Introduction
Pressured by the food lovers, restaurant brands today incorporate expanded dining options into their business ecosystem and online approach is at the forefront to accelerate these changes.
Restaurant businesses are increasingly embracing carryout, pickup, and food delivery facilities to adapt to the modern requirements of eaters, and websites or applications are supporting this evolution.
Most people were already prepared, but some want to make a rapid adjustment that may prompt the need for heavy investment capital.
But, with the emergence of online ordering systems for restaurants, the conventional approach of owning a presence on the internet is just a choice and no longer a necessity.
At minimal investment or by paying a little subscription amount per month, you can own a well-working online food delivery system for your restaurant from ChowNow and Menufy.
Both service providers for restaurants are simplifying the online storefront building process for restaurants. But, as a businessman, if you don’t want to make any wrong selection, or to say if you want to choose the best between ChowNow vs Menufy, find this article your best guide.
Before we begin, let’s introduce you to the business models of both ChowNow and Menufy.
Business Overview: ChowNow vs MenuFy
ChowNow
Flexibility of operations and convenience in services have shifted restaurants toward ChowNow. The company’s online food delivery system not only provides value for service to restaurants but also to diners.
The business model of the California-based online ordering platform incorporates three main products: “Order Better Network,” “ChowNow Marketplace,” and “ChowNow Direct.”
By partnering with ChowNow, you will gain direct access to all three. Moreover, you can even access individual solutions if you want. The company provides a restaurant ordering tool for every business appetite.
And the best thing is that there will be no delivery charges, no hidden fees, or anything else that daunts a restaurant brand financially. You can own an ordering system without falling into the trap of charges. The brand has provided a simplified pricing structure for its services.
If you work in the food industry and expect convenience and comfort from your website or application, ChowNow will exceed your expectations.
From website ordering, branded apps, customer data, and personalized customer marketing, all those benefits were supposed to be kept a secret from you by a third-party application or food listing platform. Yet, these are provided by ChowNow.
Menufy
Commenced back in 2009, Menufy business has registered a historic rise in its online ordering system demand. Those trying to break into the online food delivery market might find Menufy a great alternative because the platform is offering a free online ordering website—that’s a bit unrealistic, but it is free.
By shifting to Menufy, you not only save on online ordering costs on third-party platforms but even save on digital marketing services that can readily invite huge investment requirements for website creation and optimization for the digital world. Menufy offers a custom-designed online ordering website at no charge.
But there’s a twist. Compared to ChowNow, which can help you get a website on a custom domain, Menufy will list your business on its own domain, Menufy.com.
It turns out that the free service by Menufy is basically a listing service that’s reasonable to some extent. Menufy allows restaurants to list on its mobile application, which is available for both Android and iOS users.
The same way the Menufy.com website is used for business listings of restaurants. However, the same facility is available in the ChowNow Marketplace, but Menufy makes it available at no cost.
ChowNow Vs MenuFy: The Overall Setup
ChowNow
The overall restaurant setup process at ChowNow demands a bit of attention from every newcomer. The brand offers four main solutions, and as a customer, you are required to know the terms of each.
Such as, by selecting one of ChowNow’s solutions, “Reach New Customers,” you will gain direct access to “Order Better Network” and the “ChowNow Marketplace.”
Similarly, by selecting the “Own Your Ordering” solution, you will get a custom-built website for your restaurant, which will provide you access to the “Simplify Operations” product exclusively intended to simplify online website building for restaurant brands.
But in case you are confused, let’s give a simple description of the whole subject. So basically, the ChowNow business model allows restaurants to receive ChowNow services based on an individual product or comprehensive solution.
As a restaurant, you are given flexibility in your choices so that you pay for what’s necessary for your business and not for anything useless. Most restaurants might have a well-built website and just want a marketing push.
Similarly, most restaurants might want a well-working and fully optimized website for their business but also be armed with marketing strategies, tools, and skills. Most things will get cleared up as you sign up at ChowNow. Luckily, you are even given the option of getting started with a demo for further ease.
Menufy
Simply put forward your wish, and Menufy will help you own a restaurant online. But the problem is that the brand asks for more than just basic details and information to get started, which includes your name, your restaurant’s name, locations, and contact details.
However, you must submit additional information in addition to these. Simply put, unlike other online ordering platforms, Menufy asks you for restaurant details in more depth. If you have an existing domain name or URL, you will be giving it to Menufy.
Otherwise, you can simply ask Menufy to get you a website on its own subdomain. With this, a necessary condition needs to be checked, namely whether the restaurant will pay a $1.50 convenience fee or whether it will be payable by the customers.
Delivery information needs to be mentioned to ensure no customer is confused when placing an order. Since Menufy offers a free facility, most activities will be automated.
You will also be responsible for ensuring that all of the information provided is correct. However, with the premium plans, such challenges are no longer encountered.
Comparing the Charges of ChowNow with Menufy
ChowNow
The breakdown of charges at ChowNow is quite interesting and may sound unfair to some folks because they are quite similar to charges on aggregator platforms. Luckily, some relief has been granted by ChowNow.
ChowNow’s “order better network,” for example, enables a widespread presence of your restaurant brand across the web, and order services are also available.
The pack comes with a condition that charges 12% per order charged from the restaurant, but if you enable profit protector, these charges will simply be passed on to the customers. If you are a qualified candidate for this offer, you can join the ChowNow Marketplace for free.
But the most costliest is the “ChowNow Direct Product,” in which you access a website ordering facility, a branded app, automated email marketing, print marketing, a membership program, and an extensive range of tools and solutions that aid in the thorough progress of your restaurant brand.
With so much on offer, the pricing for this particular product starts at $199/month. However, if you sign up for a two-year subscription, you will have access to the same service for $129 per month.
In addition to these basic charges, a credit card fee of 2.95% + $0.20 does apply.
Menufy
The online ordering service pricing of Menufy is remarkable because, if we start with free services, everything offered within this segment is reasonable. But there’s a twist, because the free service applies to the setup alone.
You’ll get a free domain, hosting, custom web design, menu entry, business listing service, free order alerts, and 24×7 support service. But you will ace them only when your restaurant is ready to absorb the $1.50 convenience fee per order.
Otherwise, your customer will be paying this additional charge, making it clear that nothing is free at Menufy. In addition to this particular charge, a credit card fee of 2.75% + $0.30 is charged by the service provider to restaurants.
Going further, if you find some great benefits in the Menufy business model, you can switch to its premium services available in “digital marketing,” “print marketing,” and “food delivery.” The terms of the given services are different, and charges vary significantly. So make sure you get them noticed.
ChowNow Vs Menufy: The Marketing Things
ChowNow
The marketing support provided by ChowNow is undoubtedly an excellent thing that you will be accessing. Everything that you receive in this section is given below:
Menu across the web
ChowNow provides restaurants with the ability to showcase their restaurant menus across the web, not just on a particular website or online interface. The online ordering platform will handle integrations and menu pricing on Google, Snapchat, Tripadvisor, Yelp, and many other websites where your menu will have a fair chance to be seen. You simply need to change and update your menu, and the rest will happen through automation.
ChowNow Marketplace
The ChowNow marketplace is one of the finest gateways for attracting more customers to your business. The marketplace is basically a ChowNow business listing app wherein restaurants can list their business and attract sales online. However, a 12% commission per order may be charged, so make a note of it.
Access to Customer Data
You will always have free access to customer data, which you can use to attract and retain audiences. The data can even help a business increase the number of loyal customers. Everything from the customer’s name to contact information to other useful information will be readily available in your dashboard.
Automated Email
ChowNow helps you market your products and services better with automated email marketing. When a customer places an order, an automated email with their order details and other promotional material is delivered directly to their inbox.
Membership Program
With almost every international brand deploying a membership program into their business, ChowNow is also providing its restaurant partners with the facility to run their own branded membership program to retain loyal customers.
Print Marketing
ChowNow can help you with offline marketing as well as online marketing, such as custom printed handouts, signage, and other helpful things from the brand.
Restaurant Success Manager
The marketing benefit provides restaurants with expert marketing advice and a success manager to handle integrations.
Menufy
If we talk about Menufy’s marketing assistance to restaurants, the buffet has comparatively fewer eggs to serve. As such, given below are the two main marketing solutions provided by Menufy to the restaurants:
Customer Conversion Cards
Menufy offers a simple solution when it comes to converting customers. Normally, drawing existing customers from third-party platforms is the biggest hurdle. However, you can use Menufy customer conversion cards to encourage people on third-party platforms to order directly from your newly launched website via Menufy. Not only that, but the card bridges the communication gap between a restaurant and its customers, allowing them to communicate directly with one another without the use of third-party platforms.
Hungerrush 360-degree marketing
Hungerrush 360-degree marketing comprises automated text marketing and email marketing. The marketing approach comes into play after you successfully collect the customer’s contact details, which could be collected from a customer conversion card or directly from the customers as they place orders on the Menufy website or application.
However, it is unlike traditional text and email marketing as it basically entails targeting and retargeting customers with interactive banners. For example, if one or two months have passed since your customers haven’t placed an order, 360-degree marketing will intelligently reintroduce them to your storefront.
The Customer Support of ChowNow and Menufy
ChowNow
ChowNow believes in staying super responsive to people’s queries. The brand has a separate support facility for customers and restaurants.
Any customer query is effectively answered by the ChowNow representative of the respective department. Similarly, the restaurant support department answers the queries of every restaurant brand having some issue related to any of the services that ChowNow provides.
The company provides 24×7 customer support; after all, it is working on a giant scale. So there will be no room for disappointment whenever you run into trouble and seek an instant solution from ChowNow.
Menufy
The customer support of Menufy is equally noteworthy. The online ordering platform also has a separate support system in place for restaurants, for the restaurant’s customers, and for the Menufy Clover App.
And the best thing is, the support facility is available in a total of nine languages. As you connect with the Menufy support team, you will be given the option to talk to the Menufy representative in your own native language.
However, the services of Menufy are available only for local restaurants in the US. So keep in mind that any assistance provided in the native language is intended to resolve all of your issues in the United States.
ChowNow Vs Menufy Mobile Application
ChowNow
The ChowNow Mobile application is one of the smartest approaches to gaining more sales from local eaters. Your restaurant brand can gain access to the marketplace via ChowNow’s marketplace. Simply create an account and list your brand on the official ChowNow mobile app.
Both customers and restaurant businesses benefit from the application. Demand for each party has been satisfied with utmost precision by ChowNow. The app is available for download from both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Similarly, the restaurant operator will be able to manage operations both online and offline. The local food ordering app may also have some paid advertising options, so consider that too.
Applications are optimized and super responsive, and they have gained an excellent rating from the users online. And the best thing is, restaurant operators need not worry about device interaction because everything will be handled through a single dashboard or POS system.
Menufy
The Menufy application, on the other hand, seeks lots of improvement as per our and others’ observations. The interface of the mobile app is a bit outdated. Like ChowNow, the Menufy application is used as a business listing platform by many restaurant brands.
The mobile app features a navigation menu, map, and other interactive details. You simply list your business in the application, and the app will automatically drive traffic to your business. Currently, the app has a few thousand installs on Apple and Android devices.
Reviews gained by Menufy are also not that impressive compared to their website. But since the service is free, you can call it a reasonable deal too.
Delivery Service of ChowNow and Menufy
ChowNow
The delivery services of ChowNow are well described by the brand. The online ordering platforms give restaurant partners a total of three delivery options to choose from. Such as “pick up delivery service,” in which customers can take their orders by physically visiting your restaurant, and “self-delivery,” in which your in-house team will deliver food to customers.
Similarly, the last delivery option is “flex delivery,” in which you will connect with a team of drivers provided by the ChowNow network. But the delivery service provided by ChowNow will be subject to a 12% commission per order. So choose wisely.
Menufy
The delivery service by Menufy is also straightforward. Restaurants have the option to use their own delivery fleet; otherwise, the Menufy delivery network will come into play. For a delivery service charge of 12.5% per order, the brand helps you facilitate a smooth delivery of product to the customer’s door.
But more information is unclear on whether Menufy will deploy its own delivery network or provide this service via food delivery partners like DoorDash. If you choose to run your own delivery network, you will be actively supported by the tech-enabled business model of Menufy. As such, you will be able to collect payments directly via the Menufy platform.
Integration Facility of ChowNow and Menufy
ChowNow
You can readily integrate your business with the ChowNow online ordering system. The set-up process is quite straightforward; you simply put forward your request and set the wheel into motion.
But it’s worthwhile to note that the ChowNow online ordering system is compatible with 30+ POS systems, with Otter and Cuboh as its integration partners. Take your pick and integrate your POS system with ChowNow’s online ordering system seamlessly in no time.
You will be able to handle all incoming orders, manage customer relations with your business, and get all those things done precisely that are challenging with manual actions.
The POS integration comes at a fee of $40 per month. But if you opt for the ChowNow Direct product, you can manage this additional stress effectively. Activities like deductions and rewards to customers will be automated.
Menufy
Menufy’s POS integration options, on the other hand, are relatively limited. The online ordering platform provides integration facilities with Google, HarborTouch, Future POS, Clover, and a few other names in addition to the ones given above in the visuals.
But compared to ChowNow, more details on the POS haven’t been shared by the Menufy online ordering system. So you should better consult with the Menufy team in this regard to avoid any errors or unexpected challenges in the future. You must keep in mind that most of your business activities will happen, be managed, and be reviewed live on the POS system.
It is possible that the POS names at Menufy you learned about in this article might not be or might be available at Menufy by the time you reach out to the company to start your online operations.
Conclusion
So make a selection between ChowNow and Menufy. The detailed comparison of ChowNow vs. Menufy functionality and restaurant benefits provides a visual and practical overview of both platforms. ChowNow is offering comprehensive assistance with well-defined pricing patterns. Users are given the option to select an individual product or a solution as a whole. On the other hand, Menufy is offering most services for free. Still, it is necessary for your understanding that the platform isn’t entirely free. Except for setup, you must pay a certain fee to access Menufy’s complete online ordering facility. The mobile application of Menufy is somewhat outdated, while a special focus on professional touches has been made by ChowNow.