About our Restaurant Ordering Demo
Restaurant online manual
Take out software
Let Customers order food online
Price: $549
This article was revised on 10/30/2005. We recommend you print these
eight pages our and read this article.
NOTE: An order is NOT sent to the "make
believe" Italian restaurant (us) UNLESS A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS IS ENTERED. An order
confirmation will not be sent either. We do not sell or
give this information to anyone for any reason, so give it a try.
Allows a restaurant to accept Internet browser based take out food orders via email.
Ordering is fast, accurate and as easy as 1, 2, 3 to use. It can be setup
and running in a few days if both parties work together. Please note this is
not a typical "shopping cart." It is a custom JavaScript
software solution
where Customers stay on one page and is as fast as the phone, if not faster.
This is an International solution and may be
configured for different currencies for any restaurant in any country.
Take the test - Beat the phone
Feel free to use this demo as much as you like - it's fun! It is strictly for
demonstration purposes only and sends make believe email orders to our
Grand Rapids "fictional" restaurant.
A "make believe" password is automatically entered in to save you
time. Test away.
NOTE: I do NOT give your email address to anyone for any reason.
When using the demo, keep in mind there is not a "magic"
solution. Programming every imaginable detail has diminishing returns and
defeats using software like this. The first thing you may notice is the
lack of credit card payment. We discuss this later, but why should
online ordering be ANY different than ordering on the phone?
I don't know of any restaurant that makes a Customer to pay over the phone, so why put those
barriers in front of Internet orders? Treat them the same...However, Money
Cops software is scalable and credit card fields may be added. More on this later.
Our goals are to make the online ordering experience simple, fast, accurate,
affordable and fun. We hope you find we met these goals and more.
Patrons visit or phone the restaurant to sign up (create
accounts). Patrons place orders entering their
email address as the User Name and a password they select. These two items
must "match" the list the restaurant keeps
posted. Orders automatically roll off a printer just like a fax but with computer generated quality.
Restaurants verify the email order by simply looking at the printed list
of accounts sorted in alphabetical order. Keep in mind staff may recognize
a "regulars" email address and password right off the bat. We are selling
food, not building space shuttles.
A full menu, including descriptions, is always available. In this demo,
5) House Salad, prompts for the customers choice of dressing after a
quantity is entered (try it!). More instructions can be entered at the end
of the ordering process as well.
Special instructions, such as “no mayo,” are a breeze to enter
right before submitting the order. Order total and tax are always displayed.
Patrons have an option to tell the restaurant to make food for immediate pickup or
1 hour or more in advance (same day). The Delivery option is versatile and may also be
removed . Built in validation with messages keeps it accurate yet fun. This is a must for group orders. Very reliable and affordable.
Fast and easy to use HTML software.
It is faster than a phone in most circumstances.
Frees staff from phone time.
May be configure for take-out only.
Recognizes holidays closed.
Recognizes days closed.
Recognizes hours open for each day of the week.
Comments and special instructions are allowed.
Helpful and fun software validation minimizes mistakes.
ONE menu item (House Salad) in our demo may prompt for special instructions.
Reviewing the order diminishes mistakes saving the restaurant money.
Allows users to build group orders over time. Take many orders from fellow employees minimizing
and maximizing the browser as many times as need be until the order is completed.
May send an email confirming the order was received automatically.
Everyone knows how much they owe.
NO guessing what the menu is - you see it live.
Headings, such as "Appetizers" may be anything on the restaurant menu.
Background can be whatever you want.
Builds an email list.
Affordable.
How much?
Additional charges may include time for extra programming and
customization or a charge by a Hosting company for CGI (Common Gateway
Interface) setup for example (more on CGI scripts later). We can
configure and host your scripts for you .
Please note the entire software configuration setup can be completed by
us and emailed to you. Simply importing the single directory (folder) into
a site and linking to the ordering page is all that would be left to do.
It is NOT mandatory we have access to your site if you have one.
IMPORTANT Licensing information
History
With or without your own website
A dedicated Internet connection (broadband recommended but not required), a computer with Microsoft Outlook (for
email) and a printer. Outlook is programmed to check for new emails every one-minute and send
email orders, with a specific Subject, directly to the printer. Restaurants must
simply validate the order – discussed next.
Customers are required to have an account on record. They use their
email address as their User Name and pick a Password. The restaurant maintains a record, (credit card
info optional), for each user in a simple Excel spreadsheet. A printed copy is all staff requires to validate a live order. For example, the User
Name & Password from the email order either matches what is printed
from Excel or not. A few seconds of work well worth it. Any red flags can always be handled with a phone
call (their number is in the records) and in all likelihood, staff will recognize regular Customers.
If the list changes, simply print a new one.
About Setting Up Accounts
Account setup is a few simple questions such as name, address, etc. Actively building a customer base will diminish mistakes and get Patrons involved. Involvement is the tallest barrier. Simply make if fun and easy to sign up with 4x6 recipe cards for
example or have staff do it right over the phone. Ask a few questions,
right it down on your printed Excel list by hand (can be typed in later)
and that Customer is ready to order. Seriously folks, all you need to know
is who the person is and where they live.
Why can't Patrons create an account online?
In person sign up is pretty much fool proof - you know exactly
who your Customer is. It is an opportunity for you staff to talk to them
as well. Phone registration lets you verify with Caller ID. Both are personal,
quick, and convenient.
Build your accounts with a touch of old fashion service. It is simply a
good call and your business will be rewarded in the long run. Online sign up could be integrated if deemed necessary.
However, keep in mind how quickly you can create an account over the
phone. It is a one time ordeal well worth 2 minutes. The Customer may then
place an order immediately.
Do Patrons have to have a Credit Card in our records?
Can this be configured to capture Credit Card payment info?
Administrative Requirements
Note: there is a UNIX CGI version available as well.
Take-out and delivery
How many menu items can there be?
Another benefit of an abbreviated take out menu is you can go Full
Screen with the view and see the entire ordering page. NO scrolling.
Can there be more or less then 20 items? Getting them started is critical.
Is this solution a "starter application" that will require upgrading later?
A good example of diminishing returns is letting Patrons build and
create their own pizza. That is very complicated, cumbersome to use and
not part of our strategy of speed and ease of use. This business model is
based on speed (online ordering competes with the phone) and we recommend
if you sell pizza, make each menu item a complete pizza. For example, a
12" deluxe pizza is one menu item. Recall Patrons may easily enter in
special instructions such as "please substitute green peppers with
pineapple" right before they place the order.
Think of it this way, for $549 you get to use this forhow ever long you wish. It
can arguably cost more than this in meetings just thinking about it. If it works, you
win. If not, you still win - the risk was acceptable at this price.
It may also be customized at anytime. It is HTML and JavaScript.
Can this solution handle different hours for each day of the week?
Online ordering for Make Food Now simply starts when the establishment opens and quits 1
hour prior to the actual closing. Make Food Later
Today closes 1 hour prior to the actual closing as well.
Can Patrons order food in advance?
This is another great example of diminishing returns mentioned earlier.
The amount of complexity and extra expense of allowing 1% of Patrons that
would order for some future day to do so is not justifiable. The marginal
benefit does not come close to the marginal cost.
Our opinion is allowing Patrons to order first thing in the morning for
later that day is good enough.
Payment
What happens when two orders come in from the same Patron in succession?
Let's not forget the "Comments & Additional Instructions" section right before the
Submit button. Patrons always have a way, or overall chance, to convey relevant information to the staff.
More or less, what is required to do / provide for initial setup?
Find a compatible Host for the site or pages (we can assist).
Get the CGI scripts to work (you may have your host assist you or we can assist and host them for you).
Have email and setup the Server to send an automated reply (not
difficult and we can set that up on our server IF you host your CGI scripts in our site.)
Arrange the menu and headings.
Choose accurate names for each item (these names show in the order)
and email them to us.
Write a simple menu like ours and email it to us.
Provide pricing via email.
Provide hours of operation and Holidays closed via email.
Provide the Tax rate.
That's it in a nutshell. We take this information and due the initial
setup. Typically, once the site is hosted and ready (existing site will
work as well) setup can be done in two days or less. Sign up Patrons and you are
taking online orders.
What about the CGI scripts? yourrestaurant@moneycops.com .
This email address is then used by the Review Order form in your ordering page. Simple.
The second script, or "Ordering" script, will have your
restaurant name, address and phone number hard coded in it just like ours.
Customers will print this page out and you want them to have this
information. It will use the same email address from MoneyCops as well.
As you may have guessed, you will configure Microsoft Outlook with this
MoneyCops email address as well. Both forms will use this email address to
process submissions and Microsoft Outlook will be configured to retrieve
the emails. We then configure your automated response on our email server.
Automatic order confirmation
Once setup, how difficult is it to make changes?
Please note it is NOT mandatory for us to have access to your site. If
we need to make a menu change for you, you may email a copy of the entire
directory to us, we make the changes and send it back. In some circumstances,
you may only need one file changed. You can simply email that one file
alone and drag and drop the changed one back into your site.
Is there a Manual?
If I make or have a web site, is it hard to get the software to work in my site?
Is it difficult to work on?
Will support be available?
Keep in mind once the solution is setup, running test orders through
and simply verifying your email is working may be all the maintenance required. It is a reliable robust application
and can free staff from the phone with typed written orders.
Sincerely,
Bill Bonofigloinfo@moneycops.com
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