Straight answer: to get your own ordering app, you need a technical solution, ready-made or custom, an organised digital menu, a way to handle payment and delivery, a process for accepting orders and a plan so your customers know about it. The cost can be one-off, monthly, per order or a combination of these, depending on the solution you choose.
The main point is not simply to “have an app”. It is to have a channel that brings orders directly to your restaurant, builds repeat customers and reduces dependence on third-party channels. If you set it up roughly, it will sit unused. If you set it up properly, it can become a daily sales tool.
1. What we mean by “your own ordering app”
Your own ordering app means that the customer can see your menu, choose products, add options and extras, enter a delivery address or collection, and send the order directly to you. It does not have to be a marketplace. It can be a branded app with your name or an ordering system with your own link and QR code.
In practice, you need:
- A digital menu with the right categories, prices, photos and options.
- An order dashboard for accepting, rejecting and updating order status.
- Delivery and collection settings, such as minimum order, delivery charge and opening hours.
- A way to update the customer on the progress of their order.
- Promotion on Instagram, Google, your shop window, bags and flyers.
Think of it as your own digital order till, not just a simple shop window.
2. How much it costs: the main cost categories
The cost is usually split into four categories. First, there is the cost of creation or activation. Second, there may be a monthly charge. Third, there may be a charge per order. Fourth, there is the indirect cost: staff time, photos, menu updates and promotion.
For example, a custom app may need a larger initial investment, development time and future upgrades. A ready-made solution can start faster, with specific terms and less technical involvement from you. There are also solutions that work per accepted order, which helps you connect the cost with actual use.
Important: do not compare only “how much it costs”. Compare what you get: who keeps the customer details, who receives the payment, how easily you can change the menu and how quickly your team can be trained.
3. Ready-made solution or custom app?
A custom app gives you more control over the look and the way it works, but it usually needs more time, a technical team and ongoing maintenance. For a small or medium-sized restaurant, the risk is paying for something that takes too long to launch or is not promoted enough to customers.
A ready-made solution is more practical when you want to get started quickly. It already has basic functions, such as a menu, order acceptance, delivery settings, collection and customer updates. If you want to see in detail what this kind of approach includes, you can read the guide Your own ordering app.
To decide, ask three questions:
- Do I want to start within a few days, or can I wait?
- Do I have someone to deal with technical issues?
- Do I care more about full customisation or immediate operation?
If the goal is orders now, you usually start with a ready-made solution.
4. What you need to prepare before you start
Before you open online ordering, get your menu in order. Many restaurants upload everything they have on the menu without thinking it through. This confuses the customer and creates mistakes in the kitchen. Start with the dishes that sell, travel well and can be prepared consistently during peak times.
The preparation list:
- Categories: starters, salads, mains, burgers, pizzas, drinks, desserts, depending on your type of business.
- Dish names: clear, without internal abbreviations.
- Descriptions: short, with key ingredients and serving style.
- Photos: bright, real and not exaggerated.
- Extras: clear options, such as extra cheese, size, sauce or side dish.
- Allergens and dietary notes: where needed, to reduce questions.
Keep the first upload simple. It is better to start with 40 correct products than 120 confusing ones.
5. How to set up delivery and collection properly
The app does not work by itself. It must reflect how your business actually operates. If you show a preparation time of 25 minutes but in practice you need 50, the customer will be disappointed. If you accept orders while the kitchen is “drowning”, you will create delays and complaints.
Set up from the start:
- Ordering hours that are different from your opening hours if needed.
- Delivery and/or collection depending on your team.
- Service areas with a realistic radius.
- Delivery charge and any free delivery threshold.
- Minimum order so it makes operational sense for you.
- Temporary pause when you cannot serve customers properly.
If you have your own delivery drivers, make clear who takes which order and when it leaves the shop. Visibility for the team is just as important as visibility for the customer.
6. How to get customers ordering from you
The biggest mistake is to create an app and wait for customers to find it by themselves. It needs repetition across every touchpoint. The customer needs to see the link or QR code again and again until it becomes a habit.
Practical actions:
- Put the link in your Instagram bio and in a permanent story highlight.
- Add a button or link to your business Google profile.
- Print the QR code on delivery bags, boxes, order receipts and flyers.
- Put a small sign in the window: “order directly from us”.
- Train staff to say it naturally: “next time, you can also order from our own link”.
You can also highlight dishes that make sense for customers to order directly, such as family menus or office packages. Do not make it complicated. Make it easy and repeatable.
7. How it helps with customer loyalty
Loyalty is not built only with discounts. It is built through ease, consistency and recognition. When the customer knows they can order quickly, see the menu clearly, be updated about their order and pay in a way they understand, they have a reason to come back.
Your own app or your own ordering system helps you build a direct relationship. You are not just another shop in a list. You are the restaurant the customer opens when they want that specific burger, souvlaki, sushi, home-style dish or brunch.
For loyal customers, keep it simple:
- Maintain consistent quality in online orders.
- Use careful packaging with a reorder message.
- Reply quickly to complaints.
- Keep popular products available at peak times.
- Hide dishes that have sold out immediately, to avoid cancellations.
The experience after the order matters as much as the app itself.
8. A practical example of choosing a solution
Let’s take a hypothetical restaurant that does delivery and collection. It has 60 products, two delivery drivers at peak times and quite a few customers from Instagram. If it goes for a custom app, it will need to organise development, design, testing and maintenance. If it goes for a ready-made solution, it can start faster, as long as it prepares the menu, photos and processes properly.
An option such as Wiiz Eat works as the restaurant’s own online ordering system, not as a marketplace. It has your own link and QR code, a menu with photos, options, extras, allergens, delivery settings and a live order dashboard. Its cost is €0.15 per accepted order and €250 one-off activation, prices excluding VAT and with no commitment. The customer pays the restaurant directly, with cash or card on your own POS at the door.
The right decision is the one you can apply every day, not the one that looks most impressive on paper.