What is Online Ordering?
Online Ordering adds a catering‑specific ordering experience directly to your website, powered by ezCater.
Customers click an “Order Catering” or similar button on your site
They are taken into an ezCater‑powered ordering flow that is branded for your restaurant
Orders flow into your Partner Portal just like Marketplace orders
Online Ordering is built specifically for catering (larger group orders, future dates, dietary needs) rather than everyday takeout or delivery.
Benefits of Online Ordering
1. Capture catering demand from your own website
Converts website visitors into catering orders instead of sending them to phone or email
Gives customers a clear, self‑service path to place large orders
2. Catering‑specific ordering experience
Supports larger group sizes and future event dates
Accommodates catering menus, minimums, and lead times
Helps customers choose the right mix of packages, trays, and individual meals
3. Unified operations in the Partner Portal
All Online Ordering orders appear in the Partner Portal alongside Marketplace orders
Your team uses the same workflows to accept, reconfirm, assign drivers, and track performance
4. Increased visibility on the Marketplace
Using Online Ordering can help your brand perform better on the ezCater Marketplace by signaling that you are focused on catering
A stronger overall presence can support more demand across channels
5. Access to customer information
Customer contact information visible in your Partner Portal on the order details page
Ability to export a Customer List for analysis and marketing efforts
Setup process
Set up for Online Ordering is designed to be straightforward and low lift for your team.
Step 1: Confirm eligibility and menu
Before enabling Online Ordering you should
Have an approved Marketplace menu that meets ezCater’s menu and pricing requirements
Confirm that your hours, lead times, and capacity in the Partner Portal match how you want to handle catering from your website
If you need menu changes first, contact [email protected] or use the menu update tools in the Partner Portal
Step 2: Get your Online Ordering links
ezCater generates Online Ordering links for your brand and participating locations
These links route customers into your catering ordering experience while keeping your branding front‑and‑center
You’ll typically receive
A brand‑level link for your main catering page
Location‑specific links if you want customers to choose a store first
Step 3: Add “Order Catering” buttons to your site
Work with whoever manages your website such as your internal web team, agency, or franchisor to:
Add clear “Order Catering” buttons or links in key places like
Main navigation
Catering landing page
Location or “Find a store” pages
Point those buttons to your Online Ordering links
Customers will click from your domain into the Online Ordering experience and place their order there
Step 4: Test and train
Before promoting Online Ordering widely
Place a test order or walkthrough using your link to see exactly what customers see
Make sure managers know how to:
Find Online Ordering orders in the Partner Portal
Accept and reconfirm orders
Coordinate delivery or Dispatch
Once you’re confident in the experience, you can start promoting “Order Catering Online” in your marketing and on in‑store materials
Cost structure
Online Ordering uses the same overall fee model as other ezCater orders, with a reduced commission compared to Marketplace orders
No signup or monthly fees
No fee to enable Online Ordering
No monthly subscription
You pay fees only on orders you accept
Commission
For Online Ordering orders:
You pay a reduced commission of 7%
Commission applies to
Meal subtotal
Customer‑facing delivery fee, set by you
Commission does not apply to voluntary tips or taxes
This reflects that Online Ordering uses your own website traffic, while still leveraging ezCater’s technology, support, and payment processing.
Payment processing
ezCater handles customer payment
A Payment Transaction Fee of 2.99% is charged to cover payment processing
Applies to the meal subtotal, delivery fee, and tax
Does not apply to voluntary tips
Equal‑price guarantee
Prices and fees on Online Ordering must match your lowest online pricing for comparable catering offerings
This ensures customers see consistent pricing whether they order from your site or find you on the Marketplace
Dispatch and delivery costs
If you use Dispatch for Online Ordering orders:
You keep your customer‑facing delivery fee
You pay the Dispatch delivery cost according to ezCater’s standard Dispatch pricing
Dispatch charges are shown clearly in your payment breakdown under misc. fees
Customer Reporting
Any customers that place orders via Online Ordering are your customers, meaning we share these customer's information with you.
You can export a Customer List that shows you:
Customer contact information
Profile info including company name and industry
Total orders
Communication opt-in status and opt-in date
The key benefits of this report are:
Ownable customer database
Targeted marketing and promotions
Drive repeat business & loyalty
Better insight into customer value
Fuel for co-marketing with ezCater
To create your Customer List:
Navigate to ezCater Orders → Completed
At the top of the page, click "Download Customer List"
This will export and download your file automatically
Report breakdown:
Column | Data provided |
A-D | Customer name and contact info |
E-H | Customer profile info including: |
I | Lead conversion date/time |
J | Total # of orders |
K | Last order date/time |
L + M | Customer address and tax ID |
N + O | Communication opt-in status (true/false) and opt-in date/time |
P | Stores associated with customer |
You can import this list into your own marketing tools to stay in touch, win back inactive customers, and grow relationships with your best catering buyers
By adding Online Ordering to your website you give customers a frictionless way to order catering directly from your brand, while keeping operations centralized in the Partner Portal and benefiting from ezCater’s technology, support, and payment infrastructure.