Your competition isn't just other restaurants in your category anymore. It's every restaurant on the delivery app within a 15-minute radius. One bad experience, cold food, missing items, and they're ordering from somewhere else next time. No second chances.

Delivery used to be something you added to the menu if you had extra capacity. The shift happened fast. Now, online ordering accounts for over 60% of restaurant sales.

If your delivery sales are not growing, the issue usually isn't demand. It's the execution: menu design, pricing, marketing reach, packaging quality, and logistics. 

This guide explains how to build a delivery operation that generates steady revenue without causing chaos in your kitchen.

Design an Online Menu That Works for Delivery

Your delivery menu shouldn't be a copy of your dine-in menu. Some dishes don't travel well. Others take too long to prep during a rush. A bloated menu slows down your kitchen and confuses customers.

Start by identifying what holds up in transit. Fried items can get soggy. Delicate plating doesn't matter in a takeout container. Putting sauces on food can make it soggy by the time it arrives. 

If a dish gets complaints every time it's delivered, either fix it or remove it from the delivery menu.

Use simple categories. Group items logically. Keep descriptions short but clear. Instead of "Our chef's signature hand-crafted pasta tossed with locally sourced vegetables," try "Penne with roasted vegetables and garlic butter."

Highlight your best sellers. When someone opens your menu on a delivery app, you have seconds to grab their attention. Use badges or a "popular items" section. Make it easy for them to find what other people are ordering.

Decide on portion sizes. Some operators find that slightly larger portions reduce complaints and improve reviews, even if it cuts the margin a bit. Others create "delivery-only" combo meals that bundle an entrée, side, and drink at a set price. Combo meals are easy choices and increase average ticket size.

Optimize Your Website and App for Online Orders

Third-party apps bring volume and visibility, but they also take 15-30% commission on every order. It doesn't mean that you should choose between third-party platforms and your own delivery system. You can use both. Just connect everything to a single central platform, so orders from every channel flow into the same kitchen display.

Your online ordering system, whether it's built into your website or an app, gives you a direct channel without commission fees. You also own the customer data. Build loyalty programs, send targeted promotions, and track behavior to improve your service. But it only works if the experience is fast and simple. If it takes more than three clicks to add an item to the cart, you're losing customers.  

Make the menu easy to navigate. Most delivery orders are made on phones. Make sure you use large and clear images for your top items. Don't make people create an account to place an order. Let them check out without signing up. Include Apple Pay and Google Pay alongside other payment options.

Integrate order tracking. Customers want to know when their food is being prepared, when it is out for delivery, and when it will arrive. Real-time updates reduce anxiety and cut down on "Where's my order?" calls to your staff.

Make sure all your ordering channels, DoorDash, Uber Eats, your website, and app have that option. If you're using a POS system that integrates with your online ordering, you reduce manual entry errors. Orders go directly to the kitchen display. Fewer mistakes, less time wasted during peak hours. 

Use Competitive Pricing Strategies and Promotions for Delivery

Customers understand that delivery costs more. Hidden fees create frustration. Be transparent about it. 

Pricing your menu for delivery can be tricky. You need to cover the cost of packaging, potential commission fees, and the added operational load. But you can't set your prices too high. Consider adding a small delivery surcharge or adjusting menu prices slightly for delivery orders. 

Effective Discounts and Special Offers

Discounts work, but use them strategically. Giving 20% off every order trains customers to wait for deals and hurts your profits. You should target specific goals instead. 

First-time customer discounts. Minimum order promotions like "Free delivery on orders over $30." Daypart specials during slow periods. Limited-time weekend offers that create urgency.

Always track what's working, what's not. If a promotion drives orders but tanks profitability, adjust it. Your goal is to get more customers and higher order values, not just more orders at a loss.

Building Customer Loyalty with Rewards

Use loyalty programs to get repeat customers. A simple "Buy 5 orders, get $10 off your next one" structure works well for delivery. Customers who feel like they're earning something are more likely to order from you instead of trying a competitor.

If you're running your own ordering platform, loyalty programs are easier to manage. More valuable too, because you own the customer data. You can send targeted offers and track purchase behavior.  

On third-party apps, you're competing for attention with every other restaurant. You don't get the same insights or control.

Digital Marketing Strategies for Your Delivery Service

You can have the best delivery menu and the smoothest ordering process. If no one knows about it, it doesn't matter. Digital marketing is how you reach new customers and remind existing ones to order again.

Promote Delivery Through Social Media

Social media is where your customers are scrolling when they're deciding what to order. Use it to catch their attention. Post a few times a week. Good photos, short captions, clear calls to action. Highlight popular items and new additions. Behind-the-scenes content of your kitchen team prepping builds connection and authenticity.

Try Targeted Social Media Ads

Facebook and Instagram ads let you target people in your delivery radius. You can target them by location, demographics, and interests. You're not wasting budget on people outside your delivery zone. 

For your ads to work, use strong visuals with simple copy. "Order delivery tonight. Fresh pasta delivered in 30 minutes." Run different ads for different goals. Retarget people who visited your site but didn't order.

Work with Influencers

Local food influencers can introduce your restaurant to their followers. You don't need a celebrity. A micro-influencer with 5,000-15,000 engaged local followers can bring real orders. Offer them a free meal in exchange for an honest post. Let them order what they want. 

User-generated content works too. Encourage customers to tag your restaurant in their posts. Repost their photos with permission. Run simple giveaways. "Tag a friend who loves tacos for a chance to win a free delivery order." Expands your reach. Use Instagram and Facebook Stories for time-sensitive promotions. Creates urgency, drives immediate action.

Launch Email Campaigns

Email is one of the highest ROI marketing channels. If you're collecting emails through your online ordering system, send a monthly or biweekly email. New menu items, exclusive discounts, and reminders during slow periods. Keep it short, mobile-friendly, and focused on one clear action. Order now.

Use Google My Business for Local Reach

Most people searching for "food delivery near me" see Google results first. Optimize your restaurant’s Google My Business profile not to miss out on local orders. Claim and verify your listing. Make sure your name, address, phone number, and hours, website are accurate. Add high-quality photos of your food. Enable online ordering directly through Google so customers can place orders without leaving the search results.

Post updates regularly. Specials, new menu items, promotions. Encourage and respond to reviews. Google reviews influence both search rankings and customer decisions. Consider using Google Ads for local delivery searches during peak meal times. 

Make Customer Satisfaction a Priority

Delivery quality is an entire experience. How fast the order arrives. How it looks when they open the bag. Whether everything they ordered is actually there. Everything counts when the customer decides whether they liked your service or not. 

Fast and Reliable Delivery

Speed matters, but consistency matters more. If you promise 30-40 minutes and regularly deliver in an hour, you'll lose trust. Set realistic expectations and meet them every time. Monitor average delivery times. Identify bottlenecks. Orders sitting too long before pickup. Kitchen backup. Inefficient routes. Even small adjustments can reduce delivery times.

Quality Packaging for Freshness

Bad packaging ruins good food. Choose containers that keep hot food hot, cold food cold, and stop sauces from leaking or soaking through. Ventilated containers for fried foods keep them from getting soggy. Separate compartments for sauces give customers control. 

Using custom packaging with your logo increases brand awareness. Small cost, big impression.

Communication and Order Tracking Systems

If an item is out of stock or the order is running late, talk to the customer. A quick message about the delay and a small discount can change how they treat the situation.

Customers want to know what's happening with their order. Send automated SMS or app notifications at different stages: order received, food is being prepared, driver is on the way. It will reduce anxiety and the number of calls to your support.

How to Handle Delivery Logistics

How you manage routing and drivers impacts food quality and delivery speed. Delivery logistics can make or break your service.

Managing In-House Delivery

Drivers represent your restaurant when they deliver food to customers’ doors. Invest in training. Teach them how to handle food safely, communicate with customers, and what to do if something goes wrong.

Set clear expectations for delivery times, vehicle cleanliness, and customer interaction.

Pay competitively. Good drivers are hard to find. If you're asking them to use their own vehicle, make sure compensation covers gas, wear and tear, and insurance.

If you run a delivery team, using route optimization software can help you save time and fuel. Group orders for nearby addresses to reduce trips and speed up delivery. During peak times, assign zones to specific drivers so they don't crisscross the same area.

A POS with delivery integration makes managing in-house drivers simpler. You can dispatch orders directly to drivers, track deliveries in real time, and monitor performance metrics. Everything runs through one system. Blogic's POS connects with delivery management, allowing you to track and control your in-house delivery from order to doorstep.

Partnering with Delivery Apps

Third-party apps, like Uber Eats and DoorDash, help you get more orders and visibility. But they also take a commission on every order.  

If you decide to partner with them, optimize your app listings with high-quality photos and clear information. You have many competitors there. Make it easy for customers to understand what you offer.

Respond to positive and negative feedback professionally. A few bad reviews can hurt your placement in search results. But when customers see you addressing concerns, it builds trust.

Many apps offer promotional tools like featured placement and discounts. These can drive short-term volume but reduce profits. Test them, track results, and use them when you have specific goals. 

Some apps offer tiered commission structures. If you're doing high volume, negotiate fees. Worth asking for better terms.

To Sum Up

Building an online delivery system that brings sales depends on many things. Menu design, pricing, marketing, packaging, logistics, and more. It's also important to make sure they all work together.

Start with your menu. Offer food that's easy to deliver and is priced to cover costs without being overpriced. Optimize your online ordering process to make it easy for customers to place orders. 

Use targeted marketing to reach new customers and loyalty programs to bring them back. Invest in quality packaging and reliable delivery so the food arrives in great shape.

Get everything in place, and you'll see the results in your numbers. Check out how BLogic’s POS can help you with delivery management.