There are three ways to sell a restaurant an ordering system, and the one that is cheapest for you depends almost entirely on how many orders you do. Getting this wrong is not a disaster — it is a monthly bill slightly larger than it needs to be, forever.
🏷️ Three pricing models
| Model | Shape | Best when | Watch for |
| Flat monthly | Same fee whatever you sell | Steady, decent volume | Feels expensive in a slow month, which is when you are tempted to cancel |
| Per order | A small fixed amount per order | Starting out, or seasonal | It scales with success. Recheck the maths as you grow |
| Bundled with the POS | Included, or nearly | Your POS already does it well | Convenience is real, but it locks you to that POS |
The break-even between flat and per-order is simple arithmetic: monthly fee ÷ per-order fee = the number of orders where they cost the same. Below it, per-order wins; above it, flat. Work out where you sit today and where you expect to sit in a year.
🔌 Integration is what you are really buying
The ordering page is the easy part. What separates a system you keep from one you abandon is whether it talks to the rest of your restaurant:
- Your POS. An order that appears as a ticket, priced correctly, without anyone retyping it. Ask which POS systems are supported by name and version, and ask to see it working.
- Your printer or KDS. Where does the order physically appear when the kitchen is busy?
- Payments. Whether you can keep your current processor or must use theirs, and at what rate.
- Your website. Ordering on your own domain, not a redirect to a page that looks like somebody else's.
That last one matters more than it sounds. A customer bounced to an unfamiliar domain mid-order is a customer who wonders whether this is safe.
❓ Questions to ask before signing
- Who owns the customer data, and can I export it? Names, emails, order history. If you cannot export it, you have swapped one landlord for another.
- What is the total monthly cost at my volume? Fee plus processing plus anything per-order. Ask for it as one number.
- What happens when it breaks on a Friday night? Support hours, phone or email, and how fast in practice.
- What is the contract length and the notice period?
- Can customers order for pickup and pay in person? Some systems force prepayment, which quietly excludes a chunk of customers.
Ask question one first. A system that will not let you export your own customer list is not a channel you own, whatever the marketing says.
🧪 Test it as a customer
Before committing, place a real order on a demo or a trial, from a phone, standing up, the way a customer does. Count the taps from landing page to payment confirmation. Try it with a modifier. Try it as someone who has never been to your site.
Anything that annoys you in a calm five-minute test will lose you orders at 7pm on a Friday.