Online orders do not increase just because you “have an order button”. You need to make the experience easy, fast and clear for the customer, but also manageable for your kitchen and delivery team. The good news is that you do not need complicated actions. With the right menu, clear visibility, consistent service and a little daily observation, you can turn more visitors into real orders.
Below you will find practical steps you can apply in a restaurant, grill house, café, pizzeria, burger shop or other food business.
1. Understand who orders and what they want
Before you change your menu, offers or promotion, start with the most basic point: who your customers are and how they order. The employee ordering lunch at the office has different needs from the family looking for dinner, and different again from the student looking for something quick and affordable.
Do a simple check for one week and note:
- Which hours bring you the most online orders.
- Which dishes appear most often in baskets.
- Which areas order the most, if you do delivery.
- When cancellations, delays or complaints happen.
- Which products are often bought together, such as a burger with chips or coffee with a snack.
If you see, for example, that cooked dishes rise at lunchtime and more “comfort” dishes in the evening, you can adjust your promotion by time of day. You do not need complex analysis. You need consistent observation and small decisions based on what is already happening in your business.
2. Make your online menu simple, clear and tempting
Your online menu is your salesperson when the customer is not standing in front of the counter. If it is confusing, has no descriptions or unclear options, the customer gets tired and leaves. If it is clear, the customer decides more easily.
Start with the right structure. Split your products into logical categories, such as starters, mains, salads, pizzas, burgers, drinks and desserts. Avoid too many subcategories if they are not needed. For each dish, add a short, useful description: key ingredients, how it is served and what makes it special.
- Use good photos: not necessarily a professional production, but clear images with natural light and a real portion.
- Show the options clearly: size, cooking preference, sauces, extras, sides.
- Mention allergens and special labels: you help the customer feel confident.
- Hide anything that has sold out: it is better than someone ordering it and then needing a phone call to change it.
The aim is for the customer to understand immediately what they are buying, how much it costs and how they can customise it.
3. Optimise your ordering page or ordering point
Your digital presence must lead quickly to an order. If a customer enters your Instagram, Google profile or website and cannot easily find where to order, you lose opportunities. The order button or link must be visible, simple and available everywhere.
Check the basic points:
- Speed: images and pages must load quickly, especially on mobile.
- Mobiles: most customers will try to order from a smartphone, so the experience must be comfortable.
- Few steps: from the menu to completing the order, do not add unnecessary barriers.
- Clear details: opening hours, delivery areas, minimum order and payment methods must be visible.
Put the order link in your Instagram bio, on your Google profile, in stories, in posts and anywhere else the customer finds you. For a more practical application, also see the guide Order links & QR codes for restaurants, so you can use the link and QR code properly in your daily promotion.
4. Use an online ordering system that works for you
A good online ordering system helps you receive orders in an organised way, reduce mistakes from phone calls and keep a better view of demand. The important thing is to choose a solution that fits the way you operate and does not make your daily work harder.
Look at what you need in practice:
- To be able to accept or reject orders immediately.
- For the customer to be updated on the progress of the order.
- To manage delivery or collection from the shop.
- To set a delivery charge, minimum order and average preparation time.
- To easily change prices, photos, extras and dish availability.
A solution such as Wiiz Eat works as the restaurant’s own online ordering system and not as a marketplace. The customer pays the restaurant directly, by cash or card on its own POS at the door, while the restaurant has its own order link and QR code. The charge is €0.15 per accepted order, with a €250 one-off activation fee, prices excluding VAT and no commitment.
5. Promote online orders on social media consistently
Social media is not only for beautiful photos. It is a channel that can send the customer directly to an order, as long as you use it with a plan. You do not need to post constantly. You need to post useful and clear content.
Create a simple weekly plan:
- Monday or Tuesday: present a dish you want to promote during the week.
- Lunchtime: show options for a quick lunch or menu of the day, if you have one.
- Friday or Saturday: promote dishes for groups, families or evening orders.
- Stories: add a direct reminder with the order link.
- Behind the kitchen: show preparation, fresh ingredients or order packing.
Every post should answer three questions: what am I seeing, why should I want it, how do I order it. Avoid general captions like “we are waiting for you”. Prefer something specific: “Today, try the chicken portion with chips and yoghurt sauce. Order from the link in bio for delivery or collection”.
6. Give customers a reason to order directly from you
If customers find you only through platforms, they often do not think that they can order directly from your restaurant. You need to remind them, without pressure and without complicated messages. Direct ordering should feel natural, easy and worthwhile as an experience.
Use points you already have:
- Put an order QR code on the delivery bag or box.
- Place a small message in the window or on the counter.
- Add a card inside the order with the link or QR code.
- Say it politely on the phone or in the shop: “Next time, you can also order online from our own link”.
- Put the link on your Google profile and social media bios.
You can also create small offers especially for direct online orders, such as a discount on a specific dish or a free side on selected days. Keep it simple, so the kitchen can manage it too.
7. Improve service after the order click
Increasing online orders does not end when the customer presses “send”. That is where the experience begins, and it will decide whether they order again. Accuracy, the right timing and clear communication make a big difference.
Set a simple process for the team:
- Order check: before preparation starts, confirm extras, notes and quantities.
- Proper packing: separate cold and hot items, sauces and drinks, where needed.
- Realistic timing: do not promise fast delivery if the kitchen is already under pressure.
- Customer update: if there is a delay or change, inform them in good time.
- Polite handling of mistakes: if something goes wrong, take responsibility and suggest a practical solution.
If you have your own delivery drivers, make sure they know exactly what they are picking up and where they are going. Systems that show the order status, such as accepted, ready and out for delivery, help the customer feel that their order is progressing normally.
8. Measure, correct and repeat what works
You do not need to change everything every week. But you do need to monitor what works and what does not. Online orders increase when you make small improvements continuously, not when you wait for one big move to solve everything.
Keep notes on:
- Which dishes bring the most orders.
- Which social media posts lead to more messages or clicks.
- Which hours create pressure in the kitchen.
- Which complaints repeat.
- Which offers are easy to carry out and which confuse the team.
A simple hypothetical example: if every Wednesday you promote a specific combo and see that customers ask for it often, keep it for a few weeks and improve the photo, description or posting time. If an offer creates delays, change it or limit it. Steady improvement is more important than perfection. When the customer finds the menu easily, orders without obstacles and receives everything correctly, they have every reason to return.