How to Set Up Online Ordering Without Losing Your Brand's Personal Touch

Setting up online ordering can help restaurants reach more diners and keep orders flowing — but many owners worry that adding digital channels means losing the warmth that makes their restaurant special. With a thoughtful setup, you can offer convenience and keep your hospitality front and center.

Why your brand's personal touch matters as you set up online ordering

Restaurants build loyalty through hospitality — remembering regulars, offering recommendations, and creating moments that feel human. That personal connection is a big part of why guests return. In fact, nearly three quarters of consumers state they'll spend more with brands they trust.

Bringing that same experience online can feel tricky. Without a face-to-face interaction, it may seem harder to show warmth or guide diners the way you would in person. But it is possible. With the right setup, your online ordering channels can reflect your restaurant’s voice, make diners feel taken care of, and reinforce the same hospitality they experience in your dining room.

Setting up online ordering that reflects your brand

Here are practical tips to help you set up online ordering in a way that still feels true to your restaurant: 

Clear, friendly menu descriptions

Adding simple, appetizing menu descriptions to your online ordering menu can help diners feel guided — the same way a server would walk them through the menu at the table. A few clear details about flavor, ingredients, or portion size give customers confidence in what they’re choosing and reduce second-guessing. It also brings a bit of your hospitality into the digital experience, helping diners feel cared for even when they’re ordering from their phone.

Consistent branding across your online presence

Your online presence — your website, mobile app, and even your social media pages — should feel like an extension of your brick-and-mortar location. When your colors, photos, and tone of voice show up consistently across these channels, diners get a familiar experience before they ever place an order. It helps them recognize your brand instantly, feel confident they’re in the right place, and connect the digital experience with the hospitality they’ve come to expect in person.

Thoughtful packaging and handoff moments

A handwritten thank-you note, unique packaging, or a small freebie can mean even more when someone orders directly from your site. These gestures let customers know you noticed and appreciate them choosing your restaurant’s own online ordering channel.

 A quick “Thanks for ordering from us directly — we appreciate it” tucked into the bag can make the experience feel personal and intentional, even without a face-to-face moment. Little details like these help diners feel connected to your brand.

Setting up online ordering that reflects your brand

Here are practical steps to help you build an online ordering experience that still feels like you.

Start with a custom online ordering page

When you set up online ordering, the design and branding of your ordering page play a big role in shaping the customer experience. A clean, branded online ordering experience helps diners feel like they’re truly ordering from your restaurant.

With the DoorDash Commerce Platform, you can offer online ordering that reflects your restaurant’s look and feel, from your colors and photos to the way you describe your food. Your ordering page is built on DoorDash’s proven technology, search-friendly so customers can find you, and designed to help turn website visitors into paying customers.

You can link your online ordering system to your existing website. If you don't have a restaurant website yet or are looking for a change, you can launch your restaurant's website with the DoorDash Commerce Platform. Whichever route you choose, you'll want to make sure that your online ordering site and your website are cohesive and reflect your brand.

Use automation strategically

As you set up online ordering, automation can help you stay connected with customers without adding more work. When used thoughtfully, it can help diners feel remembered and encourage them to order again. In fact, automated email marketing available with the Commerce Platform Boost and Pro packages can help bring customers back more often, increasing order frequency by an average of 15% among new and returning customers.¹

Although the messages are automated, they'll still feel like your restaurant with email templates customized to your brand's look and feel.

Run custom campaigns targeting different customer segments

Automated campaigns are great for staying in touch without adding work — they run in the background and help bring customers back regularly. But sometimes you’ll want to send something more specific. That’s where custom campaigns come in.

With the DoorDash Commerce Platform’s customizable email and text marketing tools, you can create tailored messages for different customer groups. These campaigns let you speak directly to the people you want to reach — with the right tone, timing, and offer for each audience. 

Here are a few simple campaigns restaurants can run — and who will get the most value from each.

1. “We miss you” message

Audience: Customers who haven’t ordered in a while
What to send: A warm reminder that you’d love to cook for them again — with or without a promotion.
Why it works: It feels personal and shows that you're thinking about your customers, even when they may not be thinking of you.

2. Direct-order appreciation message

Audience: Customers who recently ordered through your website or branded app
What to send: A quick thank-you and a small perk on their next visit.
Why it works: Reinforces loyalty and shows you noticed.

3. Event- or season-based promos

Audience: Your full restaurant email list
What to send: A message tied to a holiday, sports season, or community event.
Why it works: Timely campaigns feel relevant and keep your brand top of mind.

4. High-value customer loyalty push

Audience: Guests who order frequently or spend more than average
What to send: A note about joining your rewards program.
Why it works: Makes your most loyal customers feel seen and offers them a way to earn rewards.

How to keep guest relationships at the center of your online ordering strategy

Follow up after their order

After someone places an order, a short email or SMS message is a simple way to let them know you appreciated their visit — even if it happened through your website or app instead of your dining room. You can thank them for choosing to order directly, ask how everything went, or invite them back with a friendly note. These small moments help build trust and show diners that there are real people behind the food, paying attention to their experience.

Encourage feedback and act on it

Inviting feedback shows diners you care about their experience beyond the transaction. Even a quick email message can open the door: “How was your meal?” or “Anything we can do better next time?” When customers see you listening and responding, it builds trust and reinforces that their voice makes a difference.

Reward repeat customers with loyalty

With the Commerce Platform Pro package, you can offer Cross-Channel Loyalty, where diners earn and redeem points whether they order online, through your app, in-store, or on DoorDash. It’s a simple way to keep guests coming back and make your most loyal customers feel special.

Consider a custom-branded mobile app

A restaurant app isn’t just another online ordering channel — it’s a place for your restaurant to live on your customers’ home screens. That’s valuable real estate. 

Because the app carries your colors, photos, and tone, diners get a direct connection to your restaurant every time they unlock their phone. And with a quick, familiar checkout experience, it becomes even easier for them to come back — no searching, no links, just your brand ready when they are.

With the branded mobile app available with the Commerce Platform Pro package, DoorDash's team will build and design your app to fit your restaurant's unique brand, giving customers a mobile version of your business.

Set up online ordering with the DoorDash Commerce Platform

Setting up online ordering doesn’t have to feel transactional and impersonal. With the right setup, it can extend your hospitality, strengthen customer relationships, and help diners feel like they’re ordering from people who care even when they don't interact directly with you and your staff directly.

If you're interested in seeing how the DoorDash Commerce Platform can help you get your online ordering strategy off the ground while maintaining what makes your business unique, schedule a demo.

¹Based on internal DoorDash data from March 2024 through March 2025