There's no denying it - online ordering has become a must-have for restaurants in today's digital age. With more and more customers preferring to order takeout and delivery through websites and mobile apps, having a reliable online ordering system is now crucial to remain competitive. But with so many options to choose from, how do you determine if you should build your own restaurant delivery system from scratch or buy an off-the-shelf solution?
In this blog post, we'll discuss the top five factors restaurants like yours should keep in mind when weighing the pros and cons of building versus buying your online ordering system. By the end, you'll have a clear understanding of the key elements that impact this important decision for your restaurant's success moving forward. Let's dive in!
Cost: Building Is Expensive, Buying More Budget-Friendly
One of the first considerations is the cost and budget impact of building a custom online ordering system versus subscribing to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, which includes SaaS hosting. When building, there are significant upfront costs to hire a development team to design and program your system from the ground up. You'll also need to budget for thorough testing and fixes before launch. Ongoing maintenance and updates represent additional costs down the road as well.
In contrast, most ordering platforms charge monthly or annual subscription fees, with tiered pricing depending on your feature needs. While there are transaction fees associated with processing payments, buying an off-the-shelf solution represents much lower startup costs compared to building from scratch. For restaurants concerned about budget impact, buying an ordering platform is undoubtedly the more affordable choice.
Time to Launch: Buying Allows Faster Go-Live
Next, think about the project timeline. Building a robust online ordering system completely in-house can take many months at minimum. It requires time for design iterations, programming, real-world testing, troubleshooting bugs, adding features, and integration with your point of sale (POS) system. This lengthy process means your restaurant won't generate any revenue from online orders during those startup months.
In contrast, reputable ordering platforms can have your restaurant live in weeks or less. The accelerated timeline gets your online ordering up and running quickly so you can start processing orders right away. For restaurants focused on speed to market, buying a tested solution allows you to get a head start over competitors who insist on building from scratch.
Features: Buying Provides More Functionality
A third key factor is available features. When building your own ordering system, your development team dictates the functionality you can provide, and it's unlikely you'll match what mature ordering platforms offer out of the box. With an off-the-shelf solution, you gain access to robust features like:
- iOS and Android mobile apps - Apps make ordering convenient anywhere for customers. Buying provides multi-platform apps your dev team would struggle to match.
- Secure online payment processing - Protecting payment info is essential. Vendors implement proven encryption and security measures.
- Order management and status tracking - Let customers check order status in real time for transparency. Vendors provide tracking you'd have to build.
- Analytics and sales reporting - Get insights into top items, busy hours, and other metrics to inform decisions. Robust reporting requires significant effort to develop internally.
- Promotions and loyalty programs - Run targeted campaigns and reward return customers, driving engagement. Building loyalty features in-house involves complexity.
- Customer database and CRM - Store customer data and order history for personalized marketing. Buying gets you an integrated CRM.
- Integrations with leading POS systems - Seamlessly connect to your POS for a unified platform. Established vendors have existing integrations to leverage.
Rather than reinventing the wheel on core features, buying a platform lets you hit the ground running with the right functionality built-in already. The benefits of a restaurant ordering system ensure more advanced capabilities managed by the vendor's team of experts.
Customization: Building for Total Control
That said, buying does come with some inherent limitations in customization. While off-the-shelf systems enable branding your ordering pages and customizing menu items and pricing, the building gives you complete control to craft a 100% customized online ordering experience.
Developing your own system means you can code the exact features, design, and functionality you want for your restaurant's brand. However, that flexibility comes at the cost of significantly more effort and complexity compared to tweaking an established platform's capabilities. Weigh how much control versus convenience matters for your goals.
Security: Enterprise-Grade Protection with Buying
Finally, data security is paramount when handling customer payment information and order details. Unfortunately, most restaurants lack the in-house expertise and resources to properly secure a homegrown ordering system. With off-the-shelf solutions, reputable vendors incorporate enterprise-grade security features and adhere to industry compliance standards out of the box.
Rather than risking data breaches by handling security solo, letting an experienced provider secure your ordering platform protects your business and gives customers peace of mind. Although building internally provides more visibility into security, buying smartly outsources this crucial capability.
The Bottom Line
In summary, key factors like cost, time to launch, features, customization, and security all contribute to determining if your restaurant should build or buy its online ordering system. Building offers more branding control but requires far greater effort, complexity, and security risks. Buying accelerates speed to market with robust features and budget-friendly pricing.
For most restaurants, partnering with an established ordering platform provider hits the sweet spot, offering more pros than cons. But carefully examine your specific goals, budget constraints, and timeline to make the smartest decision for powering online orders and taking your restaurant to the next level. The choice is yours!
