up for, automatically collect, and redeem loyalty points online with their phone number. You can also award points for signup, birthdays, and other special events and advertise it on your ordering platform.
In-House Delivery Driver Management: Toast has delivery driver dispatch and tipping rules, automated and manual delivery quote times, delivery instructions, maximum delivery distances, and order status updates. Drivers can update an order delivery status so you can see how fast a driver is reaching their destination.
Toast-Powered Delivery Services: Toast Delivery Services, a separate product, provides customers with a delivery experience that mirrors your standard third-party delivery services, with customer text updates, live delivery driver tracking, and order thresholds.
Takeout Order Management: Customers get automated text updates when an order is ready for pickup. Customers can message the restaurant when they arrive for a faster in-store or curbside pickup experience.
Ordering Platform Design: Toast offers a highly sophisticated and customizable ordering platform that includes many branding opportunities.
KDS Order Sync: Like Lightspeed, Toast offers one of the best kitchen display systems for takeout and delivery order navigation.
We also appreciate Toast’s Android POS system hardware, which is highly spill and heat-resistant.
Revel Systems provides the most wide-reaching and customizable online ordering, delivery, and in-store ordering solutions, with large-scale developer platform capabilities, strong multilocation and franchise management tools, and numerous third-party integration partners.
Since Revel Systems is such a customizable solution and often requires a lot of technical setup, we only recommend this system to restaurants and restaurant groups with a large monthly budget.
Use if you are committed to the product and have a need for high-end features.
Revel offers a completely customizable plan with separate online ordering, delivery, third-party delivery, and delivery through DoorDash Drive products.
You’ll pay payment processing fees to Revel or a third-party payment processor. Revel charges an added monthly fee for using a third-party payment processor.
There’s also a one-time setup fee starting at $674 that includes on-site hardware and software installation.
Online Ordering Features
Revel POS Features
Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging
Revel’s most unique online ordering feature include:
Branded Online Ordering Platform: You create your own custom web-based online ordering app for takeout and delivery. Your platform will mimic a third-party delivery app without requiring customers to download yet another mobile app.
Delivery Order Receiving: Kitchen staff get a notification on kitchen display systems when new orders come in, along with any modifiers or special requests. You can customize takeout and delivery order routing to certain kitchen display systems and give custom color codes to these order types.
Customer Communication: Customers get SMS updates when their order is ready, when a driver has picked it up and is on route, and when they’re close. Customers can even view a driver’s location on a map in real-time and get up-to-date delivery times.
Driver Management: You can assign drivers to orders based on how close they are to one of your chain locations, view where drivers are and how long their car remains idle, view order completion times, tip information, and more.
Driver App: Drivers can use their own web-based app to see customer orders, accept new orders, view delivery preferences, call your store if needed, and get an optimized delivery route using Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze. You get information on the driver’s route, which can be used to measure driver performance.
For chain restaurants specifically, Revel allows you to duplicate and edit location settings, change menus and pricing across locations, grant different access permissions to shop managers and employees, have employees pick up shifts at different locations, and transfer stock between locations.
Related: Compare Revel’s strong delivery driver management features with the rest of our best pizza shop POS systems.
Who Should Use Revel Systems
Very large restaurants and franchises that need custom solutions
Restaurants that want their own custom online ordering app
Restaurants that want excellent delivery driver management
Merchant Maverick has been researching and reviewing POS providers since 2012. Our writers have tested over 100 different point of sale systems, evaluating pricing, features, ease of use, customer service, and user reviewers. Read more about how we rate POS providers.
When comparing different POS software systems, we consider many data points, including relative pricing, the depth of niche features offered, the price of hardware, and any associated payment processing fees. Our lists of the best providers include only apps we’ve deemed worthwhile from multiple vantage points. The POS vendors we pick share qualities such as widespread availability, accessibility, user-friendliness, and reasonable pricing. We also look carefully at niche features, such as check-splitting, inventory management, eCommerce, loyalty programs, gift cards, and more.
We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure the providers included meet our internal standards for quality and reputation.
80+
Vendors evaluated
65+
Attributes assessed per vendor
20+
Features weighed
30+
Combined years of experience
What Is An Online Ordering System For Restaurants?
An online ordering system for restaurants is software that allows customers to order from a digital menu for pickup or local delivery. Online orders are sent from your online ordering website to your point of sale (POS) and kitchen display systems (KDS) so that servers and kitchen staff can prepare online orders.
For more information on how online ordering works, read our post on how to set up online ordering for your restaurant.
How To Choose An Online Ordering Platform For Your Restaurant
1: Decide What Services To Offer
First, consider whether to offer pickup, delivery, or both. If you just offer takeout, you don’t have to worry about finding an online ordering platform with good delivery management.
However, if you plan on offering takeout and delivery to increase your sales, decide whether you have enough staff to start your own in-house restaurant delivery system or need an online ordering platform that offers delivery services.
Also, decide whether to list your menu on third-party delivery service platforms like DoorDash and GrubHub. You get more online exposure if you list your restaurant on third-party platforms, but third-party fees can cut your profits.
No matter what services you offer, your online ordering platform should sync with your restaurant POS system so it’s easier for servers and kitchen staff to manage orders from all online and in-store sources.
2: Figure Out Your Budget
Your budget should account for monthly software, payment processing, and third-party app fees. You may also need to budget for restaurant POS hardware.
Read our guide to restaurant POS system costs to help you decide how much you’ll spend on your POS and payment processing. Then, consider how much money you can spend on an online ordering platform that meets your restaurant’s needs.
3: Consider Online Order Management
It may be worth investing in a kitchen display system that syncs with in-person, takeout, delivery, and third-party ordering platforms to manage all your online orders. It may also be worth investing in a third-party online order aggregator like Deliverect or Otter so you can manage all platforms on one screen.
4: Narrow Down Your Options
Now that you have your software features and pricing in mind, narrow down your options. Consider things like POS system availability, contract requirements, and added fees when listing your choices.
5: Try Out Your Options & Choose
Use any free trials or demos of your options before making a decision. Talk to customer representatives, see walkthroughs of online ordering platform setups, and read through your contract before making any commitments.
Once you’re satisfied, choose your online ordering platform and connect it to your POS system.
FAQs: 6 Best Online Ordering Platforms For Restaurants In 2024
How do you manage an online menu?
Most restaurant POS systems start by duplicating your in-person ordering menus for your online menus. You can usually customize your online menu to remove items such as alcoholic drinks and change pricing to account for online ordering platform fees.
Which third-party ordering platform is most profitable?
DoorDash is the most popular third-party ordering platform and has slightly lower fees than Uber Eats, the runner-up to DoorDash, so DoorDash is likely the most profitable platform.
How do you manage a fleet of delivery drivers?
To manage a fleet of delivery drivers, you need to assign drivers to delivery orders, keep in contact with them through the delivery process, and get confirmation that they have delivered their orders.
POS systems like Toast and Revel offer live driver tracking to make sure drivers are en route.
Can you sell alcohol for delivery?
You can sell alcohol for delivery in most US states. There are restrictions and regulations for selling alcohol online no matter what state you’re in. Make sure to read up on the rules and find an online ordering platform that allows for alcohol delivery.
Should I hire a delivery driver or use an on-demand delivery service?
If you get a lot of online ordering platform traffic and can afford to hire part-time or full-time drivers, it may be more cost-effective than paying on-demand delivery fees to services like DoorDash Drive.
You will have to find drivers you can trust and get the right driver insurance if you hire someone to work under you.
Nicolette began writing on small business topics in 2020. After hundreds of hours researching, testing, and assisting small business owners with web building and point of sale software, she is now an expert on all things eCommerce and point of sale. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
View Nicolette Kier's professional experience on LinkedIn.
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Easy-To-Use POS For Full-Service RestaurantsSleek & intuitive system that is popular in the restaurant industry.Run your entire restaurant on an iPad, including reservation management.Learn MoreStarting at $69/month
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
Easy-To-Use POS For Full-Service RestaurantsSleek & intuitive system that is popular in the restaurant industry.Run your entire restaurant on an iPad, including reservation management.Learn MoreStarting at $69/month
