Connect your hospitality POS system to your website (explained simply)

You probably recognize this: you have a website with online ordering, but at the register you still do everything twice. Update the menu on the site and in the POS. Change prices in two places. And when an online order comes in, someone still has to retype it or manually create a ticket.

That seems manageable, until you hit a busy weekend, a public holiday, or sudden patio weather. Then you get pricing mistakes, orders landing in the wrong place in the kitchen, or you miss orders entirely. And you end up managing stress instead of running your business.

This checklist is intentionally neutral (no brand pushing): you get 3 routes to choose from, plus the areas that almost always go wrong in practice (menu sync, payments, ticket flow, and tracking). In 10 minutes you will know which integration fits your hospitality business and which questions to ask your POS vendor or website builder.

What do we mean by “connecting your POS to your website”?

An integration simply means your website and your POS system exchange data, so there is less manual work and fewer mistakes.

3 integration levels (basic, good, ideal)

1) Basic

Online orders come in (for example by email or as a separate notification).
You or your team still enters it manually in the POS or manually creates a ticket.
It works, but when it is busy this is asking for misunderstandings.

2) Good

The online order automatically arrives as an order in your POS system.
Your kitchen ticket or kitchen display gets it immediately.
No copy-pasting or retyping.

3) Ideal

Menu, prices, options, and VAT are correct once and stay consistent between the website and the POS.
Opening hours and pickup or delivery times stay in sync.
Payments and reports add up without having to puzzle things out.
You can measure which actions on your website actually generate orders (useful if you advertise).

What data goes back and forth?

In practice it is usually about:

Products: dishes, drinks, menus, set packages.
Prices: including promos like a “weekend special” or “Tuesday pizza night”.
VAT: important for your bookkeeping (and to avoid headaches later).
Options and add-ons: “no onions”, “extra sauce”, “gluten-free”, “medium or large”.
Pickup and delivery times: when people can order and when you will have it ready.
Payments: paid online or pay at pickup/at the table.

When is “no integration” still okay?

Sometimes no integration is fine, for example if:

you have a small menu that rarely changes,
you have few online orders and it is mostly extra revenue,
you only do reservations via the website.

But as soon as your menu changes often, you have lots of add-ons, or online revenue becomes serious, you will feel the downsides.

The most common routes (so you can choose faster)

There are roughly three approaches. Think mainly in terms of: who manages the menu, and where does the order arrive.

Route 1: a website with online ordering from your POS vendor

This is the most straightforward path.

Your POS vendor provides online ordering as part of the system.
Orders often come in correctly and directly to the right place (bar/kitchen).

Downside: you are sometimes limited by what your POS vendor offers in terms of design or flexibility.

Route 2: a website with an ordering platform that pushes orders into your POS

Your website uses an ordering system that sends orders through to your POS.

Advantage: often flexible and relatively quick to launch.
Useful if your website matters for your brand (your own photos, promotions, and tone of voice).

Downside: you have more parties involved. If something breaks, it may be unclear who will fix it.

Route 3: a custom integration (only if you truly need something special)

This is for exceptions, such as:

multiple locations with 1 central kitchen,
complex menus with many rules,
special promotions per neighborhood or per time slot,
or if your POS is limited but you still want a tight process.

Advantage: exactly the way you want it.

Downside: more expensive, and you need clear agreements on management and support.

Quick decision help: which route fits a cafe, restaurant, or takeaway?

Cafe (simple menu, lots of “at the bar”): often route 1 or 2. Pay extra attention to this: do drinks arrive at the bar and food in the kitchen?
Restaurant (many options, allergens, menu deals): route 1 if your POS supports this well, otherwise route 2 with extra attention to options and kitchen tickets.
Takeaway and delivery (high volume, peaks in short windows): route 1 or 2, but you really have to test peak hours. Route 3 only if your model is complex.

The integration checklist (what you should tick off before you start)

This is the part that often gets skipped. And that is exactly where extra costs and stress show up later.

Menu and prices: who is the source of truth?

Make one choice and document it:

The POS is the source of truth: you update your menu in the POS, the website follows automatically.
The website is the source of truth: you update it on the website, the POS follows.

If nobody owns it, you end up with two menus that are almost, but not quite, the same. You will always notice it at the worst possible moment.

Product structure: options, add-ons, menu deals (where it often goes wrong)

This is where things often fail:

Duplicate or slightly different names: “croquette on bread” vs “croquette sandwich”.
Add-ons that are unclear for the kitchen: “extra spicy”, but what should the kitchen actually do?
Deals that look great on the website, but enter the POS as separate lines without logic.

Real-world example: a promo like “second pizza half price” works on the website, but the discount does not carry over to the POS receipt. Result: a discussion at the counter. You want to catch that before launch, not on a Friday night.

Order flow: where does the ticket arrive?

Decide upfront:

Do drinks go to the bar and food to the kitchen?
To a printer or a kitchen display?
What do you see for pickup: name, time, notes, and payment status?

Payments: pay online vs pay at pickup/at the table

Make a clear choice:

Pay online: fewer no-shows and faster checkout at the counter. Helpful during pickup rushes.
Pay at pickup: lower friction, but you will see more orders that never get picked up.
Pay at the table: fine, but make sure your team understands how it comes in.

Also check: do you want tipping options, and how does that show up in your reports?

Opening hours and delivery times: automatic stop when closed

Nothing is more annoying than accepting orders when the kitchen is already closed.

Check:

can your website automatically close outside opening hours?
can you configure pickup and delivery separately?
can you quickly manage holidays and exceptions?

Going into busy periods (December, vacation weeks, sunny weekends), this is extra important: you do not want your system to stay open while your team is already over capacity.

Tickets, VAT, and admin: what do you want to see in reports?

Ask yourself:

Do you want online orders as a separate category in your daily report?
Should delivery fees be visible separately?
Is VAT correct per product (drinks, food, pickup, delivery)?

Tracking: measure what works (Google/Meta) without hassle

If you spend money on marketing, you want to know what it returns. Practical questions:

Which page or promo generates orders?
Is it mainly coming from “pizza takeaway” or from “view menu”?
Which day and hour perform best?

This is often forgotten in integrations, even though it directly affects revenue.

Mini-check for busy periods: test peak hours and make a backup plan

Do this before you go live (and definitely before a busy weekend):

Test at a quiet time, but behave as if it is Saturday 7:00 PM.
Put someone in the kitchen, someone behind the bar, someone at the register.
Agree on this: what do we do if the internet goes down? And what do we do if the printer stops?

A backup can be simple:

temporarily pause ordering on the website,
spare paper roll and (if you use one) a spare printer,
1 emergency process: if it fails, we call the customer (number visible in the order) and create a manual ticket.

What does it cost and how much time will it take?

No exact numbers (because every business is different), but realistic expectations.

What are you paying for?

Costs usually fall into four buckets:

Monthly fees: online ordering and/or the integration.
One-time setup: menu, options, ticket flow.
Integration/module: sometimes included, sometimes separate.
Maintenance/support: who updates things and who fixes outages?

Timeline: fast live vs properly live

Fast live (1 to 2 weeks): if your menu is simple and your choices are clear.
Properly live (2 to 6 weeks): more realistic with many options, menu deals, multiple printers, or multiple pickup and delivery windows.

Always schedule a test moment with real test orders.

Hidden pitfalls that make it expensive

This often makes it more expensive than expected:

Product list in the POS is messy (duplicates, weird names, old promos).
Extra modules are needed (delivery zones, time slots, specific payment options).
Support outside office hours (and yes, hospitality issues happen in evenings and weekends).

Common mistakes (and how to prevent them)

Maintaining two menus (and nobody owns it)

Solution: agree on who owns the menu and where you manage it: POS or website.

Poor item names/options that force the kitchen to guess

Solution: make names concrete and test with the kitchen as if it is a real night.

No end-to-end test (from website to POS receipt)

Solution: do not only test “I can place an order”, also test: price, VAT, payment status, and whether it arrives in the right place.

No plan for internet outages or printer failures

Solution: 1 printed page with “what do we do if...” and spare supplies ready.

Frequently asked questions

Is this expensive?

It does not have to be expensive, but truly free is rare if you want it done properly. The payoff is usually fewer mistakes, less stress, and more orders you can actually handle during peak moments.

How much effort is it to manage?

If you choose one source of truth (POS or website) and your product structure is solid, ongoing management is manageable. Most of the work is upfront: cleaning everything up and testing well.

Can I do this myself or do I need help?

A simple business can do a lot on its own. Help is often useful for:

setting up options and deals cleanly,
ticket routing (bar/kitchen),
configuring tracking correctly.

What if my POS system does not support an integration?

Then you have roughly three options:

work without an integration (only smart if you are small and change little),
use a middle layer that can still push orders through,
switch to a POS system that supports this.

Can I keep my existing website and still integrate?

Yes, often you can. Usually you can add online ordering to your existing website and ensure orders land neatly in your POS. The main question is: which route fits the way you work?

Decide in 15 minutes: your mini-plan

Step 1: write down your must-haves

Write down what you truly need:

pickup only, or also delivery?
table ordering (QR) or not?
pay online or pay at pickup?
drinks to the bar and food to the kitchen?

Step 2: choose route 1/2/3

Want one responsible party and fast peace of mind? Often route 1.
Want flexibility with your own website and still push orders into your POS? Route 2.
Do you really have an exceptional situation? Only then route 3.

Step 3: 8 questions to ask

Can an online order automatically arrive as an order in the POS?
Do kitchen tickets arrive in the right place (bar/kitchen)?
Who manages the menu: POS or website?
How are options and add-ons passed through (and how does the kitchen see it)?
How does online payment work and how do I see it in my reports?
Can the system automatically stop outside opening hours?
What is the emergency plan if the internet goes down?
What are the one-time costs and monthly fees, and what help is included?

Step 4: test 3 orders before launch

Simple pickup order with online payment.
Order with add-ons and a note (no onions, extra sauce).
Order close to closing time (check whether the system stops properly).

Plan a free 30-minute consultation by book a free 30-minute consultation: we will review your POS system and the website features you want, and decide together which integration (route 1/2/3) makes the most sense, including a step-by-step plan and rough costs/timeline.