Best Online Ordering Platforms for Your Restaurant

Here’s a helpful breakdown comparing the most popular online ordering platforms for restaurants—designed specifically for marketing professionals or restaurant owners evaluating the right solution to drive direct orders, improve margins, and deliver a branded digital experience.

Want to stop losing revenue to third-party apps? Want more control over your customer data, brand, and margins? Choosing the right online ordering system is the difference between a high-performing sales channel and an expensive, underused add-on. The key is knowing which platform fits your restaurant’s goals, team structure, and service model.

Let’s compare the top platforms across five critical areas: Branding, Control, Fees, Integration, and Ideal Use Case.

Toast

Use If: You want a full-stack POS + ordering system

  • Branding: Custom branded, clean UI
  • Control: High – menu, UX, loyalty, offers
  • Fees: Flat monthly, no per-order commission
  • Integration: POS, delivery, marketing, loyalty, email
  • Best For: Fast casual, multi-location, high-volume dine-in + online

Why Marketers Like It: Strong upsell capabilities, data-rich dashboard, email campaigns tied to order data


Square for Restaurants

Use If: You’re a small restaurant or startup with a lean team

  • Branding: Simple but customizable
  • Control: Good – basic editing and promotion
  • Fees: Small transaction fees + add-ons
  • Integration: Seamless POS + delivery via DoorDash
  • Best For: Food trucks, cafes, and budget-conscious operators

Why Marketers Like It: Easy to deploy campaigns, coupon and gift card support, integrates with social media


HungerRush

Use If: You need enterprise-grade automation and delivery logic

  • Branding: Fully white-labeled
  • Control: Excellent – deep loyalty, delivery zones, marketing
  • Fees: Subscription-based with premium tiers
  • Integration: POS, SMS/email, third-party delivery
  • Best For: Chains, QSR, pizzerias, multi-location restaurants

Why Marketers Like It: Built-in loyalty engine and customer segmentation for campaigns


ChowNow

Use If: You want to avoid delivery commissions and own your customer data

  • Branding: Fully custom ordering experience
  • Control: Strong – access to CRM, menus, promo engine
  • Fees: Flat monthly, no commissions
  • Integration: Website, branded app, Google ordering
  • Best For: Local restaurants who want to fight third-party delivery platforms

Why Marketers Like It: Commission-free = better margins to invest in marketing, plus CRM visibility


BentoBox

Use If: You need a full website + menu ordering platform

  • Branding: High – beautifully designed and fully on-brand
  • Control: High – promo banners, menu changes, visual storytelling
  • Fees: Subscription-based
  • Integration: POS, email, gift cards, catering
  • Best For: Upscale, boutique, or chef-driven restaurants with high branding standards

Why Marketers Like It: Visual control, upselling, and built-in SEO + email modules


GloriaFood (by Oracle)

Use If: You need a free, simple way to accept orders online

  • Branding: Basic, not fully custom
  • Control: Decent for a free platform
  • Fees: Free core service; pay for extras (like payments)
  • Integration: No native POS, but flexible
  • Best For: New restaurants, international markets, low-volume takeout

Why Marketers Like It: Gets restaurants online fast, low barrier to entry


MenuDrive (by HungerRush)

Use If: You want a low-cost branded ordering experience with backend support

  • Branding: Custom branded site
  • Control: High – coupons, upsells, loyalty
  • Fees: Flat fee or revenue share depending on plan
  • Integration: SMS marketing, loyalty, POS via HungerRush
  • Best For: Independents and small chains looking for simplicity and flexibility

Why Marketers Like It: Designed for direct order growth, loyalty building, and customer retention


Tock

Use If: You run fine dining, events, or prix fixe menus

  • Branding: Premium, minimalist
  • Control: Great for structured events and table management
  • Fees: Low fixed + per booking fee
  • Integration: Reservation + ordering in one
  • Best For: High-end dining, wineries, events

Why Marketers Like It: Prepaid events, curated menus, seamless booking + ordering experience


Bbot

Use If: You want contactless ordering at tables, food halls, or hotels

  • Branding: Fully branded QR-based menus
  • Control: Deep control of order flows
  • Fees: SaaS model, priced by features
  • Integration: POS, delivery, kitchen display systems
  • Best For: Hybrid spaces, ghost kitchens, venues with complex service models

Why Marketers Like It: Contactless ordering + tipping = modern guest experience that’s shareable

Summary Chart: Quick Side-by-Side

Platform Branding Control Commission-Free? Best For
Toast High High Yes High-volume fast casual
Square Medium Medium Yes Small ops, food trucks
HungerRush High High Yes Multi-location, delivery-heavy chains
ChowNow High High Yes Local restaurants avoiding Grubhub etc.
BentoBox Very High High Yes Chef-driven brands & upscale concepts
GloriaFood Low Medium Yes New/small restaurants with low budget
MenuDrive Medium High Yes Growing independents
Tock Very High High No (small fee) Fine dining, wine bars, culinary events
Bbot High High Yes Hotels, venues, ghost kitchens

Focus on selecting the system that matches your volume, budget, branding needs, and marketing goals. The difference in control, loyalty features, and customer data access will have a massive downstream impact on your ability to market, promote, and scale.

Want help evaluating which platform works best for your specific restaurant or franchise group? At NonStop Marketing, we help restaurants build an online ordering engine that actually sells.

Have questions or ready to take the next step?

Sign up for Marketing Tips

    We believe in privacy and will never share your information with anyone.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Related Posts