Your restaurant online
Ordering page and restaurant website: what’s the difference?
A restaurant website introduces your business. An ordering page is your online shop for food and drink. Guests choose from your menu, add items to their basket and place an order.
The two can work together. Start with an ordering page or add online ordering to your existing website. Ordentino has templates for the site that goes with your ordering page.
You don’t necessarily need two websites. Think about what you want guests to do: get to know your restaurant, order food or both.
See how guests choose dishes and place an order.
Restaurant website
Where guests get to know your restaurant.
Caffè Bella
Homemade pasta and a cosy dining room
Meet the team · Mon–Sun, 11:30–22:00
Ordering page
Where guests choose dishes and order.
Caffè Bella
Pasta Arrabbiata€13.90
Panini Caprese€10.90
Basket · 1 item€13.90
Place order
What is an ordering page?
An ordering page is where guests can order from you online. It works like any online shop: choose what you want, add it to the basket and send the order. At your restaurant that could mean pizza, pasta, burgers, coffee or anything else on the menu.
Guests see what’s available and how much it costs. They choose dishes and any extras you offer, then select collection or delivery if available. The order goes straight to your restaurant.
What guests ask: ‘What would I like to order?’
A menu guests can order from
A photo or PDF of your menu shows what you serve. An ordering page lets guests order what they’ve chosen straight away, without phoning in their order.
Online ordering and paying online
Ordering and paying are separate steps. Depending on your plan and the payment methods you offer, guests can order online and pay when they collect their food or when it arrives. Taking orders online doesn’t require taking payments online.
What is a restaurant website?
A restaurant website introduces your business. It gives guests an idea of the food you serve, what the place looks like and what makes it special. It’s your business website.
It helps guests get a feel for the place. Is it cosy or lively? Would it suit a family meal, a dinner for two or a celebration? Who’s in the kitchen, and what’s the story behind your restaurant?
Photos of the space and a short introduction to you and your team help bring it to life. Opening hours, your address and contact details make a visit easier to plan.
What guests ask: ‘Is this somewhere I’d like to go?’
What to put on your restaurant website
- The food you serve and what makes it special.
- Your dining spaces, terrace and the atmosphere.
- The people behind your restaurant.
- Your story and how you look after guests.
- Details of private parties or events, if you offer them.
- Opening hours, directions and contact details.
Your restaurant website can also have a menu and let guests order. Its main job is to introduce the restaurant. Online ordering gives guests another way to buy from you.
The differences at a glance
What is it mainly for?
- Restaurant website
- Introducing your restaurant and giving guests a feel for it.
- Ordering page
- Choosing food and drink and placing an order.
What does the guest want to know?
- Restaurant website
- Is this the right place for my visit or occasion?
- Ordering page
- What can I order, and how will I get it?
What takes centre stage?
- Restaurant website
- Food, atmosphere, team, story and details for a visit.
- Ordering page
- Menu, prices, options, basket and ordering.
What can guests do?
- Restaurant website
- Plan a visit, get in touch or go to the ordering page.
- Ordering page
- Choose dishes and place an order.
How do the two work together?
- Restaurant website
- The website can link to the ordering page or integrate ordering.
- Ordering page
- The ordering page can handle checkout for the restaurant website.
An ordering page can also show photos and restaurant information. A restaurant website can also offer online ordering. The difference is what each one focuses on.
Two jobs, one online presence
One guest might want to see your terrace before ordering later. A regular may already know what they want and go straight to the menu to order. Your site can support both.
You can keep the website you already have. You decide how closely you want to connect the two.
How do I add Ordentino to my existing website?
If you already have a restaurant website, you can keep using it. You can link to your Ordentino ordering page or integrate ordering into your website.
Option 1: Link to the ordering page with a button
Add a prominent button to your website, such as ‘Order online’. One click takes guests to your Ordentino ordering page, where they choose their dishes and place the order.
Your restaurant website is still where guests find photos, meet the team and get practical information. The ordering page handles the order. The button connects the two.
This suits you if you want to keep your current site and give guests a direct way to order.
Your restaurant website → ‘Order online’ → your ordering page
Option 2: Guests fill their basket on your website
Ordentino can connect to your existing restaurant website through a technical interface called the Cart API. Your web designer or agency can use it to integrate ordering.
Guests can choose dishes and add them to their basket on your website. They then take their basket to your Ordentino ordering page to complete the order.
Show us your website. We’ll discuss how the integration could work and what access needs to be enabled, with your agency if needed.
An order button takes guests to the ordering page before they choose. With the Cart API, they start choosing on your website.
Discuss your integrationDesign with Ordentino Web Builder
Your ordering page should feel like part of your restaurant. Ordentino Web Builder lets you design the site around it using Ordentino templates. Start with a layout and use the available settings to make it suit your business.
Your home page can reflect your restaurant from the start. Guests use the ordering page to see your menu, choose dishes and place an order.
You don’t need an existing restaurant website. You can start with your Ordentino ordering page and use a template for the site around it.
Design and integration do different jobs
Web Builder shapes the site around your Ordentino ordering page. The Cart API connects ordering to your existing website. A link takes guests from one page to another.
You can combine these options. For example, link from your restaurant website to your ordering page and use Ordentino templates for the site that goes with it.
What does my ordering page’s web address tell guests?
The web address tells guests where to find the page. The design and content are separate choices.
An Ordentino ordering page can use an address such as mein-restaurant.ordentino.de. With Classico you can connect a domain you already own, for an address such as bestellen.mein-restaurant.de.
Your ordering page is still where guests order. Changing its address doesn’t create a separate restaurant website. The design shapes how the page looks and the content determines what guests learn about your business.
Which option suits your restaurant?
I don’t have a website yet and want to take orders.
Start with an Ordentino ordering page. Guests can open it from your order link. You can build out your site later if you want to tell people more about your restaurant.
I already have a website and want to keep it.
Add a prominent order button linking to your Ordentino ordering page. If you’d like ordering to feel more integrated, we can discuss connecting it through the Cart API.
I want the ordering page to feel more like my restaurant.
Use Ordentino Web Builder and the available Ordentino templates to design the site around your ordering page.
I want to introduce my restaurant and let guests order.
Use your restaurant website to show what makes your business special and give guests a clear way to order. An order link or a technical integration can connect the two.
How PizzaMaXXL does it
PizzaMaXXL has its own restaurant website and a separate Ordentino ordering page. A link takes guests from the website straight to ordering, so the two work together.
PizzaMaXXL’s ordering page takes real orders. Use our demo if you just want to try the experience.
Try ordering in the demo (opens in a new tab)What’s included in my plan?
Pronto and Classico both include an ordering page with an Ordentino address. You can link to it from your existing website. See the current plan comparison for everything else included.
If you’re interested in a Cart API integration or designing with Web Builder, we’ll talk through what you need. We’ll clarify the technical work and the design support involved.
Frequently asked questions about ordering pages and restaurant websites
What’s the difference between an ordering page and a restaurant website?
A restaurant website introduces your business: the food, atmosphere, team and practical information for a visit. An ordering page lets guests choose dishes, add them to a basket and place an order. Your online presence can do both.
Is an ordering page the same as a digital menu?
Some digital menus simply show dishes and prices, as a PDF or on your website. On an ordering page, guests can also add what they’ve chosen to a basket and place an order.
Do I need a restaurant website to start using Ordentino?
No. You can start with an Ordentino ordering page and share its link with guests. A restaurant website is useful if you want to show more of what your business has to offer.
Can I keep my existing website?
Yes. You can link from your current site to your Ordentino ordering page. If you’d like guests to choose dishes on your site, ask about the Cart API. We’ll look at your website together to see what’s possible.
What’s the difference between an order button and integrated ordering?
An order button takes guests to the ordering page before they choose dishes. With the Cart API integration, they choose on your website first and take their basket to the ordering page to complete the order.
What is a Cart API?
A Cart API is a technical interface. It connects the menu choices and basket on your website to checkout on Ordentino. If you’d like this option, we’ll clarify access and implementation with you and, if needed, your agency.
What does Ordentino Web Builder do?
Ordentino Web Builder lets you use Ordentino templates for the site around your ordering page, so it can reflect your restaurant. The changes you can make depend on the available templates and features.
Can I use Web Builder and keep my existing website?
Yes. Your restaurant website can link to your Ordentino ordering page while you use templates for the site that goes with it. Your existing website introduces the business and the ordering page takes orders. There’s no need to replace your website.
Do I need two websites or two domains?
No. Introducing your restaurant and taking online orders are two jobs you can bring together. Whether you use a separate ordering page or integrate ordering into your site depends on the option you choose. You don’t necessarily need two domains of your own.
Is my own domain the same thing as a restaurant website?
No. A domain is the web address. What guests can see and do there depends on the content and features. An ordering page with your own domain is still an ordering page. The information you publish is what introduces your restaurant.
Do guests have to pay online when they order online?
No. Ordering and paying are separate. The payment methods you can offer depend on your plan and settings. Guests can order online and pay on collection or delivery if you offer those options.
Can guests use my ordering page as an app?
Yes, if their device and browser support installation. Guests can add the ordering page to their home screen and open it from the app icon next time. Installation is optional. They can still order in the browser.
Learn about the ordering appWhich option works for your website?
Tell us whether you already have a website and how you’d like guests to order. We’ll work out how to use Ordentino alongside what you have. If you’d like to design the site around your ordering page, we can discuss suitable templates too.
Compare plans and features