Home / Resources / What does a restaurant online ordering system cost?
Learn · RestaurantsThree pricing models, and the sticker price is the least useful number in the comparison. Here is what each one actually costs at your order volume, what is missing from every price page, and what I charge.
Or call and talk it through: (305) 215-6132Restaurant online ordering is sold three different ways, and the price you should compare is not the sticker — it is what the system costs you at your order volume. Marketplace commission costs 15% to 30% of each order, depending on the plan tier and nothing up front. Flat-fee ordering software costs a monthly subscription regardless of volume, and the providers publish and change their own rates often enough that you should check the current number before you sign. A build-and-care model — which is what I sell — is a one-time build with a monthly for hosting and changes: $2,000 up front, then $149/mo. Card processing is separate under all three.
Commission scales with success. That is the entire problem with it: the better your food does, the more you pay for the privilege of selling it, and there is no volume at which it stops. A flat monthly does the opposite — it is expensive when you are quiet and cheap when you are busy. Which means the only honest way to compare them is to take your own monthly order count and your own average ticket and do the multiplication. Most owners have never done it, and the number surprises them.
Marketplaces publish 15% to 30% of each order, depending on the plan tier. All-in costs often land nearer 30% to 40% once promotions and the lower tiers' visibility penalties are counted, and the customer stays theirs, not yours.
Commission, no monthly. Right for a kitchen that is genuinely using the marketplace to be discovered by strangers, and for anyone whose volume is too low or too seasonal to carry a fixed cost. It is also the only model where you are paying for demand generation as well as for software, which is worth saying out loud.
Flat-fee software. Right when you have steady direct volume and want a system you control. Read what the fee actually includes — some price per location, some per order on top, some charge extra for the parts you assumed were standard, and most quote card processing separately at a rate worth checking against what you already pay.
Build and care. Right when the ordering has to live inside a proper website rather than on a separate ordering page with somebody else's branding, and when you would rather email a person to change the menu than administer a dashboard. It costs more up front than the other two and less than either at volume.
Three of them, and they are the ones that decide the real total. Card processing is charged by your processor, not by the ordering system, and online orders are keyed rather than card-present so they cost more than a swipe — if you do not know your effective rate, that is worth an afternoon. Menu maintenance is somebody's job: if it is yours, price your own hour. And who owns the customer has a cost that only shows up later, when you want to text a thousand past customers about a slow Tuesday and discover the list is not yours.
$2,000 up front, then $149/mo for the restaurant website and the ordering system together. No commission per order, at any volume. The monthly covers hosting, security, backups and menu changes — you email me and I make the change. Card processing is separate and is whatever your processor charges you, which I am happy to look at whether or not you buy anything. If you only want the website, that is $750 up front, then $99/mo.
The ordering system is a web app that installs to the home screen. It is not a native app from an app store, and nobody is building you one of those for a four-figure sum.
It depends on the model. Marketplace commission is 15% to 30% of each order, depending on the plan tier and nothing up front. Flat-fee ordering software is a monthly subscription that varies by provider and changes often enough to be worth checking directly. A built-in ordering system with a website, which is what I sell, is $2,000 up front, then $149/mo. Card processing is separate under all three.
No, and be careful with the phrase. It means there is no per-order cut — you are still paying, as a build fee or a subscription, plus card processing. What it genuinely removes is the part of the bill that grows every time you have a good month.
Multiply your monthly delivery orders by your average ticket, then by the commission rate on your current tier. Compare that to the monthly. For most kitchens doing steady direct business the fixed cost wins earlier than they expect, but it is your arithmetic, not mine.
Usually not. They are good at reaching people who have never heard of you. The money is in giving the people who already know you somewhere to order that does not cost you a cut.
No system includes it. Processing is charged by your processor at your own rate, and online orders are keyed rather than card-present, so they cost more than an in-store swipe. That is worth checking before you sign anything.
Not on this. Growth, marketing and website services — including the website care plan — are month-to-month with no long-term commitment, and you can prepay annually for up to two months free. Payment processing is a separate thing: it is a merchant account and it has its own terms, which I go over with you personally on the free review so everything is clear before you decide.
Yes, any month. There is no cancellation fee and no notice period to argue about on the month-to-month services — I would rather earn the next month than hold you to a term you regret. If you cancel a website plan the domain is yours, registered in your name, and you can take the site elsewhere.
The Growth Audit is free and takes about two minutes to request. I look at what you have now and tell you straight what would move the needle first -- and what would not.
Prefer to talk now? Call or text (305) 215-6132Educational content, not legal, tax or financial advice. Market figures are general 2026 ranges that vary by business, volume and provider -- verify current pricing with each provider before you sign. Individual results vary.