How Restaurants Can Increase Direct Online Orders Without Depending Only on Aggregators

How Restaurants Can Increase Direct Online Orders Without Depending Only on Aggregators

Food delivery platforms have changed the restaurant industry.

They can help restaurants reach customers who may not otherwise discover them.

But restaurants can also benefit from building their own direct digital presence.

A direct ordering channel gives restaurants another way to connect with customers.

What is direct restaurant ordering?

Direct ordering means a customer places an order through a restaurant's own digital channel rather than through a third-party marketplace.

This could be:

• Restaurant website
• Digital menu
• QR menu
• WhatsApp
• Restaurant ordering page
• Social media link

The goal is simple:

Make it easy for an existing customer to order directly from the restaurant.

Why should restaurants build a direct ordering channel?

1. Build a direct customer relationship

When customers repeatedly order through a restaurant's own channel, the restaurant has a stronger direct connection with those customers.

2. Create a recognizable digital presence

A restaurant should not exist only inside a marketplace.

Having a dedicated restaurant page gives the business its own digital identity.

3. Make reordering easier

If customers can easily find the restaurant's menu and ordering page, repeat orders can become simpler.

4. Promote directly

Restaurants can share their ordering link through:

• Instagram
• WhatsApp
• Google
• QR codes
• Bills
• Packaging
• SMS
• Email

How can restaurants increase direct orders?

Put the ordering link everywhere

The restaurant's digital ordering page should be easy to discover.

Add it to social profiles, website pages, packaging and marketing material.

Use QR codes

A QR code can turn physical touchpoints into digital ordering channels.

For example, a takeaway package can include:

Scan to view our menu and order again.

Build a good digital menu

Customers should be able to quickly find:

• Food categories
• Photos
• Prices
• Popular dishes
• Offers
• Customizations

Make repeat ordering easy

A customer who has already ordered from you should not have to search for the menu again.

Make the restaurant's digital ordering page easy to bookmark and share.

Does this mean restaurants should stop using aggregators?

Not necessarily.

Third-party platforms and direct ordering can serve different purposes.

Marketplaces can help with discovery and customer acquisition.

Direct channels can help restaurants build their own customer relationship and digital presence.

A balanced strategy can use both.

Peppar's role

Peppar helps restaurants create their own digital restaurant presence with digital menus, restaurant pages and guest ordering.

A restaurant can share its Peppar page through QR codes, social media, WhatsApp and other customer touchpoints.

This gives restaurants another digital channel beyond third-party marketplaces.

The long-term opportunity

The future of restaurant technology is not necessarily about choosing one channel.

Restaurants can use multiple channels while building a strong direct digital relationship with their customers.

The important thing is to make the restaurant easy to discover, easy to browse and easy to order from.

Build your restaurant's own digital ordering experience with Peppar.