Increasing online ordering while decreasing your restaurant overhead starts with the technology you already have.

Over the last few years, accelerated by the pandemic, online ordering has become a staple of nearly every industry whose business model allows it. Traditionally, the process is often time-consuming, requiring a website that allows for a point of sale (POS) integration. This means hiring a web designer and spending hours before it is ever ready for orders.

This article uses an example order to show how an online ordering pos integration streamlines otherwise manually intensive processes for customers and employees alike. The process consists of four steps:

Step 1: The website is made

Kevin wants to set up online ordering for his new restaurant, The Golden Sun. Accessing his cloud-based POS, he sets up a website in just a few minutes, following prompts provided by the user-friendly interface.

He is able to customize this information to his store, adding:

Hours of operation
Social media links and email contact information
Default menu template
Custom banner headline and body

This essential information is all automatically placed at the bottom of the new website, which is finished in minutes. He is also excited to learn that the site has mobile access which means he can attract more customers who prefer to order via smartphone. This means that Kevin is ready to take orders online within a day of setting up the site.

Step 2: The order is placed

Dana is feeling hungry; she just got off a long shift at the hospital and doesn’t feel like cooking, so she orders out. She’s heard good things about the new local restaurant that recently opened and decides to take a chance on something she hasn’t tried before.

After finding The Golden Sun website (created in Step 1 above) via Google, she peruses the menu for a few minutes. With just a few clicks, she:

Step 3: The order is received and prepared

Catching up from the dinner rush earlier that night, Kevin receives Dana’s order notification on the POS. He quickly accepts the order, sending it to the integrated accounting software for further sales tracking.

The accepted order is then automatically sent to the integrated kitchen display system and his chef gets to work preparing the ingredients and throwing them on the cooktop before the estimated pickup time.

Step 4: The order is picked up

Dana gets held up by a small amount of unfinished paperwork leaving the hospital. As a result, the time for pickup comes and goes, at which point she receives an order update from Kevin informing her that the order is ready.

Because of this, she thinks to phone ahead and let Kevin know about the delay—he confesses to some level of relief, since the preparation took him longer than normal, and lets her know it will be ready when she comes in. Indeed it is; he hands off the shrimp lo mein with a smile, which Dana enjoys back at home while relaxing with a good movie.

As a result, The Golden Sun becomes a staple for her on those rough nights.

Need online ordering? POS integration makes it happen

For Dana and Kevin, the online ordering function provided by the POS was integral to the whole transaction. From creating the website, placing the order, processing the payment and notifying the restaurant itself, it was the POS that made it possible.

If you find yourself interested in a solution like this, consider outsourcing the job to someone with a lot of experience. POS providers like talech specialize in building online ordering POS integrations tailored to your needs. We also offer a host of other features, such as table mapping, labor management integrations, and accounting software integrations. Reach out today about a free demo and to learn how talech can become your trusted partner.