Restaurant ordering system
If you are searching for a restaurant ordering system, you want to know what options exist, what they actually cost, and how quickly you can be up and running. This page covers all three — and explains why most systems are not built with independent restaurants in mind.
A restaurant ordering system is the combination of software and hardware that lets your customers place and pay for orders digitally — whether they are sitting at a table, waiting at a counter, or ordering ahead for pickup. The best systems do this without friction for customers and without complexity for the people running the restaurant.
Here is what matters, and how Windsor Digital delivers each one:
Every restaurant on Windsor Digital gets a branded ordering page at their own subdomain — yourrestaurant.windsordigital.com.au. Customers browse your full menu, see photos and descriptions, and add items to their cart without downloading anything. The page works on any phone, any browser.
Print a QR code for each table — customers scan, order, and pay without flagging down a staff member. Windsor Digital generates QR codes for every table you configure. No third-party QR generator needed. The code links directly to your ordering page.
Customers can order for immediate pickup or choose a specific time slot. You set the pickup time slots and a maximum order count per 15-minute window. If a slot fills up, customers see it as full before they order — no overbooking, no scrambling in the kitchen during peak times.
Every order appears on your dashboard the moment it is paid. An audio chime alerts you to new orders so you are not watching a screen all day. Orders update every 30 seconds automatically. You can mark orders as in-progress or complete from any device — phone, tablet, or laptop.
Payments go directly to your bank account via Stripe Connect. Windsor Digital takes 2% — that is it. There is no delay, no manual payout request, no holding period beyond Stripe's standard settlement. Orders are only created after payment succeeds, so there are no unpaid orders on your dashboard.
Add new items, update prices, toggle availability on or off, and organise items into categories — all from your phone or computer. Our AI photo import can read your existing printed menu and create your entire digital menu in under a minute. You review before publishing, so nothing goes live by accident.
There are three categories of restaurant ordering system available in Australia. Understanding which category you are looking at — and who it is actually built for — will save you a lot of time.
| Feature | Delivery apps | Enterprise platforms | Windsor Digital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 25–35% commission per order | $200–500/month + percentage | 2% per transaction, no monthly fee |
| Setup time | 1–2 weeks (approval process) | Weeks to months (onboarding, hardware) | Under 10 minutes |
| Your branding | Their brand and app | Partial — often mixed with platform branding | Your brand, your subdomain |
| Customer data | They own it | Shared or restricted | You own it |
| Contract | Often required for merchant terms | Usually 12+ months minimum | None — cancel any time |
| Best for | Delivery and discovery | Large venues with complex needs | Independent restaurants |
Delivery apps (UberEats, DoorDash) serve a different purpose — they bring you new customers through their marketplace. Windsor Digital is for orders from customers who already know you. See our detailed comparisons: vs UberEats, vs HungryHungry.
Enterprise platforms like HungryHungry, Bopple, and Square Online are capable products. They make sense for venues with large teams, complex multi-location setups, or specific hardware requirements. But for a single-location independent restaurant, the setup time, monthly cost, and contract commitment are rarely worth it. You spend more time configuring the system than you save using it.
Windsor Digital is built specifically for independent restaurants that want to be digital quickly, without an IT project. If you can update your Instagram, you can manage your Windsor Digital menu.
Most restaurant ordering systems have a complicated onboarding process involving sales calls, contract sign-off, and hardware shipments. Windsor Digital is different — everything happens online, and you can go live in the same session you sign up.
Sign up at windsordigital.com.au. Choose your restaurant's name and URL slug — this becomes yourrestaurant.windsordigital.com.au. No credit card required to get started.
Take a photo of your existing printed menu with your phone. Our AI reads every item, description, price, and category automatically. Review the import, make any corrections, and you are done. Alternatively, add items manually if you prefer full control from the start.
Link your Australian bank account via Stripe Connect — the same payment infrastructure used by millions of businesses worldwide. This takes about five minutes and requires your ABN. Once connected, payments go directly to your account when customers order.
Set your operating hours, configure your table count, and hit publish. Download your QR codes — one per table — and print them on cardboard, stickers, or frames. Customers scan and order immediately. Your dashboard is live and will chime when the first order comes in.
Windsor Digital is built for independent, single-location Australian restaurants that want to accept digital orders without the overhead of an enterprise platform.
It works best if: your customers are already coming to you (you are not relying on a marketplace for discovery), you want to reduce the labour cost of taking orders, you want to offer pickup or scheduled ordering, or you are currently using a third-party delivery app for in-venue orders and paying far more than you need to.
It is probably not the right fit if: your primary revenue is delivery to homes (in that case, you need a delivery logistics partner), you have multiple locations with complex inventory management, or you require point-of-sale hardware integration. Those are legitimate needs — Windsor Digital does not try to solve everything.
If you are an independent restaurant owner in Australia wanting to go digital quickly and affordably, read our guide to online ordering in Australia, and see how restaurateurs in Melbourne and Sydney are using Windsor Digital today.
Windsor Digital charges 2% per transaction. There is no monthly subscription, no setup fee, no contract, and no charge for staff accounts. Standard Stripe processing fees (~1.76% + 30c per transaction) apply separately — this goes to Stripe, not Windsor Digital.
On $5,000 per week in orders: Windsor Digital takes $100. On $10,000 per week: $200. If you do zero orders in a week, you pay nothing. There is no minimum volume requirement.
This model is intentional. We want the pricing to feel fair whether you are doing $2,000 per week or $20,000 per week. You should never be paying for a system that is not generating orders for you.
Windsor Digital charges 2% per transaction with no monthly fee, no setup fee, and no contract. On $5,000 per week in orders that is $100 per week. Standard Stripe processing fees (~1.76% + 30c) apply separately. Enterprise platforms typically charge $200–500 per month plus a percentage, so for most independent restaurants Windsor Digital is significantly cheaper.
No. Customers order through a webpage on their phone by scanning a QR code at the table or following a link. There is nothing to download. The ordering page works on any modern smartphone browser.
Windsor Digital is designed to be live in under 10 minutes. You create an account, import your menu (manually or by photographing your existing printed menu — our AI reads it automatically), connect your Stripe account for payments, and publish. QR codes for your tables are available immediately.
Yes. Windsor Digital supports dine-in QR code ordering, pickup ordering, and scheduled pickup with time slots. You can set a maximum number of orders per 15-minute slot and override that cap for known busy periods. Customers see which slots are available and which are full before they order.
Still weighing your options? These pages go deeper on specific topics:
Online ordering for Australian restaurants— a broad overview of the online ordering landscape in Australia, including costs, platform comparisons, and what to look for when choosing a system.
Windsor Digital vs UberEats— a detailed breakdown of when a delivery marketplace makes sense versus when your own ordering system is the better choice.
Windsor Digital vs HungryHungry— how Windsor Digital compares to one of Australia's leading enterprise restaurant platforms on cost, setup, and feature set.
How to set up QR code ordering for your restaurant— step-by-step guide to going from zero to live with QR code ordering, including tips on placement, design, and customer communication.
Online ordering for restaurants: complete guide— everything you need to know about digital ordering, from choosing a platform to handling your first 100 orders.
No monthly fee. No contract. No credit card required to start. Just your restaurant, your brand, and your customers ordering the way they want to.
Set up your ordering system →2% per transaction · Australian-built · Cancel any time