REDLANDS, CA - NetWaiter, the premier online ordering service for restaurants, now offers Group Ordering, allowing offices and other groups to order more easily.

When someone visits the website of a restaurant using NetWaiter’s online ordering system, they will have the option to organize a Group Order.  To start a Group Order, the organizer invites friends or co-workers to join their group.  NetWaiter provides the ability to email invitees, along with a message.  Each person receiving the email can accept or decline the invitation.  If they join the group, they are immediately guided to the restaurant’s menu to select their items.  When done, their items are submitted back to the organizer.  After the invitees have selected their items, the organizer submits the Group Order, along with payment, and their desired pickup/delivery time.

The organizer can view their Group Order and the progress of each invitee on the Group Order status page.  This page shows the organizer who has accepted or declined the invitation, who is browsing the menu, and the order information from the people that have completed their order.

The group ordering function includes several convenient features for organizers, including the ability to save invitees.  The next time an organizer places a Group Order, they can automatically select people to include that they previously invited.  The organizer can also delete names as needed.  In addition, if someone was left out of a Group Order that should have been included, the organizer can invite them, even if the order is in progress.

Online group ordering is a major benefit for both customers and restaurants.  If an office is having a staff meeting during lunch, it’s easy for employees to initiate a Group Order at a local restaurant.  This saves the hassle of everyone ordering individually.  From the restaurant’s perspective, the orders are larger and more organized for easy preparation.

"Online group ordering is a major convenience to restaurant customers," said Kevin Lewis, NetWaiter’s CTO, "and we all know that convenience leads to more business."

NetWaiter is a nationwide system providing restaurants with the ability to accept online and mobile orders.  In addition to Group Ordering, the NetWaiter system includes a restaurant Management Console, email marketing, Facebook integrations, a promotional system, QR codes, and a branded mobile site for each restaurant client.

For more information, contact NetWaiter at 866-638-9248 or visit their website: www.netwaiter.com 

When NetWaiter brings you a new online ordering customer, our statistics show the likelihood is that they will return to place their second order within 14 days.  This is important.  New customers, and specifically ones that come back again and again, are one of the principal engines of growth.

It is safe to say that the convenience of online ordering is what draws them in, and is part of what keeps them coming back. What can you do to make sure your online ordering process is as convenient as possible, so they keep coming back to your restaurant?  Here are some quick tips:

Make the pickup process smooth and easy.  If you can, have a separate area for pickup orders, preferred parking, and your most personable employee working the counter.  These are all things we’ve talked about before, but are worth repeating.

Take advantage of NetWaiter’s pre-payment capabilities.  While one industry study indicated that less than 19% of online customers pre-pay for orders, that number is significantly higher with NetWaiter.  When given the option, 68% of all NetWaiter customers choose to pre-pay online.  The figure jumps to 77% when looking at just delivery orders.  Be sure to enable online payments and receive funds directly to your merchant account.