Online food ordering for restaurants: what you need to get started

Online ordering is no longer “something for the big chains”. Customers expect to be able to look at the menu and order from their phone — and the only question for a restaurant is whether to do it through delivery apps (with commission) or through its own website.

This guide is about the second option.

What an online ordering system is

It’s two parts working together:

1. The customer website — the menu by category, the cart, a choice of delivery or pickup, address entry and sending the order.
2. The restaurant panel — where orders arrive, where you change the menu and prices, create promotions and track turnover.

Between them is the kitchen: the order has to get there immediately, loudly and clearly.

7 things you need

1. A domain

An address customers remember: restaurantname.rs. Short, without hyphens if possible. The domain is part of your brand — print it on bags, receipts and your Instagram.

2. A menu prepared for online

Your in-house menu isn’t the same as an online menu. For each item prepare:

• a name and a short description (what’s in it, not poetry);
• a price and variants (small / medium / large);
• paid add-ons (extra cheese) and sides (salad, kajmak);
• a photo.

Group items into the categories customers think in: Pizza, Pasta, Salads, Desserts, Drinks.

3. A frictionless cart and checkout

The customer should be able to order in as few steps as possible: choose items, enter their address and phone, choose a payment method and click “Order”. Every unnecessary required field is a reason to give up.

4. Delivery, pickup or both

Decide in advance:

• Pickup — the easiest start, at no cost.
• Your own delivery — define zones, fees and a minimum order per zone.
• A courier — arrange it with a local service.

To work out whether delivery pays off, read Your own restaurant delivery.

5. Receiving orders in the kitchen

This is the part most often underestimated. An order that lands in an email inbox while the kitchen is in the middle of the rush will be late. You need:

• a screen in the kitchen (tablet, phone or computer);
• a sound alert for every new order;
• buttons for accept / reject / ready / delivered;
• the customer to see that the order has been accepted.

6. Promotions and promo codes

From day one, have at least one promo code — for the first order or for regular guests from the restaurant. It’s the easiest way to get people to try it.

7. Analytics

How many orders, what turnover, which items sell, which days are weak. Without this you don’t know what’s working.

A 4-week launch plan

Staff training takes less time than you think — in Restoran Pilot the kitchen uses a few big buttons. Full instructions are in the user guide.

The most common mistakes

1. A menu without photos. Online, people eat with their eyes.
2. Wrong opening hours. An order at 11 pm that nobody sees until morning = a customer lost forever.
3. Orders by email. The kitchen doesn’t read email during the rush.
4. Items that have run out but can still be ordered. Switch them off with one click, not with a phone call to the customer.
5. A website nobody knows about. If you don’t promote it in the restaurant, on the packaging and on social media, customers stay in the apps.
6. A delivery fee that’s too high instead of a minimum order. Customers accept a minimum more easily than expensive delivery.

What it costs

From a ready-made platform for a few thousand dinars a month to a custom build for several thousand euros. A detailed comparison is in How much does a restaurant website cost.

Restoran Pilot includes everything in this guide — the customer website, kitchen display, promotions, analytics, hosting and support — for 3,000 RSD per month, with no commission on orders.

Frequently asked questions