In 2013, Pizza Hut was America's largest pizza chain.
In 2018, a mere five years later, Domino's swooped in and snatched the top spot.
What was Domino's secret to beating Pizza Hut?
Actually they had two secrets:
- they invested in technology
- they made delivery service a priority
Domino's understood that their customer base was changing.
Millennials preferred to order pizza online and enjoy it at home with a good show on TV.
Predictions show the market for online food delivery will reach $1.4 trillion USD by 2027.
If you're looking for ways to extend your reach, online ordering is the way to go.
This may sound like an intimidating task at first. But launching your own commissions-free, multi-restaurant delivery service is achievable. Something that you have full control over, without sacrificing one-third of your revenue.
But how?
The secret sauce is white-label food ordering platforms.
This comprehensive guide will show you the way.
Here are some things you don't have to do:
❌ be a big chain like Domino's and Pizza Hut
❌ give away 30% of your revenue to food delivery platforms
❌ invest in expensive technology or hire your own programmers
What you do want, is an easy to use system that offers the following:
✅ Easy for customer to choose different locations and see the menu
✅ Customise your ordering site to suit your brand
✅ Access to your customers' data
✅ Reliable technical support
✅ No need for new harware
✅ Affordable
In this guide, you'll learn how to set up your own multi-restaurant delivery service.
- Why is it important to have your own online ordering system?
- How to choose a system for multi-restaurant operations
- Why you should consider Maynuu
Why is it important to have your own online ordering system?
As your business grows, you will want a more comprehensive way of managing online orders. This becomes more obvious when you have more than 1 location to deal with.
Many outlets 🏬🍗 🏬🍗 🏬🍗
You could have one concept, with many outlets. For example, you have 3 stores and all sell the same fried chicken menu.
Many businesses 🏬🌮 🏬🍜
Or, you could have different concepts. For example, one is a Mexican eatery, the other is a Thai restaurant.
Either way, you will want a system that:
- allows you to differentiate between the various locations, even if they all offer the same menu
- lets you offer different menus at each location
You may want each location's website to have a different look. Yet at the same time, maintain a certain brand identity.
Most of all, you want full control over your revenue. And you want to be able to build meaningful relationships with your customers.
There is no way to have all the above if you rely on third-party platforms like GrabFood and Foodpanda.
How to choose a system for multi-restaurant operations
So how to go about building that system? There are two ways:
- DIY - Develop It Yourself (high cost, takes a long time)
- Use a white-label solution (affordable, fast)
If you have the time and resources, you can develop your own ordering system.
Here's an example of a restaurant chain that developed their own system.
The benefit of this is they get to control the entire design, layout, and user experience, from beginning to end.
Having your own in-house tech team comes at a very high cost. You will need to hire specialists in app development, programmers, designers... the list goes on.
As a small restaurant, you don't need all that.
Instead, choose a white-label ordering system.
White-labelling means using a system that is already developed, but it allows you to put your own brand on it. Kind of like the concept of "OEM".
Most white-label systems let you customise your ordering site with your own branding. They take care of all the tech, while you focus on what you know best - your food and your customers.
A white-label solution gives you the same benefits of a DIY solution, at a fraction of the cost. And you don't have to build it from scratch.
What will you do with all the cost savings?
You can funnel it into marketing and advertising. And buy yourself something nice for once.
Some things to look out for while choosing your multi-restaurant ordering system:
Easy for customer to choose different locations and see the menu
❌ There are some systems that force you to register or provide all your personal info before you can see the menu. This is a huge turn-off and can kill your conversion. This means people may abandon your site before even giving it a chance.
People visit your website because they want to see your food. So show them your food menu first!
✅ When a guest visits your ordering site, they can see a list of all your locations. When they click the location of their choice, the first thing they should see is the menu for that location.
Customise your ordering site to suit your brand
❌ Third-party marketplaces like Deliveroo don't allow customisation. All the menus on their website look the same. You are not able to differentiate yourself in any way.
✅ You want your ordering site to look like an extension of your brand. You should be able to customise the look and feel of it.
Access to your customers' data
❌ Third-party apps hide your customer data from you. And why should they? These are your customers. You have a right to get to know them.
✅ Having access to your customers' data allows you to build a relationship with them. For example, you can ask them for permission to add them to a mailing list, or a Telegram group. You can send them your weekly specials, and the occasional promo.
You also have a right to your sales data. For example, what are the most popular categories? What are your best-selling items for the month?
You should be able to access and analyse such data from your ordering system's dashboard.
Reliable technical support
❌ With third-party apps, it's difficult to reach the right person. You often get routed to a call centre, and get sent on a frustrating wild goose chase.
✅ You may need someone to help you set up your menu. Or you may encounter glitches or bugs on the platform. This calls for professional help.
A good ordering system should have a dedicated tech support team at the ready to help you out whenever you need it. This shows their level of commitment. Because when you succeed, they succeed too.
No need for new hardware
❌ There are systems that come with hardware. The problem with this is, hardware needs constant maintenance. They may try to upsell you on installation fees and upgrade packages. It starts out cheap but ends up costing you more if you're not careful. There's also the headache of having to make space for yet another piece of equipment on your counter top.
✅ Your multi-restaurant ordering system should work with your current setup. It should work on any device, whether it's a POS computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. You shouldn't have to invest in new hardware.
Affordable
❌ One caveat is to read the fine print. There are some white-label systems that lure you in with a good basic package. Then upsell you on system add-ons. You may end up paying more than you budgeted for.
✅ A non-predatory system gives you all the benefits of a custom-developed system. But at a fraction of the cost.
Fees and costs may vary, and it's understandable that you'll go for one that fits your budget.
Word of advice: choose a system that offers 0% commissions, and has transparent pricing.
Why you should choose Maynuu
Growing your restaurant business does not need to involve costly software.
Choose software that can give you the highest returns, with the lowest investment.
🏬🏪🛒 Maynuu makes it easy for your customers to order from different locations.
👩🏻🎨🎨 You can customise your ordering site to match your branding.
🖥💻📱 Maynuu is a web-based platform. This means you can access your dashboard using a web browser, which works on any device! Be it a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile device.
👀 You can keep an eye on your businesses' dashboard anywhere, even when you're on-the-go.
Use your existing devices - you don't need to invest in extra hardware.
🔓 Customer data is yours to see and store – it is never hidden from you.
💁🏻♀️ You get concierge service and a dedicated account manager. We collate and upload your menus for you.
We also observe your account to make sure you are getting the most out of our system.
🆓💯 Maynuu is free to sign up and use. You get 100% payout, the next day.
We do not charge you any commission, nor any monthly fees.
How do we make money?
We charge your customer 5% on top of the food price.
You can choose to absorb some or all of this platform fee, but you are not obligated to.
Maynuu is very flexible in this sense, and you retain full control over every aspect of your online store.
Conclusion
Go for a system that is cost-effective and provides great technical support. It should let you access customer data, and be easy to use for you and your customers.
Don't turn your potential customer away by using a less than ideal ordering system. First impressions are everything in the online world. So make sure yours is a good one!
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We use the term 'restaurant' throughout the article for consistency. However this guide can be generally applied to any type of food shop, including but not limited to: bakeries, bars, bistrots, boulangeries, butcheries, cafés, caterers, coffeeshops, delis, diners, eateries, food trucks, patisseries, pubs, etc.
