Ordinami.itFor many restaurants, delivery is now a second business that lives within the first: same dishes, but different menus, prices, and customers you never see in person. The typical chaos arises from misalignment: a dish removed from the in-house menu that still exists on the delivery app, prices adjusted in-house but not online. A well-used digital menu brings order and can do something even more interesting: bring customers back to the direct channel.
First: a menu designed for transport
Not everything travels well: fried food arrives soggy, and some dishes don't survive the rider's backpack. The delivery menu should be a selection of the in-house menu - dishes that are still presentable after a 20-minute journey - not a photocopy. Fewer options, very clear descriptions (customers ordering from home can't ask the waiter), and real photos, because online, the photo is the only waiter you have. If in doubt, test it: order your dishes to your home and see what condition they arrive in.
Second: aligning channels
The operating rule: every modification starts from the digital menu, which is the source of truth, and spreads to other channels at the same time. Dish sold out? Hide it from the panel and deactivate it on apps. Price change? First, the menu, then the platforms. With an updatable QR code menu in real-time, at least the in-house channel and the direct channel remain aligned on their own; on third-party apps, discipline is needed, but having a single source halves the errors.
Third: the commission issue
Delivery platforms retain significant commissions on every order: they are the cost for visibility and logistics, and no one gives them away for free. The sensible strategy is not to abandon them but to use them to get known and move repeat orders to the direct channel, where the margin stays with you. The tools are simple: the flyer in the bag with the QR of your menu, the Google listing with the direct link, the message "order from our menu next time" written where the customer reads it.
The QR code in the bag: a small trick that works
Every delivery is contact with a customer who has already chosen you: in the bag, put a card with the QR code of the complete menu and, if you have one, the loyalty card. With Ordinami, the QR code opens the updated menu with photos and current prices, and on the PRO plan, the customer can activate the loyalty card from the same code: after the third delivery, the platform's customer has become your customer. Delivery remains a channel with narrow margins: the game is won by turning occasional app customers into direct and regular customers, one bag at a time. And measure this channel like the others: how many QR codes scanned, how many direct orders per month. If the card doesn't work, change the message or incentive.