Set Up Online Ordering for a Restaurant (Third Party Store)

This guide is for restaurants that already have a website, but want to add the ability to order food online. The way you set up online ordering will be just like how you set up a traditional eCommerce Store, except you will be filling orders in real time. To learn about Store in general, see eCommerce: Getting Started (Third Party Store).

Follow the steps below to quickly launch online ordering and start accepting food orders through your website.

1. Add Store

First, you need to add a Store to your site. For example, you could add an Online Orders page to your site, and then add your Store to it.

2. Add Menu Items

In your Store, menu items are added as products. To learn how to add products to your Store, see Add and Edit Products in the Store (Third Party Store). You can also Import Products to Your Store (Third Party Store) from a CSV.

Optionally, you can set up Product Options (Third Party Store) for menu items. For example, you might have an option for customers to choose between a regular or gluten free bun for their burger. If your options affect (raise/lower) your product price, use Product Variations (Third Party Store) to update your product price in real time. Your customer will be able to see the new price immediately right on the product details page.

It can also be helpful to use Inventory Tracking (Third Party Store) to add stock to your menu items (products) to avoid customers ordering something that you do not have enough stock left to accommodate.

3. Add Payment Methods

When setting up payment methods, you can offer Online Payments (Third Party Store) and or Offline Payments (Third Party Store). You can also enable an option to Collect Tips (Third Party Store) and Add Gift Cards (Third Party Store) to sell. To learn more about payment options, see About Payment Options (Third Party Store).

4. Add Delivery and Pickup Options

Depending on your preference, you can offer local delivery and or a pickup option for customers that order online. You can configure both local delivery and pickup options in the Shipping and Pickup section of the store control panel.

Delivery

To set up local delivery:

1. In the left panel, click eCommerce, and then click Manage Store.

2. Click Shipping and Pickup.

3. In the Local Delivery section, click Add Delivery.

4. Select the desired delivery method.

5. Configure the following:

   • Add Delivery Zones (Third Party Store).

   • Availability by subtotal.

   • Operating hours.

   • Delivery date and time.

   • Description with a delivery time estimate or other information.

6. Click Save and Finish.

Pickup

To set up self pickup:

1. In the left panel, click eCommerce, and then click Manage Store.

2. Click Shipping and Pickup.

3. In the Self Pickup section, click Add Pickup.

4. Configure the following:

   • Detailed instructions for customers about where to pickup their order.

   • Pickup charge.

   • Ask for pickup date and time at checkout (only available for Advanced and Unlimited plans) and set your business hour to limit pickup hours.

5. Click Save.

Now that you have successfully set up online ordering for your restaurant, you may want to consider giving your customers a detailed description of how online ordering works in your restaurant — what protective measures you take to keep customers safe, what days and times foods can be ordered, and how to get their order with less person-to-person interaction. You can also let your customers know how they can leave tips and how they can support your business through a gift card purchase.