As third-party delivery apps like Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub continue to grow in popularity, restaurants are faced with the challenge of efficiently managing multiple platforms. Juggling several tablets and manually inputting orders into your POS system not only slows down your workflow but also increases the risk of errors. In this blog, we’ll explore the challenges of managing multiple delivery platforms and how integrating them with your POS can benefit you restaurant.
Challenges of Having Uber, DoorDash and Grubhub at Your Restaurant
The rise of third-party delivery platforms like Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub has opened up new revenue streams for restaurants. However, managing multiple delivery apps comes with significant challenges that can affect your operations, staff productivity, and even customer satisfaction. Below are some of the most common obstacles restaurants face when juggling multiple delivery apps.
Managing Multiple Tablets
Without an integration each third-party delivery app requires its own tablet, meaning restaurants that use Uber, DoorDash, Grubhub and other delivery apps often need to manage three or more devices simultaneously. This overload complicates workflows and requires staff to shift between different screens and systems to process incoming orders. The constant switching increases the risk of miscommunication, delayed orders, and missed tickets, which can lead to frustrated customers and unnecessary stress for your team.
Increased Order Errors
One of the major issues with managing multiple delivery apps independently is the increased potential for order errors. If there’s no integration between the apps and your POS, staff may have to manually enter delivery orders into the system. This not only eats up valuable time but also creates opportunities for errors that can disrupt reporting and lead to customer dissatisfaction, costly refunds, and negative reviews.
Complicated Menu Management
Managing menus across multiple delivery platforms without integration can be a time-consuming and error-prone process. Each time you update your menu—whether you’re removing a modifier that’s out of stock, adjusting prices, or adding specials—you have to make those changes manually on every individual delivery app tablet. This tedious process not only takes up valuable staff time but also increases the risk of inconsistencies between platforms. For instance, you might accidentally leave an unavailable dish on one platform, leading to customer frustration and canceled orders.
Solutions for Integrating Your POS System with Uber, DoorDash and Grubhub
When it comes to integrating Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub with your restaurant’s POS system, there are several solutions available, each with its own set of features. Many restaurants when just starting out choose to manually input delivery app orders into their POS. While this process can work for very low-order volumes, it quickly becomes inefficient as order numbers rise. The manual input of each order increases the risk of human error, including incorrect items, missed special instructions, or mistyped orders, which can lead to customer dissatisfaction and revenue loss. Additionally, this method requires staff to juggle multiple tablets and systems, adding complexity and slowing down order processing during peak hours. Below we’ll look at some alternatives to manually inputting orders.
Direct Integration with Delivery Platforms
Some POS systems offer direct integration with major delivery apps like Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub. In this setup, your POS connects directly to each delivery platform, allowing orders to flow into your POS system. This solution eliminates the need for the manual entry of orders, but since you don’t have a tablet with your delivery app controls it can be limiting in terms of functionality. This option is also not always available for every POS system or every delivery app, which can limit flexibility for restaurants using multiple platforms.
Third-Party Aggregators
A popular and highly effective solution for many restaurants is to use a third-party delivery aggregator, to manage multiple delivery apps through a single interface. Aggregators consolidate orders from Uber, DoorDash, Grubhub, and other online ordering platforms into one tablet and automatically send them to your POS. This provides a more flexible and scalable solution, as it allows you to manage all your delivery platforms in one place. With a third-party aggregator, restaurants also benefit from additional features like menu management, and consolidated reporting.
Cuboh is a top rated third-party aggregator. Differing from a direct integration Cuboh has a single tablet that allows you to manage all of your third-party delivery apps such as Uber, DoorDash, Grubhub. From the Cuboh tablet you can accept orders, see driver information, 86 menu items and more. This way you remain in control of your delivery operations.
Benefits of Integrating Your POS System with Uber, DoorDash and Grubhub Using a Third-Party Aggregator
Integrating third-party delivery platforms with your restaurant’s POS system through a third-party aggregator offers numerous benefits. This approach not only streamlines your operations but also enhances customer satisfaction.
Manage a Single Tablet
A third-party aggregator consolidates orders from multiple delivery platforms into a single interface, automatically sending them to your POS system. This means that instead of juggling multiple tablets, your staff can manage all incoming orders from one centralized dashboard.
This setup allows your team to focus on what matters—preparing and fulfilling orders quickly and accurately.
Streamlined Menu Management
One of the most time-saving benefits of using a third-party aggregator is the ability to sync your menu across all delivery platforms. Instead of manually updating each individual app whenever you make changes to your menu, an aggregator allows you to push updates to all platforms simultaneously with a single click. This reduces the risk of errors like displaying unavailable items. Whether you’re adjusting prices, adding seasonal items, or marking dishes as unavailable, you can do it all efficiently from one place.
Consolidated Reporting and Analytics
Aggregators such as Cuboh also offer consolidated reporting, allowing you to track and analyze your delivery app performance across platforms. You can view key metrics such as gross sales and average order volume, giving you valuable insights into how your delivery operations are performing as well as how your delivery apps compare against each other. This level of visibility helps you to better manage costs, identify trends, and uncover opportunities to boost profitability.
Improved Customer Experience
Using a third-party aggregator enhances the customer experience by speeding up order processing and reducing the likelihood of mistakes. Faster, more accurate orders lead to happier customers, which in turn can increase repeat business and improve your restaurant’s reputation on delivery platforms.
Additionally, by using real-time menu syncing, you avoid the disappointment of customers ordering items that are no longer available. Aggregators also allow for better communication between the restaurant and the customer, ensuring that any special requests are accurately communicated to the kitchen, which improves satisfaction and loyalty.
Higher Delivery App Rankings
Certain third-party aggregators, such as Cuboh, have an auto-accept feature that not only allows you to bypass manually accepting orders but also improves your delivery app ranking, showing you to more potential customers. For example, Cuboh’s delivery app integration auto-accepts all orders in 0.1 seconds, when delivery apps see this fast accept time they prioritize your listing, therefore ranking your restaurant higher.
How to Get Started with a Third-Party Aggregator
Getting started with a third-party aggregator like Cuboh is a simple process that can drastically improve your restaurant’s delivery operations.
Cuboh connects seamlessly with most POS systems and major third-party delivery apps like Uber, DoorDash, Grubhub and more. You can see all of Cuboh’s integrations here. If you’re interested in learning more about how Cuboh can integrate your POS with delivery apps, book a demo here to get your questions answered.