Your regulars already know what they love about your restaurant. A restaurant online ordering app can make their next order easier. Saved favorites, payment details, and rewards all live in one place on their phone. Here's how to compare options, understand costs, and launch an app that fits the way your restaurant works.
Quick Take: What to Know Before You Launch an App
A restaurant online ordering app is a branded app that guests download to order directly from your restaurant.
Saved payment details, favorite orders, and an icon on a guest's home screen can make repeat ordering easier.
Try comparing five essentials before choosing an app: checkout, commission and pricing, point-of-sale (POS) fit, fulfillment options, and loyalty tools.
Commission-free ordering can help you manage per-order costs, but payment processing and subscription charges may still apply.
You can build your direct ordering presence in stages, starting with ordering links, then adding a branded website and mobile app.
Most ordering apps cost between $0 and $500+ per month
What Is a Restaurant Online Ordering App?
A restaurant online ordering app is a branded app guests download to order directly from your restaurant. They can browse your menu, customize meals, and check out from their smartphone.
Marketplace apps work differently. These third-party marketplaces (delivery apps like DoorDash that list many restaurants in one place) let customers browse and order from lots of options at once.
These channels serve different needs, and they work best together. A marketplace can help new customers discover your restaurant. Your own app gives guests who already know you a convenient way to order again.
Marketplace app | Your own ordering app | |
|---|---|---|
Who's listed | Many restaurants | Only your restaurant |
Main benefit | Helps new customers find you | Makes reordering easy for regulars |
Branding | The marketplace's | Yours |
Customer data | Mostly held by the marketplace | More of it comes to you, depending on the provider |
Typical costs | Commission on each order | Subscription, payment processing, and any commission |
A restaurant food ordering app is also different from a restaurant order management app. The first is what guests see and use. The second helps your team receive, organize, and track incoming orders. Both are usually part of a larger restaurant online ordering system, so understand how they connect before choosing a provider.
For restaurants already taking orders online, a branded app can be a next step rather than a fresh start. With a commission-free option, guests can order directly while your marketplace listing keeps running alongside it.
Why Restaurants Are Adding Their Own Ordering App
A website helps guests find your restaurant and place an order without downloading anything. An app adds a spot on their smartphone's home screen. That makes your restaurant easier to return to when they're deciding what to eat.
The best restaurant apps shorten that return visit. Saved payment details can cut checkout steps. Favorite orders help regulars find their usual meal without browsing the full menu again.
Think of a neighborhood coffee shop with the same morning crowd every day. An app lets those regulars reorder their usual drink in a few taps before they leave the house.
That convenience shows up in reorder rates. Branded Mobile App customers are 30% more likely to reorder (compared to customers using web ordering channels, based on internal DoorDash data from January 2025 to June 2025). If repeat business is your main goal, these customer retention strategies for restaurants can help you build on it.
What to Look For in a Restaurant Online Ordering App
If you're comparing online ordering platforms or apps for taking restaurant orders, start with the guest experience and your kitchen's workflow. An attractive app won't help much if checkout is confusing. It also won't help if staff need to enter every order twice.
The following five criteria form a checklist, not a ranking. They're listed in no particular order, so give each one weight based on your restaurant's needs.
Seamless Ordering and Checkout
Try placing an order built by the app provider you're considering yourself before committing. Can you find an item, select modifiers, review the total, and check out without getting stuck?
Compare saved payment methods, favorite orders, and one-tap reorder options. Check which payment method types guests can use at checkout. Guests should also be able to review an order before submitting it, especially when prices, availability, or their preferences have changed.
Look at how the app handles add-ons, too. A well-placed prompt for a side or drink can upsell without slowing checkout down.
Order updates matter as well. A good restaurant order tracking app experience shows guests where their order stands. They should see when it's accepted, being prepared, and ready for pickup. For delivery, ask which updates are available and how guests receive them.
A useful test: Can a returning guest place their usual order more easily than on their first visit? That convenience gives them a reason to keep using the app.
Commission and Pricing Structure
Compare two main charges: the recurring monthly subscription and any commission on each order. Commission is a percentage the provider takes from every sale, so it grows as your order volume grows. Then ask about payment processing, setup, delivery, and optional tools.
Commission-free does not mean cost-free. A provider may offer commission-free orders while still charging a subscription and standard payment processing.
Request a written breakdown that separates these costs. Ask whether the subscription covers your whole business or each location. Also ask whether adding loyalty or marketing tools changes the price.
POS and Kitchen Integration
A new app shouldn't create extra work during a rush. Ask how incoming orders reach the people preparing them. Do staff need to accept or enter them manually?
Strong POS integration can sync your menu and send orders straight to supported POS systems or kitchen displays. Depending on compatibility, that may remove the need for a separate tablet or duplicate entry.
Don't assume "integrates with your POS" covers every function. Confirm support for your specific system, menu modifiers, item availability, location settings, and order routing.
Your guest-facing app and restaurant order management app should work together. Ask the provider to demonstrate the full process, from a guest placing an order to your kitchen receiving it.
Fulfillment Options
Confirm that the app supports the ways you serve guests: pickup, curbside pickup, delivery, or a mix.
For delivery, ask whether you can use your own drivers, a delivery network, or both. Review coverage, charges, estimated delivery times, and who handles order support.
For takeout and curbside orders, check that guests get clear pickup instructions. The app should fit your operation, not force your team to improvise a new process.
Loyalty and Repeat-Order Tools
If you don't have dedicated marketing staff, look for tools that make follow-up manageable. Compare loyalty rewards, saved favorites, push notifications, and automated reminders. If you already sell gift cards in store, check whether the app supports them too.
Ask what runs automatically after setup and what still needs your input. Push notifications and loyalty offers can help encourage another visit. Just confirm which features run on their own before you count on them.
As you keep building your restaurant loyalty program, think about where guests earn and redeem rewards. A simple, consistent experience is easier for guests to stick with. Tools such as SMS and push notifications can then remind them when a reward is waiting.
How to Launch Your Own Restaurant Ordering App
You don't need to launch every direct ordering channel at once. A staged approach lets you set up the basics, test your workflow, and then give regulars another way to order. Follow these steps in order:
Start taking commission-free direct orders. Choose a direct ordering system for restaurants that lets guests order through links on your own channels. Review payment processing and any other applicable charges before activating it. Add the ordering link to your website and your Google Business Profile, or GBP (your restaurant's listing in Google Maps and search results). Add it to your Facebook page and Yelp listing too. Then place a test order to check item descriptions, modifiers, payment, and how orders reach your team.
Add a branded website that helps visitors order. If you don't have a suitable website, choose an option you can maintain without a developer. If your current site works well, you may only need to add or improve its ordering links. Make the menu, location, hours, and ordering button easy to find on a phone. If you're figuring out how to create online ordering for your restaurant, this step is the foundation.
Launch a branded app for your regulars. Once direct ordering is working, add a restaurant ordering app that reflects your brand and supports your ordering process. Confirm who handles app setup, publishing, updates, and ongoing support. Test checkout and kitchen routing before promoting downloads. Then introduce the app through your website, in-store materials, and permitted customer messages. If you use a customizable email and text marketing tool, add the launch to your restaurant email marketing plan.
An app is also different from a restaurant self-ordering system used on-site, such as a kiosk. Full-service restaurants may also need a separate tool for table reservations. Treat each as part of your broader ordering setup, rather than expecting one tool to handle every situation.
How Much Does a Restaurant Online Ordering App Cost?
Restaurant ordering apps commonly range from $0 to $500+ per month, depending on the subscription, commission structure, and included marketing tools. That monthly range doesn't always reflect the full cost of taking orders.
Compare the total across these categories:
Monthly subscription: What you pay to access the service and its included features.
Per-order commission: Any percentage or charge tied to each order.
Payment processing: Charges for accepting customer payments.
Setup and maintenance: Any costs for configuration, publishing, updates, or support.
Additional services: Charges for delivery, hardware, integrations, or optional marketing features.
A $0 monthly price doesn't necessarily include a branded, downloadable app. Confirm exactly what the entry-level option provides and what requires a paid plan.
Already on DoorDash Marketplace? The DoorDash Direct Pro package costs $249/mo. and includes a branded mobile app and Cross-Channel Loyalty. That gives you a path from direct ordering to an app with repeat-order tools. Standard payment processing applies.
Before signing up, confirm how pricing applies to multiple locations. Compare estimated costs at your typical order volume, not just the advertised monthly price.
How Restaurants Are Growing With Their Own Apps
Green Tomato Grill wanted to grow digital orders while keeping its restaurant identity central to the guest experience. After launching Branded Mobile App, the Southern California restaurant reported a 13% increase in digital orders. App users ordered 1.4 times as often and spent 1.25 times as much as customers using other channels.
3Natives launched Branded Mobile App to connect with customers through their phones. The brand reported that its mobile app customers reordered 71% more often than web customers.
These are individual restaurant results, not promised outcomes. They show how a branded app can support repeat ordering when it fits a restaurant's guests and operations.
Why Restaurants on DoorDash Launch Their App With DoorDash Direct
Branded Mobile App is a custom-branded app built on your existing Marketplace account. There's no new account signup, your menu syncs automatically, and orders route to a supported POS or tablet.
That setup can cut the work of keeping separate menus and juggling systems that don't talk to each other. You should still confirm compatibility with your POS and review the order flow before launch. App users order 30% more frequently, increasing first-party digital same-store sales by up to 20% (based on internal DoorDash data from February 2024 to March 2025).
Direct Ordering powers online orders placed through your app, website, and Google profile. Your website serves guests who want to order without a download, while the app gives regulars a dedicated place to return. Adding Direct Ordering can increase sales by up to 8% of current Marketplace sales (based on internal DoorDash data from Jan 2025 through May 2025).
When you're asking, "What's the best app for taking restaurant orders?" the answer depends on your operation. Think about how guests order, how orders reach the kitchen, what you pay, and how much ongoing work your team can handle.
For a restaurant already on DoorDash, the existing account, synced menu, and supported order routing are practical reasons to look at Direct. Plus, you get an app built with all of the lessons DoorDash has learned building Marketplace, so you can be confident it will work in a way that your customers are likely already familiar with.
Turn Marketplace Customers Into App Regulars
You've already built a customer base on DoorDash Marketplace. Direct gives those regulars a branded app to order from you directly, commission-free (standard payment processing applies). Your menu is already synced, so there's nothing to rebuild. Confirm your POS or tablet setup, review Direct costs, and start introducing the app to your guests.
Get Started with DoorDash Direct
