Free & Low-Cost Online Ordering Options 

Restaurants and bars all over the U.S. are closing their dining areas in response to COVID-19, and only offering take out or delivery. If you don't already have a delivery option, it's become easier than ever to add on either through a 3rd party provider such as Uber Eats or Postmates. For online takeout ordering, however, you might not want to add a commission fee to your margins.

The two online ordering platforms listed below are low-cost or free, with no commissions on the orders that they process. We hope that this will allow restaurants who might not currently have the capability to remain open for delivery and carry out to do so. While our initial list was much longer — there is a vast variety of online ordering platforms and many, many pros and cons to each — we ultimately chose to narrow it down to our top picks for your convenience.

GloriaFood

GloriaFood is a free online ordering system for restaurants that allows restaurants to accept orders for pickup and/or delivery through the restaurant’s website and Facebook page. This does not include online credit card payments, which is considered an additional service for $29 per month. Fun fact: Gloriafood was one of the first applications to provide online ordering services for free. 

• Pros: Gloriafood is a good option for small restaurants and pop up shops who want to get setup fast and for less. 
• Cons: This online ordering system has limited POS integration capabilities and is not recommended for multiple locations.

Chownow 

Chownow is an online ordering system that offers commission-free online ordering — meaning the company does not take a cut of each order placed, making this an affordable option for restaurants. It allows customers to place orders directly from your website, social media profiles, and custom-built food ordering apps. It integrates with Google My Business (even if your listing is not claimed) and plays nice with most POS systems. 

• Pros: Chownow is a good option for restaurants who want to implement quickly and invest in a worthwhile system that is easy to use for both customers and restaurants. This system can handle 1-10 locations.
• Cons: Limited branding capabilities within the menu template - no white-labeling and no pictures. 

Have you found any tools or services to help your restaurant serve customers through COVID-19 closures? Please share in the comments.  We also recommend thinking through your menu a little differently: consider offering meal kits, dinner packages, or bulk-buys of crowd favorites through your take-out options!