How to switch online ordering systems without losing orders

Updated 12 Nov 2026. This is a practical plan for any UK takeaway or restaurant changing ordering provider. Chefzi is one of the options, so where it matters we say what Chefzi does and does not do.

In short: switch in parallel, not in one night. Set up the new system while the old one keeps taking orders, test it with real orders, move your links and QR codes on a quiet day, then keep the old system alive until it has handled a full weekend with no orders, and cancel it in writing on the notice your contract requires.

1. Before you start: check what you can take with you

Our questions to ask an ordering provider guide has the exit questions to put to both your old and new supplier. If you are leaving delivery apps rather than a direct ordering provider, check the notice terms in the Just Eat and Deliveroo guides.

2. Set up the new system alongside the old

1. Build the menu in the new system and compare every price against the old one line by line.
2. Match the hours and delivery zones. Set collection and delivery hours, notice and zones to exactly what the old system uses.
3. Connect card payments if you take them, and place a small test order of your own.
4. Set up order alerts on the device that will ring in the kitchen. Test with the volume up and a second person in the kitchen.
5. Print and read a test ticket so staff recognise the layout before the first real order.

With Chefzi, we set up your menu with you on a short call and aim to have you live in 24 to 48 hours. Your site can run on a Chefzi address while you set up, before it moves to your own domain, so the old site keeps working until you are ready. Card payments are on the Plus and Pro plans, through Stripe Connect, Square, Worldpay or PayPal.

3. Test with real orders

• Place one collection and one delivery order from your own phone and check what the kitchen sees.
• Ask a regular to place one and tell you what they noticed.
• Check allergen information and notes appear on the ticket. See the allergen information guide.
• Test what happens when the device is offline. With Chefzi, the app rings until someone accepts or rejects, and if the device is offline Chefzi texts the restaurant and then calls.

4. Pick a quiet day and cut over

1. Choose a Tuesday or Wednesday, not a Friday, and not the week of a holiday.
2. Change your links in one sitting: your website's order button, your Google Business Profile "Order online" link, your Instagram and Facebook bios and any QR codes. See adding your Order online link to Google.
3. Replace printed QR codes and leaflets over the next few days, since old ones will still be in people's pockets. Our QR code order kit makes new posters and table cards.
4. Tell regulars by SMS, email or social, in a short message: "We have a new ordering page, same menu."
5. Leave the old system on, and watch it. Do not delete it yet.

5. Keep a safety net for a week

• Keep the old system active for at least a full weekend after the cutover, because that is where forgotten links turn up.
• Check the old system's orders each day. If one arrives, find the link that still points to it and fix it.
• Keep your phone number on the website so customers can still reach you.
• Check Google's search result for your restaurant. Old links on listing sites and old social posts are the usual culprits.

6. Cancel the old system on notice

1. Read the contract for the notice period and any equipment return.
2. Give notice in writing and keep a copy.
3. Export your data before the account closes: menu, order history and any customer list.
4. Return any leased equipment and keep proof of return.
5. Cancel any separate card terminal or domain services you no longer need.

Moving from a specific provider?

• GloriaFood: closes on 30 April 2027. Chefzi moves your GloriaFood menu for you at no charge. See migrate from GloriaFood.
• Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats: these stay in place for new customers while you move regulars to your own site. Chefzi helps you do that, but orders placed on those apps still pay those apps' commission. See moving customers from Just Eat to your website.
• Another direct ordering provider: see the alternatives pages, for example My Orders, Dinerly and Food Now.

What Chefzi costs while you switch

Starter £12 a month (£9 billed annually), Plus £22 (£19) and Pro £49 (£39), per location, excluding VAT, with 0% commission, no setup fee and the first month free with no credit card needed. That free month gives you time to run both systems side by side. See pricing.

Sources

• Chefzi facts and pricing, chefzi.co.uk, read 12 Nov 2026.
• ICO direct marketing guidance, ico.org.uk.