Best Online Ordering Systems for Restaurants in the UK
What is an online ordering system for restaurants?
An online ordering system allows customers to browse your menu and place orders directly through your website or app. Orders come through to your kitchen automatically — no phone calls, no manual entry.
There are two types:
- First-party ordering: Customers order directly from your own website or branded app. You own the customer relationship and pay no per-order commission.
- Third-party marketplaces: Customers order through platforms like Uber Eats, Deliveroo, or Just Eat. These drive discovery but charge significant commission on every order.
Most UK restaurant groups use a combination of both, with a clear strategy for converting marketplace customers to direct.
Why first-party ordering matters
Third-party platforms charge commission on every order. For a restaurant with thin margins, this significantly reduces or eliminates profit on delivered orders.
First-party ordering changes the economics. You build a direct relationship with your customer, collect their data, and can market to them again. Commission-free means the full order value contributes to your margin.
The challenge is visibility. Marketplaces bring traffic. First-party ordering requires you to build and maintain a customer base. This is why choosing the right online ordering platform matters — the platform should actively help you convert and retain customers, not just process orders.
The best online ordering systems for UK restaurants
1. Flipdish
Flipdish provides first-party online ordering for restaurants, takeaways, cafés, QSRs, and multi-location groups. It is built specifically for the restaurant industry.
Why Flipdish leads:
- Commission-free ordering — you pay a platform fee, not a cut of every order
- Branded restaurant websites with built-in online ordering, optimised for conversion
- Branded mobile apps — your own app in the App Store and Google Play, not a shared marketplace app
- Native integration with Flipdish POS: online orders arrive in the same kitchen queue as counter orders
- Built-in loyalty and CRM: every online customer becomes a named contact you can market to
- AI marketing tools to automate re-engagement campaigns and win-back sequences
- Centralised menu management for multi-location groups
- Strong UK and Ireland presence with dedicated support
Flipdish works particularly well for operators who want one platform to handle online ordering, a website, an app, and POS — without managing multiple systems and integrations.
View Flipdish online ordering pricing →
2. Deliverect
Deliverect is primarily an order aggregator — it consolidates orders from multiple marketplaces into one view. It does offer a direct ordering product but its core strength is marketplace management rather than first-party acquisition.
Best for: Operators heavily reliant on marketplaces who want to simplify multi-channel operations.
Limitation: Less suited as a primary first-party ordering platform for building a direct customer relationship.
3. GloriaFood
GloriaFood offers a free or low-cost online ordering widget that can be embedded into an existing website.
Best for: Very small operators who need a basic ordering function quickly.
Limitation: Limited features, limited support, limited integration with POS and loyalty systems.
4. Square Online
Square Online offers website-based ordering as part of the broader Square ecosystem.
Best for: Independent cafés and small restaurants already using Square POS.
Limitation: Not designed for multi-location groups; loyalty and CRM features are limited compared to dedicated restaurant platforms.
5. Olo
Olo is a US-based enterprise ordering platform used by large QSR chains. It is available in some markets but primarily designed for significant enterprise scale.
Best for: Large chain restaurants with complex multi-channel ordering needs and dedicated technical resource.
Limitation: Not appropriate for independent restaurants or smaller groups.
First-party vs third-party: how to think about it
| Factor | First-party ordering | Third-party marketplace |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | None (platform fee only) | Typically 20–35% per order |
| Customer data ownership | Full | None |
| Brand control | Full | Limited |
| Discovery | Requires own marketing | High (marketplace traffic) |
| Repeat purchase tools | Email, SMS, loyalty | Limited |
| Integration with POS | Native (if same provider) | Via aggregator |
Most successful restaurant operators build a first-party channel and use marketplaces selectively for new customer acquisition, with clear tactics to convert marketplace customers to direct.
What to look for in an online ordering platform
POS integration. Online orders should appear in the same kitchen system as counter orders. A separate tablet per channel creates operational complexity during peak service.
Customer data. Every order should build your database. You should be able to export customer data and send targeted email and SMS campaigns.
Website and app quality. If your online channel looks poor or loads slowly, customers will abandon. The platform should provide professionally designed, fast-loading ordering experiences.
Loyalty. A loyalty programme dramatically increases repeat purchase rate. It should work across all your channels — online, app, and kiosk.
Menu management. For multi-location operators, you need to update your menu once and have it reflect everywhere. Manual per-channel updates lead to errors and operational overhead.
How Flipdish solves the online ordering problem
Flipdish exists specifically to help restaurants build a profitable direct channel. The platform combines a branded website, a branded app, first-party ordering, POS integration, loyalty, and AI marketing in one system.
Rather than assembling a stack of separate tools, Flipdish gives restaurant groups a single platform with a single data model — so every customer interaction, whether online, in-app, at the kiosk, or at the counter, feeds the same customer profile and the same reporting view.