Online Ordering Checklist for Restaurants

By FoodOrderingSystem Team · Published 2026-10-11

Whether you are launching online ordering for the first time or moving to a new system, this checklist covers the steps that tend to go wrong when they are skipped. Work through it in order, and keep it as a reference for the first month after launch.

1. Plan your service

• Decide whether you will offer pickup, delivery, dine-in QR ordering, scheduled orders, or a mix.
• Decide who watches for new orders during each shift and what they do when one arrives.
• Decide your busiest-hour rules: do you need to pause ordering or add extra preparation time when the kitchen is full?
• Choose a single, direct ordering link you will use everywhere, so guests are never sent to different places.
• Write down the question you want online ordering to answer for your business, for example "fill quieter weekday periods" or "reduce phone orders during the rush". It keeps later decisions focused.

2. Prepare the menu

• Remove items you rarely make or that do not travel well. A shorter menu online is easier to prepare and to browse.
• Group items into clear categories that match how guests think, such as starters, mains, sides, desserts and drinks.
• Write short descriptions that say what is in the dish, not marketing slogans.
• Set up options (sizes, cooking preferences) and add-ons (extras, toppings) so that the ticket your kitchen receives is unambiguous.
• Mark which choices are required and which are optional.
• Add photos you own the rights to, in consistent lighting and size. Good photos usually matter more than long descriptions.
• Check prices, taxes and any fees against your in-store menu so guests are not surprised.
• Include allergen and dietary information in the way required where you operate. Local rules differ; check with your local authority or advisor rather than relying on a software default.

See menu management for how this is handled in our platform.

3. Configure order types and timing

• Set opening hours for online ordering, including holiday and special hours. Online hours can differ from your door hours.
• Set preparation times for pickup and delivery that your kitchen can actually meet.
• If you offer delivery, define your delivery area, any minimum order and the notes drivers or guests need.
• If you offer scheduled orders, decide how far ahead guests can order and how much notice you need.
• Decide how guests will give instructions (notes field) and what you will do with them.

More on this in delivery and pickup.

4. Set up payments

• Confirm which payment methods are available in your region and with your provider.
• Decide whether guests pay online, at pickup, at delivery, or a combination.
• Understand all processing and per-order charges in writing before you launch.
• Check how refunds and order changes are handled, and who on your team is allowed to issue them.
• Confirm how payouts reach your bank account and how you will reconcile them with your own records.

5. Connect the kitchen

• Choose how orders reach the line: printer, screen, tablet or alerts.
• Print or display a sample ticket and ask a cook whether it is clear at a glance. Adjust names and options if not.
• Check device placement: power, Wi-Fi coverage and a spot where staff can see or hear new orders.
• Agree a fallback if the internet drops, such as a phone number to call or a backup device.
• Decide who confirms orders and who tells the guest if something is unavailable.

See kitchen display and printing.

6. Branding, content and legal pages

• Use your logo, colours and a consistent name so guests recognise they are ordering from you.
• Check that the ordering page looks right on a phone, a tablet and a desktop.
• Make sure contact details, address and hours are correct and match your Google Business Profile.
• Check that your site has privacy and terms information appropriate to how you collect customer details. Have a qualified professional review these for your region.
• Consider accessibility: readable text size and contrast, labelled buttons and a layout that works with a keyboard. The W3C's WCAG guidelines are a widely used reference.

7. Test everything

1. Place a pickup order as a guest on a phone and follow it to the kitchen.
2. Place a delivery order (if you offer it) to an address inside your area, and one outside it to confirm it is refused or flagged.
3. Place a scheduled order for later.
4. Use an item with options and add-ons, and a note, and check the ticket.
5. Apply a coupon (if you offer them) and check the total.
6. Mark an item unavailable and confirm it cannot be ordered.
7. Complete a payment end to end and then issue a refund so staff know how.
8. Check the confirmation message or receipt for correctness and your branding.
9. Ask a friend who has never seen the page to order without help.

8. Place your link

• Add the ordering button or link prominently on your website: header, home page and menu page.
• Add the direct link to your Google Business Profile. Google explains that verified businesses can add custom ordering links and set a preferred provider under Food ordering, and that links appear on Google Search and Maps; eligibility varies by business type and region (Google Business Profile Help).
• Add it to social bios and posts.
• Create QR codes for tables, counters, windows and printed menus, and test-scan each one from a phone before printing in bulk.
• Mention online ordering on receipts, packaging and at the counter.

9. Train your team

• Show every shift lead where new orders appear and how to accept them.
• Practice marking items unavailable and pausing ordering.
• Agree who answers guest questions about online orders and how they are escalated.
• Give staff a one-page cheat sheet with the steps and a contact for help.

10. After launch

• Watch the first few days closely. Check for orders that were late, wrong or confusing, and trace the cause.
• Review your reports regularly for popular items, busy periods and slow periods, and adjust the menu and staffing accordingly. See our notes on reporting and features.
• Keep the menu current: update prices, remove unavailable items, and refresh photos seasonally.
• Try one small promotion at a time so you can tell what worked.
• Re-test your ordering flow after any change to the menu, hours or integrations.
• Schedule a monthly check that all your links and QR codes still work.

If you would like help setting this up, request a demo and we will walk through the checklist with you.

Sources: Google Business Profile Help: Manage online ordering options; W3C WCAG overview. This checklist is general guidance and not legal, tax or compliance advice.