MenuDrive, a white-labeled online ordering platform, announced Tuesday the launch of MenuDrive Self Sign-up for restaurants, which allows restaurants to launch online ordering and delivery in under one hour. Restaurants can add their own delivery services or use one of MenuDrive’s national partners.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, online ordering was on the rise in the restaurant industry. Experts had projected the online food delivery industry to reach $200 billion by 2025. Current circumstances have only accelerated this growth with a continued increase in people ordering online food for delivery from restaurants. In order to adjust to the new standards, restaurants need to offer online ordering and delivery, but it often comes at a high price.
“An overwhelming majority of restaurants in the U.S. do not have online ordering, so they turn to expensive third-party providers,” said Saleem S. Khatri, CEO of Lavu and MenuDrive. “We want to provide restaurants a better alternative that allows them to not only survive, but thrive in the new restaurant world driven by COVID-19.”
MenuDrive is not charging any installation fees or monthly fees; instead, restaurants are charged a fixed price of 4.5 percent for each order. This fee gives restaurants access to a complete online ordering system, marketing tools with actionable recommendations to help drive more revenue, and access to MenuDrive’s national delivery partner network. Third-party providers typically charge up to 40% of a sale for their delivery service and manage the online system themselves, limiting the restaurant’s access to their customers.
“MenuDrive gives us full control over the customer business and experience,” said Saagar Grover, CFO and business director for Twisters, an Albuquerque restaurant chain and MenuDrive customer. “Capturing and customizing data from online ordering is a huge opportunity for us and we lose out on it with third-party services.”
The MenuDrive platform contains pre-set features including online and mobile storefronts, email marketing campaigns, coupons, and a customer loyalty program. Restaurants that sign up have immediate access to these features.
Khatri said the impetus for self sign-up was simple, “Our goal is to provide restaurants with fast implementation, rather than weeks of back-and-forth, haggling over price or figuring out which option to choose. With MenuDrive, there’s no negotiation, no waiting and no hassle. When a restaurant is ready, self sign-up is waiting.”
MenuDrive integrates with several point of sale systems, including Lavu, FuturePOS, and Clover.
