Restaurant · Guide · Updated July 2026

7 Ways to Increase Online Restaurant Orders

Everyone is ordering online. If your restaurant has no online order strategy, you’re handing sales to whoever shows up in search first. These seven tactics are ranked from the easiest to act on to the ones that compound over time. Work through them in order.

Why signage is still the lowest-hanging fruit

Plaster signs on your windows. Put a sandwich board outside. Post notices inside the dining room. This sounds too simple, but here is the reality: when customers aren’t sure whether a restaurant is open or accepting delivery, they go somewhere they do know about. The one place you always see full? It’s the one that makes it obvious they’re open and taking orders.

Your physical location is a billboard you’re already paying rent on. Use it.

How do you get customers to spread the word for you?

Tell them to. Directly. Ask your customers, in person or in writing, to tell their friends and family you’re open for delivery. Ask them to share on social media. People are far more likely to act when you give them a specific, simple request. You cannot assume goodwill translates into action on its own. Say the words.

What should you post on social media to drive online orders?

Post on every channel you have. Instagram feed, Instagram Stories, Facebook, everywhere. The message is simple: you’re open, you’re delivering, here’s how to order. A lot of people are still assuming their favorite spots are closed or not taking orders. Your job is to remove that assumption. Announce it repeatedly. One post is not enough.

How does Google My Business help you get more online orders?

Google favors businesses that fill out every available attribute in their Google My Business profile. Free parking, updated hours, whether you’re dog-friendly, high-quality photos, responses to reviews and messages. All of it signals to Google that your listing is active and complete, and Google rewards that with higher placement in local search results.

Here is a real example. I was searching for Shanghai food one evening and only one restaurant came up in the results. They had updated their Google My Business profile, had high-definition photos, and had replied to their reviews. That was enough for me to place an order right then. I never searched any further. That is the power of a complete listing.

If you have not filled out every field in your Google My Business profile, do it this week. It costs nothing.

Where exactly should your delivery option appear on your website?

Above the fold. That means visible on screen the moment the page loads, before any scrolling. Most people searching for restaurants are on their phones. If your delivery link is buried below a banner image or a wall of text, most people will leave before they find it. Put the order button at the top of the page, in the corner or the header, every time. One placement change like this can move your online order numbers without any other change to your site.

Why does email marketing outperform social media for restaurant orders?

Most restaurant owners collect emails and then do nothing with them. That list is money sitting on the table. Email lets you build a real relationship with past customers, deliver value before you ask for anything, and then send a targeted offer at exactly the right moment. A Father’s Day meal deal. A happy hour special. A limited-time item. Sent to people who already like you.

The other reason email beats social media for direct sales is trackability. You can see exactly how many people opened your email, clicked the link, and placed an order. That data tells you what works. Social media reach is largely guesswork. Email revenue is measurable.

Send value first, consistently, before you ever send a promotion. Educate, entertain, or share something interesting about your kitchen or your team. When you eventually ask customers to order, they already feel connected to your restaurant.

Does writing a personal note with each order actually move the needle?

Yes, and this is my personal favorite of all seven tactics. Write a handwritten or printed note for every online order. Something as simple as “Thank you Wilson for your support, much love” makes a customer feel like you see them as a person, not a transaction. Customers are not used to that from a restaurant. It stands out.

When someone receives a personal message with their delivery order, two things happen. First, they feel good about you. Second, they are far more likely to photograph it and share it. That is organic word-of-mouth you cannot buy. One note per order is the lowest-cost marketing move with one of the highest social returns.

The bottom line

Online orders don’t grow by accident. You have to make noise, show up where customers are searching, remove every friction point between them and the order button, and treat each customer like they matter. The restaurants winning in online delivery right now are not doing anything magical. They are just doing the basics louder and more consistently than everyone else. Start with signage today, and work your way through the list.

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