For Restaurants · 8 min read
Running a restaurant that people walk into is one skill. Running one that people order from without ever seeing the building is another. The kitchens that do well online treat it as its own operation — not an afterthought bolted onto the dining room.
Nothing kills trust faster than a customer ordering a dish that’s no longer available. If something runs out for the day, that’s a small operational habit to fix — check your menu against what’s actually in your kitchen before your shift starts.
Organize your menu into clear categories with sub-categories where it makes sense — swallow and soups separate from drinks and snacks, for example. A customer who can find what they want in seconds orders faster and orders more.
A wider delivery radius means more potential customers, but it also means longer travel times — and food that travels 25 kilometers doesn’t arrive the way food that travels 5 kilometers does.
Start with a tighter radius while you learn your order volume and prep times, then expand once you’re confident your packaging and timing hold up over longer distances.
Should I put my entire physical menu online?
Not necessarily. Start with the dishes that travel well and hold up during delivery — heavy soups and swallow generally do better than delicate plated dishes that can shift or spill in transit.
How do I decide my delivery radius?
Start narrower than you think you need, based on how long your food realistically holds quality after leaving the kitchen, then widen it gradually as you get comfortable with timing.
What’s the biggest mistake new online restaurants make?
Treating online orders as secondary to walk-in customers. The kitchens that do best treat every online order with the same urgency as someone standing at the counter.
Ready to get started?
Join BigFoods as a restaurant or rider today.