6 Popmenu Competitors To Consider (with Pros & Cons)

Popmenu is a great option for restaurants that want to focus on dine-in customers. They design attractive websites and help restaurants do marketing, but they fall short when it comes to growing your direct sales.

We’ll start with a quick overview of what kinds of restaurants should choose Popmenu. We’ll then discuss Popmenu competitors for restaurants that may not be a fit for their platform.

Just want a more attractive online presence? Choose Popmenu.

Popmenu creates great-looking websites for restaurants. They even help you with improving your photography.

Popmenu also helps you do marketing – like managing your social media, so you can post to major social networks straight from their platform.

If you already have a thriving business and just need to upgrade your website and socials, Popmenu could be a perfect choice.

However, Popmenu is missing a few key features for restaurants that want to grow direct online orders:

• Websites aren't optimized for sales. Some Popmenu alternatives below are focused on driving sales and converting website visitors into customers.
• No mobile app. This means that customers are more likely to use the delivery apps instead of ordering directly from you.
• No loyalty program. Without a rewards program, it’s harder to turn customers into regulars.

Heads up: Popmenu reviews you should know about

It also seems like customers that work with Popmenu end up regretting it, as seen by dozens of poor reviews across the internet. 

According to /u/peteytg on Reddit, "We were totally swindled out of thousands of dollars by Popmenu. They operated outside of a contract that had expired and literally made up the fees out of the blue."

Teague Kernan, owner of Tupelo in San Francisco, CA, says, "I highly recommend NOT using PopMenu. It’s basically a typical “bait and switch” company that makes promises they don’t keep."

Read on for Popmenu competitors that may be a better fit for your restaurant.

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Owner.com: The best Popmenu competitor for restaurants that want to grow sales

Owner.com is designed to help local restaurants increase their direct sales. 

It’s the only platform on this list that grows your customer base by getting more visitors to your website with SEO. 

This is the biggest difference when comparing Owner.com with Popmenu. Owner.com gives restaurant owners a website that's to grow your customer base. 

You also get an online ordering platform that converts like the best national chains. Owner.com uses the same tools and marketing strategies used by national chains like Domino's and Chick Fil-A.

Restaurants also switch to Owner.com from Popmenu because they need a custom mobile app for their restaurant. Customers today expect local restaurants to have their own app, and not having one means you’re giving away direct sales to the delivery apps.

Reviews for Owner.com are also very positive: customers have given it an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 on G2, which is like Yelp for software. You can read the reviews here.

Hear from restaurant owners who switched to Owner.com:

“Since we started using Owner 3 years ago, we’ve done over $2,000,000 in direct online sales and grown from 1 to 6 locations. It gives restaurants superpowers to succeed online,” say Mo and Omar, owners at Talkin Tacos.

Phillip Hang, owner at Sushi Me Rollin' also has great things to say. “Now that we’ve used Owner for 1 year, I can say confidently that it is the best technology in our restaurant. We’ve increased direct online sales by over $77,000 in the past 10 months alone.”

Here are the key features that make Owner.com the top choice for independent restaurant owners who want to drive sales:

• Convert more site visitors into customers: Owner.com is the only solution that optimizes your website for both traffic and conversion. Practically, it means that you can get 2 to 4 times more customers if you're using a site built with Owner.com.   
• Advanced SEO that gets you to the top of search results: Search engine optimization (SEO) helps you show on top of results when people search online. Unlike Popmenu, Owner.com handles this automatically, growing the number of people in your delivery area who find your website.
• Custom mobile app: Every restaurant using Owner.com gets their own custom mobile app, making it easy for people to re-order their favorites. You can even send push customers notifications about promos and discounts.  
• SMS and email marketing: Sending emails and texts every week can grow your revenue but it takes time. Owner.com regularly reminds people about your restaurant on your behalf and shares coupons to keep them coming back.‍
• Loyalty program: Owner.com's loyalty program is like having the Starbucks reward system for your restaurant. Your customers get points and better rewards for repeat orders.‍
• Free marketing resources: Customers won't use your online ordering system if they don't know about it. That's why Owner.com gives restaurants free physical marketing resources like fliers, posters, and table tents. 

If you want to increase your sales and save thousands on delivery fees, book a 20 minute demo of Owner.com here. 

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ChowNow: A good alternative to third party delivery apps 

ChowNow is like Doordash and Ubereats without the commission fees. You pay a monthly fee and in return, you can accept takeout orders either through the ChowNow app or a custom branded app.

ChowNow also helps you launch and promote your restaurant on Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor, Snapchat, and other sites. 

If you're tired of delivery app fees and just want a basic Popmenu alternative, ChowNow can be a great option. 

But it lacks key features that help grow your direct online sales – like a SEO and a loyalty program. These are key features that grow your customer base and help you turn customers into regulars.

Feature highlights

• App with no commission fee. 
• Option to build a custom branded app.
• Promote your restaurant on 20+ sites like Google, Yelp, Opentable and more. 
• Automatic email marketing. 

Cons 

• No loyalty program.
• No help with SEO. In fact, using ChowNow as your online ordering platform may hurt your website’s ability to appear at the top of search results.
• No option to optimize your website for more orders.
• Add ons like photoshoots and POS partners cost extra.

Menufy: For restaurants that want to test online delivery

If you're just starting out and cost is the number one decision making factor, you should consider Menufy. 

It gives you the ability to accept orders from customers both online and through the Menufy app. 

While the company markets its solution as free, you should be aware of certain fees.

The first one is an online order fee, which is paid by customers, but you have the option to pay it yourself instead. Second, the company charges a 12.5% fee for deliveries. Lastly, if you need email marketing, there's a separate monthly cost. 

Compared to our top pick, Owner.com, the experience for customers is dated – with few or no options to customize it according to your brand.   

Feature highlights

• Cheap way to start accepting online orders 
• You can get flyers to promote your business. 

Cons 

• No custom branded mobile app. 
• No SEO support so you'll have to work to make sure you show up when people search for food online. 
• The website template is very basic and isn't optimize to convert more of your visitors into customers. 

Slice: Built for pizza shops that want to start taking online orders

Slice is a platform made specifically for pizza shops that want an easy way to accept online orders. 

If you are just starting your pizza shop, they also offer a point of sale (or POS) solution. Other features include a custom website, automated email marketing, and a loyalty program.  

Some pizzeria owners also like Slice when getting started online, since they charge per order instead of a monthly fee.

However, like many options on this list, there is a big downside when it comes to growing direct sales. Orders take place on Slice's website rather than yours, which is great for their SEO but bad for yours. Practically, it means lower chances of your restaurant showing up when people search online. 

Feature highlights

• Built specifically for pizza shops
• Automated marketing 
• Option to manage your reviews 

Cons 

• Becomes expensive as you start scaling
• Doesn’t help your website SEO
• Restaurant websites aren't optimized to convert more visitors into customers

SpotHopper: For restaurants that don't do takeout

SpotHopper is a Popmenu competitor for high-end restaurants that don't do takeout. 

A big selling point is that they shoot a custom video and do a photoshoot for new customers. 

Unfortunately, the online ordering isn't as functional as other solutions on this list. 

Pricing is also a concern since Spothopper only does annual contracts. So if you want a solution with more flexibility, and feel like your vendor has to win your business every month, it's probably not a good fit. 

Feature highlights

• Photo shoot and video for your restaurant
• Don’t offer takeout
• Attractive websites
• POS integration

Cons 

• No custom branded mobile app
• Website isn't optimized to turn visitors into customers
• Only offers annual contracts

Sauce: For restaurants that just want no-commission delivery

Sauce is a delivery platform that helps you save on commission fees from Doordash, Uber Eats, and others. 

Similar to Owner.com, they charge a flat fee for each delivery order so your costs don't become higher with volume. 

However, Sauce lacks most of the features that other options offer. For example, it doesn't offer a custom website, mobile app, or automated email marketing. 

Feature highlights

• Zero commission fees 
• Option to use multiple delivery couriers
• Good customer and user experience
• They handle issues with payment, delivery, etc on behalf of the restaurant

Cons 

• SpotHopper doesn't offer a customized website 
• No custom branded mobile app
• No automatic email and SMS marketing 

Book a demo to see if Owner.com is the right choice for your independent restaurant

For local restaurants that want to grow direct sales, Owner.com is the best Popmenu competitor. 

Book a demo to see how these features can help grow your customer base:

• Advanced SEO that gets you to the top of Google
• Online ordering that gets 2-4X more orders compared to the average restaurant website
• Zero commission delivery
• Automatic email & SMS marketing that keeps you top of mind
• Your own branded mobile app
• Your own loyalty and rewards program
• Free marketing resources like flyers, posters, and table tents

Book a 20 minute demo with the Owner.com team here.