How to Set Up Your Restaurant for Online Ordering in 2 Hours

From Idea to Orders in 2 Hours

"I'd love to have my own online ordering, but it would take weeks to set up, right?"

We hear this constantly. Restaurant owners assume that launching their own ordering system requires a massive tech project — hiring developers, configuring servers, integrating payment systems, coordinating with delivery partners. The whole thing feels overwhelming before you even start.

Here's the truth: with PlateForm, you can go from zero to accepting orders in less time than it takes to prep for a dinner service.

We're not exaggerating. We've watched restaurants launch fully functional, commission-free ordering systems in a single afternoon. One coffee shop owner set everything up during their slow Tuesday morning and had their first online order by lunchtime.

This guide walks you through exactly how to do it. No technical experience needed. No expensive consultants. Just a clear path from where you are now to where you want to be — accepting orders, keeping 100% of the revenue, and owning the customer relationship.

Hour 1: Sign Up and Get Your Foundation Ready

The first hour is about getting the basics in place. Think of this as gathering your ingredients before you start cooking.

Start by signing up for PlateForm. The process takes about five minutes — basic information about your restaurant, contact details, and that's it. You're not locked into anything. The Starter plan is free, so there's zero financial risk while you get everything configured.

Once you're in, you'll see your dashboard. This is where everything happens. Don't worry if it looks like there's a lot — we're going to tackle it piece by piece, and most of what you see you won't even need for the initial setup.

The first real task is adding your menu. This is usually what people think will be painful, but it's actually straightforward. You're not building something from scratch — you're just digitizing what you already have. If you have a PDF or printed menu, keep it next to you. If you have a digital menu somewhere, even better.

Start with your most popular items. You don't need to upload your entire menu in the first session. Get your best-sellers in there — the dishes that make up 80% of your orders. You can always add more items later. For each item, you'll add a name, description, price, and ideally a photo. Photos matter more than you'd think. People eat with their eyes first.

By the end of hour one, you should have your account created and your core menu items added. That's the foundation.

Hour 2-3: Design Your Ordering Page

This is where your ordering system starts to feel real. You're building the actual page where customers will place orders.

PlateForm gives you templates that already look professional, so you're not starting with a blank canvas. Pick one that matches your restaurant's vibe. If you're a casual pizza place, go with something fun and bright. If you're fine dining, choose something clean and elegant. You can always change it later.

Now comes the branding. Upload your logo. Add your restaurant's colors. If you don't have official brand colors, just pick colors that feel right — your website, your rules. The goal is for customers to immediately recognize that they're ordering from you, not some generic platform.

Write a short welcome message. This appears at the top of your ordering page, and it's your chance to set the tone. Keep it friendly and brief. Something like "Welcome to [Restaurant Name]! Order your favorites for pickup or delivery." You're not writing a novel here.

Set your business hours for ordering. This is important — you don't want orders coming in at 2 AM when your kitchen is closed. PlateForm lets you set different hours for different days, so if you're closed Mondays, just turn off ordering for that day.

Configure your ordering options. Do you offer pickup? Delivery? Both? Set the parameters for each. For delivery, define your delivery zones. Be realistic here — you can always expand your delivery area later, but start with what you can reliably serve.

By the end of hours two and three, you should have a fully branded ordering page that looks like it belongs to your restaurant. Test it yourself. Place a fake order. See how it feels from the customer's perspective. This is your chance to catch anything that feels off before real customers see it.

Hour 4: Set Up Payments and Integrations

Money stuff. This is what makes people nervous, but it's actually one of the easiest parts.

PlateForm handles payment processing through Stripe, which is industry standard and extremely secure. If you already have a Stripe account, you'll connect it in about 30 seconds. If you don't, creating one takes maybe five minutes. Stripe walks you through everything — you'll need your bank account information and some basic business details.

Once Stripe is connected, you can accept credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay — all the standard payment methods customers expect. The money goes straight to your account. PlateForm never holds your funds.

Now's also the time to think about delivery logistics if you're offering delivery. Do you have your own drivers? Connect them to the system so they get order notifications automatically. Using a third-party delivery service that charges flat fees instead of commissions? Integrate that now. PlateForm works with most major delivery partners.

Set up email notifications. You want to know immediately when an order comes in, and customers want confirmation that their order was received. PlateForm handles this automatically, but you can customize the messages to match your brand voice.

By the end of hour four, money can flow. Customers can pay, and you can get paid. That's the entire point of all this.

Hour 5-6: Test Everything and Go Live

You're almost there. Before you announce to the world that you're taking orders, you need to make sure everything actually works.

Place test orders. Multiple test orders. Order for pickup. Order for delivery. Try different menu items. Use different payment methods. Add special instructions. The goal is to break things now, not when a real customer is trying to order.

Check how orders appear on your end. Do you get notifications? Can you see the order details clearly? Can you mark orders as ready or out for delivery? Navigate through the entire flow from both sides — customer placing an order and restaurant fulfilling it.

Test on different devices. Pull out your phone and order something. Have a friend try it on their tablet. The vast majority of orders will come from mobile devices, so if it doesn't work smoothly on a phone, you need to fix it before launch.

If you spot issues, this is the time to adjust. Menu prices wrong? Fix them. Photos looking blurry? Replace them. Something confusing in the checkout flow? Simplify it.

Once everything checks out, flip the switch. Make your ordering page live. Share the link on your social media. Update your Google Business Profile to include the ordering link. Put it on your physical menu with a QR code. Email your regulars and let them know they can now order directly from you.

Don't expect a flood of orders immediately. Online ordering is a habit customers need to build. But once they try it once and see how easy it is, they'll come back.

Beyond Launch: First Week Best Practices

You're live. Congratulations. But the work doesn't stop here — the first week is crucial for building momentum.

Promote relentlessly. Post about your new ordering system every day for the first week. Instagram stories, Facebook posts, TikTok videos if that's your thing. Show people how easy it is. Film yourself placing an order. Offer a launch discount like "10% off your first online order."

Respond to every order with gratitude. When someone orders, especially in those first few days, send them a quick thank-you message. It doesn't have to be fancy. "Thanks for being one of our first online orders! Hope you love it." That personal touch turns a transaction into a relationship.

Ask for feedback. After the first few days, reach out to customers who've ordered and ask them how the experience was. Was anything confusing? Did the food arrive as expected? Use that feedback to refine your process.

Monitor your analytics. PlateForm gives you data on what's selling, when people are ordering, what the average order size is. Pay attention to patterns. If everyone's ordering around 6 PM but you're short-staffed then, adjust your kitchen workflow.

Keep expanding your menu. Remember, you started with just your core items. Now that you're live and comfortable with how everything works, add more dishes. Add seasonal specials. Test new items online before adding them to your in-house menu.

Common Questions from First-Time Users

"What if I'm not tech-savvy?"

You don't need to be. If you can send an email and upload a photo to Instagram, you can set up PlateForm. The interface is designed for restaurant owners, not software engineers. And if you get stuck, support is available.

"Can I make changes after I go live?"

Absolutely. You're not locked into anything. Change your menu prices, add new items, adjust your hours, update your branding — everything is flexible. Your ordering system should evolve as your restaurant evolves.

"What if something breaks?"

PlateForm runs on enterprise-grade infrastructure. Downtime is rare. But if something does go wrong, support will help you sort it out fast. And because your ordering system is separate from your in-house operations, a tech issue doesn't shut down your entire restaurant — it just means online orders pause until it's fixed.

"How do I compete with the big third-party apps?"

You're not competing with them — you're offering something better. No commissions means you can offer free delivery or discounts that apps can't match. You own the customer relationship, so you can build loyalty they can't. Your food is your competitive advantage; PlateForm just makes it easier to sell direct.

Your Next 24 Hours

You now have everything you need to launch commission-free online ordering by tomorrow. Not next month. Not when you have more time. Tomorrow.

The restaurants succeeding in 2025 aren't the ones waiting for the perfect moment. They're the ones who start, learn as they go, and adjust based on real feedback from real customers. Your ordering system will never be perfect on day one. It doesn't have to be. It just has to be functional and ready to take orders.

Stop paying 30% to third-party apps. Stop handing your customers to someone else. Take control of your online ordering, and keep the profits you've earned.

View PlateForm pricing plans or talk to our team if you have questions.