New Release: Order Queuing

Automatic order queuing is in place! If your kitchen ends up swamped or you just need more control over the order flow, you can now assign interval limits. For example, you can decide that you only want to allow 5 orders every 6 minutes. Additionally, if you let customers place orders in advance, you can set the start time for the intervals, such as all orders can start being picked up at 11:30am.

Balancing Atmosphere and Convenience

A good little article about using technology in restaurant settings to balance aspects of being customer-friendly. How much can tech speed up the not-fun parts of the meal - like paying! - but not prevent the enjoyable parts of being served by helpful staff?

"When you really think about it, the entire, drawn-out ritual of paying for a meal is pretty silly."

Of course, at MetroORDER, we believe the website and online ordering should be an extension of your atmosphere, not an alternative.

Inside Scoop SF, Paolo Lucchesi, "Is the restaurant check payment system idiotic and obsolete?"

Can you be high touch AND high tech?

"The nation's restaurant industry – known for being "high touch and low tech" – must become more tech savvy or lose a future generation of technology-minded customers"

Dallas Morning News, Karen Robinson-Jacobs, "Industry experts say restaurants need more technology"

Minor Release

New features and fixes:

• Additional menu editing functionality: control all your option groups for customer editing
• Updated menu/price selection display styling possibilities
• Improved ordering options for flavors/sizes
  
• Checkout styling improvements
• Fax order transmission updates
• Late (post-midnight) closing times allowed
• Improved internet connection speed error trapping and application flow control
  

Minor Release

New features and fixes:

• Improved item title/price/description selection and order review layout options
• Ability to create menu items in "unpublished" state for temporary hiding from customers
  
• Performance improvement to manager area initial loading
  
• Improved popup modification layout options
  
• Ability to order multiple items with one click

Release: Menu Editing!

New interface lets you control Daily Specials and your entire Menu ordering system! More features forthcoming, but we're excited to have the basics of true self-controlled menu editing in place.

Independents Use Online Ordering to Compete

Feeling shut out by the Pizza Hut's and Chipotles and other larger chains that are successfully implementing technology solutions? You don't have to be a big operator nor drain your bank account to implement solutions like online ordering that can help you compete. (No, this isn't one of MetroORDER's customers, just a nice article.)

The investment in the system, however, allows Mamma Mia’s to compete with larger, chain restaurants that offer similar services... “I think once people get the hang of it, this is going to be very popular in the future.”

WXII12, Pam Haynes, "Local Eatery Goes High-Tech To Compete With Larger Chains"