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Build Guide

Build a Restaurant Ordering System Without WordPress

Restaurant WordPress plugins add 2-3 seconds to page loads. When a hungry customer is ordering, every second costs you a sale.

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The Old Way

The WordPress Approach

Required Plugins

1RestroPress ($149-299/year) — food ordering for WordPress
2WPCafe ($59-159/year) — restaurant menu and ordering
3Five Star Restaurant Menu ($99/year) — menu display and ordering
4Restaurant Menu by flavor ($29 one-time) — menu management
5GloriaFood (free with commission) — online ordering widget

Limitations

Ordering flow is a WordPress page template — not an app-like experience
No real-time kitchen notifications — orders go to email or admin dashboard
Menu customization (modifiers, options) is limited to basic text fields
Order tracking for customers is either nonexistent or requires extra plugins
Mobile ordering experience is dependent on theme responsiveness

Typical Cost

$100-300/year in plugins + payment gateway costs + hosting

The Modern Way

The Modern Approach

Next.js + Supabase + Stripe + real-time notifications

Build an app-like ordering experience with Next.js. Supabase handles the menu database and real-time order updates. Stripe processes payments. WebSocket notifications alert the kitchen instantly.

App-like ordering experience — smooth cart, real-time totals
Kitchen gets real-time notifications when new orders arrive
Customer can track order status live
Menu management via Supabase dashboard or custom admin panel
Works offline-first with service workers for in-restaurant use

WordPress vs. Modern Stack

WordPress

  • Ordering flow is a WordPress page template — not an app-like experience
  • No real-time kitchen notifications — orders go to email or admin dashboard
  • Menu customization (modifiers, options) is limited to basic text fields
  • Order tracking for customers is either nonexistent or requires extra plugins
  • $100-300/year in plugins + payment gateway costs + hosting

Modern Stack

  • App-like ordering experience — smooth cart, real-time totals
  • Kitchen gets real-time notifications when new orders arrive
  • Customer can track order status live
  • Menu management via Supabase dashboard or custom admin panel
  • Works offline-first with service workers for in-restaurant use

Recommended Tools

Supabase

Menu database, order management, and real-time subscriptions

Free up to 500MB, $25/month Pro

Stripe

Payment processing for online orders

2.9% + 30¢ per transaction

Next.js

Customer-facing ordering interface and kitchen dashboard

Free and open-source

Twilio

SMS order confirmations and ready notifications

$0.0079/SMS sent

Vercel

Hosting with edge functions for order processing

Free hobby tier, $20/month pro

Step-by-Step Build Guide

1

Design the menu schema in Supabase — categories, items, modifiers (toppings, sizes), pricing, and availability

2

Build the customer-facing ordering interface with Next.js — browse menu, customize items, and add to cart

3

Implement the cart with real-time price calculation including modifiers, tax, and tip

4

Add Stripe Checkout for payment processing with support for tips and delivery fees

5

Build the kitchen dashboard with Supabase Realtime — new orders appear instantly with audio alerts

6

Add SMS notifications via Twilio — order confirmation to customer, ready notification when prepared

7

Create a QR code menu for in-restaurant ordering that links directly to the ordering interface

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this compare to DoorDash or Uber Eats?
Third-party platforms take 15-30% commission per order. Your own ordering system costs a flat $20-50/month plus Stripe's 2.9% fee. For a restaurant doing $10K/month in orders, that saves $1,200-2,700/month.
Can I do both delivery and pickup?
Yes. Add a delivery/pickup toggle to checkout. For delivery, integrate Google Maps for address validation and delivery zone checking. Delivery dispatch can be manual or integrated with services like DoorDash Drive.
How do I handle menu changes?
Update items directly in Supabase's dashboard (spreadsheet-like interface) or build a simple admin panel. Changes reflect immediately since the menu is queried from the database on each order.

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