Paying twice for online ordering
Your POS may already include an online ordering page. If you also pay a website platform for ordering, check whether you need both. Sometimes one stays only because it was set up first.
Build vs Buy / Restaurants
What your menu, website, and ordering really cost.
Restaurant website cost is hard to see when the site is bundled with ordering, marketing, and apps. Here are the usual tools, a link to each vendor's own pricing, and when a simple menu site you control, linked to the ordering you already pay for, is enough.
Restaurant website cost is really three costs.
When owners ask about restaurant website cost, the bill usually covers more than a website. It is the menu guests read on their phones, the button they tap to order, and often a marketing tool that sends emails and texts. Some platforms sell all three as one subscription. Others sell one piece and expect you to connect the rest.
Bundles are not bad. They save time, and one company picks up the phone when something breaks. But it helps to know which parts you use. If guests mostly check the menu, the hours, and the order button, you may be paying for features nobody opens. If your POS already includes online ordering, you may be paying for ordering twice.
This page is my honest take on the menu, website, and online ordering stack. I list common tools in this space, link each vendor's own pricing page, and say when buying is the better call. I build custom menu sites, so I have a stake in this. That is why the table says what each tool does well, and why there is a list of reasons to keep buying.
01 / THE USUAL STACK
Menu, website, and ordering tools restaurants pay for
Popmenu and three alternatives that sell restaurant websites and ordering, plus the ordering pages from two POS systems. Toast and Square are here because your restaurant may already pay for one of them.
Prices checked on October 8, 2026 from each vendor's public pricing page. Prices change, so confirm on the vendor's site.
| Tool | Plan | Price shown by vendor | How it bills | Good at | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popmenu | $299/mo |
| One login for the menu site and guest marketing; online ordering is a paid add-on. | Popmenu pricing pageChecked | |
| BentoBox | Quote only |
| Restaurant websites with online ordering and reservations built in. Only available to Clover POS customers. | BentoBox pricing pageChecked | |
| Owner.com | Flexible | $249/month + 5% restaurant fee per order |
| Website, direct ordering, and a branded app set up for you. | Owner.com pricing pageChecked |
| ChowNow | Grow | Starting at $319/mo billed annually |
| Direct online ordering under your restaurant's own name. | ChowNow pricing pageChecked |
| Toast Online Ordering | Quote only |
| Online orders flow into the Toast POS you already run. | Toast Online Ordering pricing pageChecked | |
| Square Online | Square Plus | $49/mo. per location |
| An ordering page tied to the Square POS and payments you use. | Square Online pricing pageChecked |
02 / WHERE THE MONEY GOES
Places a restaurant can overpay.
None of these mean a tool is bad. They are the places worth checking before the next renewal.
Features nobody opens
Email campaigns, text blasts, loyalty, and review replies are useful when someone runs them every week. If nobody has sent a campaign in months, that part of the plan deserves a second look.
Per-order fees that grow with you
Some ordering tools charge a fee or a percentage on each order. Others charge a flat monthly price. Which costs less depends on your order count, so run the math with your own numbers, not the vendor's example.
A higher tier for one feature
Plans come in tiers. If you moved up a tier for a single feature, ask whether a smaller tool, a cheaper plan, or a small custom piece covers that one need.
03 / KEEP BUYING
What to keep paying for.
Payments and card processing
Card processing comes with PCI rules, fraud checks, and chargebacks. Keep it with your POS or payment provider. I do not build payment processing.
POS and kitchen hardware
Terminals, printers, and kitchen screens need vendor support when one fails on a Friday night. Keep them.
Ordering checkout
Taking card payments for pickup and delivery orders belongs to a tool built for it. A custom site should send guests to your ordering page, not replace it.
Payroll, tips, and taxes
Payroll, tip pooling, and tax filing follow rules that change. Use a payroll provider.
Delivery drivers
Drivers and delivery coverage are a service, not software. If you offer delivery, buy it.
04 / WORTH BUILDING
What can make sense to build.
A fast menu site you control
Menu, hours, address, photos, and an Order button. Built to load quickly on a phone, and set up so you or a manager can change a price without opening a support ticket.
One menu, many places
Keep the menu in one simple file or sheet, then publish it to the site, a printable PDF, and the page behind your table QR codes. One edit updates all three.
English and Spanish from one source
A menu in both languages that shares one price list, so one price change updates both.
Small glue between tools
For example, a form that sends catering requests to the right person, or a weekly order summary built from your POS export. Small and documented, with the running cost stated up front.
05 / WHEN TO BUY
When an all-in-one platform is the better call.
A custom menu site is not always the answer. A platform may fit better when:
- You use the marketing side every week: email campaigns, texts, loyalty, or review replies.
- You run several locations and want one login, one dashboard, and one support line for all of them.
- Nobody on your team wants to touch the website, even to change a price, and you would rather pay a vendor to handle it.
- You want a branded ordering app and do not want to manage app store listings yourself.
- You want the website, ordering, and support from one company, so there is one number to call.
- Your current platform works, the price fits, and switching would take attention you need for a busy season. Doing nothing is a fine answer.
06 / WORKED EXAMPLE
An example, not a quote.
A made-up restaurant, to show how I compare options. It is not a typical bill. Every vendor price below comes from the table above, which comes from each vendor's own pricing page.
Assumptions
- One location, pickup orders only, no delivery.
- The restaurant already uses Toast as its POS and Toast Online Ordering for pickup.
- Guests use the website to read the menu, check hours, and tap Order. Nobody sends email or text campaigns.
- The owner or a manager is willing to edit the menu a few times a year.
No option wins by default. The point is to put the same restaurant's costs side by side: monthly fees, per-order fees at your real order count, setup costs, and who keeps the menu up to date. On a free intro call, we can do this with your actual bills.
07 / FAQ
Restaurant website questions, answered.
How much does a restaurant website cost?
It depends on what is bundled. A menu site on its own is a small project. Platforms that bundle the site with ordering, marketing, and apps sell it as a subscription. The table on this page links each vendor's pricing page, so you can check the plan, any per-order fees, and setup costs. For a custom menu site, I give one fixed price before work starts.
Is there a cheaper Popmenu alternative for my restaurant?
It depends on which features you use. If you rely on the marketing tools in your plan, a cheaper replacement may mean giving them up. If you mostly use the menu and the order button, a simple menu site linked to your POS ordering page may cover it. Compare your plan on Popmenu's pricing page with what your restaurant actually uses.
Can my restaurant take online orders without paying commission?
Look at how each ordering tool charges. Some state a flat monthly price, some charge a fee or a percentage per order, and some add a fee the guest pays at checkout. The vendor's pricing page and your contract are the source of truth. If your POS includes an ordering page, check its terms first, since you may already pay for it.
Will switching my restaurant website hurt my Google listing?
A move can affect search if pages, addresses, or your menu disappear. When I move a site, I keep your domain, point old page addresses to the new ones, and update the website link on your Google Business Profile. I cannot promise rankings, and I will not.
Who updates the menu on a custom restaurant site?
You decide. I can set it up so you change menu items and prices yourself in a simple file or form, or I can make the changes for a monthly fee. The upkeep cost is in the proposal before you say yes.
Can a custom menu site take orders and card payments itself?
I do not recommend it. Ordering checkout and card payments belong to your POS or ordering provider, which handles the security rules, refunds, and chargebacks. The custom site sends guests to that ordering page.
What if my restaurant has more than one location?
Then an all-in-one platform deserves a serious look, especially if each location runs its own marketing. A custom site can still handle several menus and order links, but the more locations and staff involved, the more a vendor's dashboard and support line are worth.
What should I check before canceling my restaurant website platform?
Your contract term and renewal date, who owns the domain, whether you can export your menu and guest list, and what happens to your ordering link, gift cards, and QR codes. If getting your data out is hard, that counts against switching.
Start with your bills
Bring your restaurant's software bill.
Send the invoice for your website, ordering, or marketing platform. On a free 30-minute call, we look at what you use and whether to keep it, change plans, or build a simple menu site instead.
Let's ChatTampa-based. I work with restaurants across Tampa Bay and remotely, in English and Spanish.