Online Ordering and Table Booking Systems for Restaurants and Cafés
Are orders getting lost on the phone, bookings in a notebook and messages on WhatsApp? How restaurants and cafés in Europe can set up their own online ordering and booking system.
Summary
Are orders getting lost on the phone, bookings in a notebook and messages on WhatsApp? How restaurants and cafés in Europe can set up their own online ordering and booking system.
During the evening rush the phone rings, an order arrives on WhatsApp and someone asks about a table on Instagram, all at once. For many people running a restaurant or café in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria or Belgium, this is familiar. In this article we look at how to bring orders and bookings together in one place.
Where are things getting lost today?
Before looking at solutions, it helps to see where things go wrong:
- Phone orders: missed calls at peak times and wrongly noted addresses
- WhatsApp messages: orders spread across different phones with no clear owner
- Booking notebook: double-booked tables, no-shows and no reminders
- Menu and price changes: information that has to be updated separately everywhere
Writing this list for your own business makes the need clear.
Platforms or your own system?
Delivery platforms are useful for reaching new customers, but they charge a commission on every order and most customer data stays with the platform. Your own ordering system lets you build a direct relationship with regular customers.
For most businesses the sensible route is to use both: new customers arrive via platforms, while returning customers are directed to your own website or app.
What should a good system include?
- A menu and basket that are easy to use on a phone: photos, categories, ordering in a few taps
- Online table booking: available times and an automatic confirmation message
- One screen to manage everything: all orders in the same list for kitchen and till
- Menu updates: price or product changes made in one place
- Online payment or pay on delivery
These features can be built on an e-commerce platform or as custom software designed around your business. The size of the business and how it works determine which is right.
Connecting with WhatsApp and Google
Most customers find you on Google and message you on WhatsApp. Adding ordering and booking links to your Google Business Profile shortens the path from search to order. Sending order confirmations and booking reminders with WhatsApp Business keeps the message flow organised. We explain how this can be set up on our WhatsApp marketing page.
Integration with your till and accounting
Typing online orders into the till by hand wastes time and causes errors. Where possible, the ordering system should be integrated with your till and accounting software, so the day's sales are visible in one place.
Customer data and GDPR
An ordering and booking system collects personal data such as names, phone numbers and addresses. This data must be stored in line with the GDPR, and customers must give consent before receiving marketing messages.
How we work at Kordevo
At Kordevo Soft we build websites, ordering and booking systems for restaurants and cafés across Europe, and we also communicate with clients in Turkish. In the first conversation we listen to how a typical evening goes and find together where orders get lost. Scope and delivery date are set out in a written offer.
You can see our work on the projects page, and if you are thinking about a system for your business, get in touch.
