How long does it take to set up Food-Ordering.com?

Most restaurants complete the initial setup within 1–3 days. Menu building is typically the most time-consuming step — the time depends on the size of the menu. A 50-item menu with modifiers can be configured in a few hours. Delivery zone setup, payment gateway connection, and kitchen printer configuration typically take a few hours each. The Food-Ordering.com team provides onboarding support and can assist with menu build if needed.

Food-Ordering.com Setup Guide — Getting Started with Your Licence

Q: Do I need technical skills to set up Food-Ordering.com?

No. Food-Ordering.com's admin panel is designed for restaurant operators, not developers. Menu management, delivery zone configuration, opening hours, and order management are all done through a point-and-click interface. The only step that typically requires some technical coordination is domain/subdomain setup (pointing your website domain to the ordering system) and payment gateway connection — both are covered in onboarding support.

Setup overview — what to expect

Setting up Food-Ordering.com does not require technical or developer skills. The admin panel is designed for restaurant operators. There are eight main setup steps. The team provides support at each stage, and can assist with menu migration if you are moving from another platform.

Account creation and branding

Your account is provisioned after licence purchase. Initial setup includes:

Restaurant name, logo, and colour scheme
Contact information and business address
Opening hours for ordering (delivery and collection separately)
Currency and default language settings

Menu build — categories, items, and modifiers

The menu is built category by category in the admin panel. For each item you configure:

Name, description, and price
Product image (optional but recommended)
Allergen tags from the 14 major allergens
Modifier groups (size, extras, exclusions, toppings)
Availability — available for delivery, collection, or both

For large menus, the team can assist with bulk menu migration from your existing system or a provided spreadsheet.

Delivery zone configuration

Define your delivery area by postcode, radius, or drawn map zone. Per zone you configure:

Delivery charge (flat rate or by zone)
Minimum order value for delivery
Estimated delivery time shown to customers

Payment gateway connection

Connect your payment gateway account (Stripe, PayPal, SagePay, WorldPay, or others). You will need your gateway API credentials. The Food-Ordering.com team provides connection instructions for each supported gateway. Test mode allows you to place test orders before going live.

Kitchen printer / KDS setup

Configure how orders reach the kitchen. Options include:

Auto-print to a network-connected receipt printer when an order is placed
Kitchen Display System (KDS) on a tablet or screen
Manual print from the admin order screen

For multi-station kitchens, different categories can be routed to different printers (e.g. hot food to the main kitchen printer, drinks to the bar printer).

Domain and ordering page setup

Your ordering system can be accessed via a subdomain of your existing website (e.g. order.yourrestaurant.com) or embedded into your existing website as a page. Domain setup requires a simple DNS change — the team provides the required settings. This is typically completed within 24 hours of ordering.

Test orders

Before going live, place test orders through the customer-facing ordering page to verify:

Menu items and modifiers display correctly
Payment processes successfully in test mode
Kitchen printer receives and prints the order
Order confirmation email arrives correctly
Delivery zone and minimum order rules apply correctly

Go live and promote your direct channel

Switch payment to live mode and start accepting real orders. Initial promotion typically includes:

Adding the "Order online" button to your website header
Social media post announcing direct ordering
Leaflets or receipts mentioning the direct ordering discount or loyalty incentive
Google Business profile updated with the direct order link

Frequently asked questions

How long does Food-Ordering.com setup take?

Most restaurants complete setup within 1–3 days. Menu building is typically the longest step and depends on menu size. The team provides onboarding support and can assist with menu migration from your existing system or a spreadsheet.

Do I need technical skills to set up Food-Ordering.com?

No. The admin panel is designed for restaurant operators. The only steps that benefit from some technical coordination are domain/subdomain setup and payment gateway connection — both are covered by the onboarding team with step-by-step instructions for your specific setup.

Ready to get started?

Book a 30-minute demo to see the admin panel and ordering experience live. The team will walk you through setup for your specific type of food business.

Get a licence quote Book a demo