How to set up online ordering for a food truck, without a card reader
Customers scan a code at the window, order from their phone and pay the exact amount. How to set up ordering for a food truck or pop-up in an afternoon.
Utilica2 min read
A line at the window is good news until people give up and walk away. Letting customers order and pay from their own phone shortens the line, and it doesn't need a card reader or a tablet.
How it works at the window
- A QR code on the truck or a stand on the counter.
- The customer scans it and sees your menu with photos and prices.
- They add items, leave a note ("no cilantro"), and pay the exact total in the app they already use, or by card if you take cards.
- You see the order with a number, make it, and call the number.
What you need
- A menu page with every item, its price and a photo. Here's what a food truck page looks like.
- A QR code for your menu. Print it big enough to scan from the line: how to make one for a food truck menu.
- Your payment app usernames, so customers can pay you directly. Cards are optional.
- A way to see orders as they come in. On Utilica that's the orders screen on your phone, plus a buzz for each new order if you add the app to your home screen.
Things that make a truck run smoother
- Mark items sold out the moment you run out, so nobody pays for something you can't make.
- Pause orders when the kitchen is slammed, then switch back on.
- Say where you'll be. Trucks move, so list your stops and hours on the same page.
- Tell customers when it's ready. A "ready for pickup" message saves calling out names.
What it costs
Payments in payment apps cost nothing from us, and there's no hardware to buy. Cards are optional, with a small fee: see what it costs.
The fast way
Send us your menu and we'll build your ordering page for free, usually within 24 hours. You check it, accept it, and print the QR code.