Restaurant patrons are turning to the internet more and more to talk about their meals, tweeting about their experiences and even rating and writing about their meals on websites like Yelp, Urban Spoon and Chowhound.

People spend so much time online that it makes sense for a restaurant to integrate online ordering into their websites. Several large, national chains including Domino’s Pizza, P.F Chang’s, Panera and Chipotle have online ordering services available.

Now included in Restaurant Pro Express™, the online ordering functionality allows diners to enter their orders online through the restaurant’s website, designate whether it’s pickup or dine-in, pay with a credit card before the order is prepared and send the orders automatically to the kitchen. The online ordering capability is restricted based on a restaurant’s operating hours.

The system takes the guesswork out of waiting around for the order to be ready by notifying the customer how long it will take to prepare or deliver their order. Diners may also specify what time they would like the order to be delivered or prepared.

Implementing an online ordering system means reduced overhead for the restaurant and a better customer service experience for patrons. They have more control over the ordering process and can peruse the menu at their own pace, securely process their payments and never waste time on hold or redialing when there’s a busy signal.

In turn, restaurant owners and managers are able to reduce printing costs of menus and boost profits by processing more orders with less staff.

For more information about implementing online ordering for your restaurant, please contact an account manager at pcAmerica at 1-800-722-6374.