Restaurant pre-order system 

In a restaurant, the pre-order system usually refers to software that enables customers to submit their food and drink orders before they visit the venue. This is often handled as part of a booking and enquiry management system that also facilitates the sending of customer communications such as booking reminders. 

A restaurant pre-order system offers many benefits to a restaurant operation by providing an extra revenue stream through online sales, and an increase in average ticket order values through upselling promotions and extra items.

In addition, service in the venue is improved through a reduction in manual order taking and processing – saving time for front-of-house teams and resulting in a quicker turnover of tables so you can serve more customers in busy times as well as reduce wait times from the kitchen who know what to prepare in advance.  

A pre-ordering system for a restaurant usually works in two main ways. The first is that it allows the customer to choose the option of pre-ordering as part of the normal online booking process either selecting all dishes from the menu or sometimes adding a specific drinks package or similar.  

The second is facilitating pre-ordering for large parties where there may be extra planning or order needed for the kitchen ahead of time. In this instance, the lead party organiser will usually forward the pre-ordering link to other members of the party.  

Orders are then connected to the booking so that when your guests arrive the order can be processed at the right time.  

Pre-orders may be paid for at the time of booking, secured with a deposit or paid in-venue after the meal has been served – depending on the restaurant and customer’s preference.  

A pre-order system offers many benefits to a restaurant operation such as providing an extra source of revenue through online pre-sales and increased ticket order values through the additional upsell opportunities.  

When customers have pre-ordered their meals they are less likely to cancel the booking or not show up on the day, ensuring you have fewer empty tables on busy days.  

Pre-orders ahead of busy times and events also allow for better planning for ordering – meaning your kitchen is less likely to run out of an item or overstock less popular items.  

One of the biggest advantages though is in the managing of large parties and events. Providing a huge revenue driver, being able to offer efficient management of large-scale bookings will help you drive more large bookings in the future and the booking platform features make managing these bookings much easier.  

Your customers will also benefit from the additional security of their booking and being able to ensure their chosen dishes will be available on the day, as well as benefiting from faster service on busy days.