7 Tips to boost a restaurant's online ordering sales in 2025

In today's fast-paced society, people juggle multiple jobs to keep up with financial responsibilities. This leaves little or no time to prepare healthy meals at home. 

The time constraint enables restaurants to provide online ordering and food delivery services. In 2023, the global online food delivery market generated $390 billion from its meal segment alone.

As one of the largest consumer markets, the number of users requesting meal delivery in the US is expected to rise to 2.5 billion by 2028. Online ordering leads to an increase in sales. However, it also reduces losses resulting from miscommunication during phone orders.

If your restaurant doesn't have an online ordering system or a virtual sales assistant, start your digital transformation now. 

1. Optimize your online ordering platform

Without an online presence, your business might be perceived as lacking sufficient credibility. A recent survey showed that 65% of consumers prefer to order meals directly from a restaurant's website or app.

Beyond using a digital gateway, ensure that your website is user-friendly. Customers can easily locate their desired information and order if your website is user-friendly. 

Here are some tips to boost a restaurant's online ordering sales through website optimization:

• Ensure mobile responsiveness: Considering that people are more likely to order meals from their mobile phones, ensure your platform is optimized for varying screen sizes. 

• Make the CTA button obvious: Use a clear call to action, such as “order now” or “get it now,” and a distinct color that encourages clicking.

• Offer one-click ordering: Reduce the number of clicks or pages needed to order meals so customers can check out quickly.

In addition to using your own website, you can explore integrating with delivery apps. These apps help you start a delivery business and provide access to a large customer base, increasing your visibility and boosting online sales.

2. Craft a compelling and streamlined online menu

Creating a clean and straightforward online menu is one of the essential tips to boost a restaurant's online ordering sales. Use enticing photos and descriptions to highlight your restaurant’s signature dishes.

This is how Chipotle boosted the sales of its most loved recipe, Barbacoa. It displays it as the first item on its menu page, with a close-up image of the finished product. To build anticipation, it also uses the words “best kept secret” and “tender.”

Another important step in optimizing your menu for delivery is creating combinations. For instance, one burger costs $7, but you can offer a meal bundle with fries and a drink for $11.

This will entice customers to order the bundle since they may spend more to get each item separately. Using high-quality images and fewer text descriptions also boosts online sales. Optimized food pictures entice customers to place online orders even when they've never tasted the recipe.

3. Offer discounts and promotions

Offering discounts and time-limited deals is an effective way to boost a restaurant's online ordering sales. For instance, you can offer free weekday delivery or discounts on orders placed before 10 a.m.

Using these strategies on your high-margin items can increase profits. For maximum impact, leverage other marketing channels like social media and email marketing.

The tips below will give you a head start:

• Partner with social media influencers to share your promo code with their followers

• Create a well-designed social media strategy template for running targeted ads. This will encourage existing customers to place repeat orders 

• Use emails to distribute personalized discounts

• Team up with another local business to offer cross-promotions

An interesting example of cross-promotion is the time-limited partnership between Blaze Pizza and Primal Kitchen. It allowed customers to order their usual pizza with a different drizzle finish.

4. Provide multiple ordering and delivery options 

Their dining preferences may vary if your restaurant caters to various demographic groups. One segment may prefer to dine in, while another may want curbside pick up or home delivery. Therefore, providing multiple options broadens your reach.

It can also increase the value of orders. Customers tend to buy more since they’ll save money on gas and won’t have to wait in queues.

Provide clear and transparent information regarding delivery logistics to avoid confusion or cart abandonment.

Learn more about multi-platform online ordering

5. Provide multiple and quick payment options

Customers ordering online prioritize convenience. Your payment process should allow customers to complete their orders with a few taps.

One of the top tips for boosting a restaurant’s online ordering sales is to provide multiple payment options. Enable debit or credit card payment options. Customers should also be able to use payment apps for mobile orders, like PayPal and Apple Pay.

6. Use technology to create an efficient and personalized ordering process

Customers will happily patronize you if you understand their preferences. Therefore, using analytics tools on your online ordering platform is essential.

These tools can monitor customer preferences and provide in-depth reports on sales. Here is a curated list of the top web analytics tools. These tools can conduct in-depth analyses to help you understand your profits and sales. Implementing the right tool enables you to upsell and cross-sell items that align with your customers’ tastes.

AI chatbot integrations are essential to boosting a restaurant’s online ordering sales. They quickly address concerns and queries such as order status, menu options, and expected delivery time.

Additionally, the best B2B lead generation services can also provide valuable resources. It reduces the need to contact customer service and improves the overall user experience.

7. Encourage and respond to reviews

Positive reviews establish your credibility and trust. However, you may also receive negative reviews like the one below. When you receive a negative review, respond swiftly and offer a solution to win back the customer. This humanizes the brand. Also, encourage customers to write reviews via email or a pop-up form during checkout.

Wrap-Up

An online ordering system is table stakes for restaurants looking to provide customer convenience and maximize sales. So far, I’ve mentioned some tips to boost a restaurant’s online ordering sales. 

You can optimize your digital platform, craft a compelling online menu, offer discounts and promos, and enable seamless payments. Implement these tips to ensure your restaurant doesn't miss out on valuable online revenue.

About the Author - Reena Aggarwal

Reena is the Director of Operations and Sales at Attrock, a result-driven digital marketing company. She is quite an industry expert with 10+ years of sales and operations experience in e-commerce and digital marketing. She is a people person and considers human resources the most valuable company asset. In her free time, you would find her spending quality time with her brilliant, almost teenage daughter and watching her grow in this digital, fast-paced era.