7 BentoBox Alternatives and Competitors for 2025

I'll walk you through BentoBox alternatives to help you find the perfect restaurant marketing tool for your needs.

8 min read
February 12, 2025

Key takeaways

  • BentoBox may not be the best fit if you’re looking for a lot of customization and online ordering options. 
  • When choosing the right tool, focus on those that align with your needs, like customization or making your day-to-day easier. 
  • Alternatives like Toast and Square offer more add-on features and customization. 
  • Tools like ChowNow and Owner.com are stronger options for online ordering without extra fees.

BentoBox is a favorite for upscale and dine-in restaurants wanting a polished online presence—but does it have the features you need to grow your business?

BentoBox isn’t a perfect fit for everyone. If you want online ordering, you have to pay extra or miss out on those sales. This can be tough on your budget, especially if takeout and delivery are important for your business. And they also don’t have a branded mobile app even though they can boost repeat orders by 112%

The good news? There are other options out there that might work better for your goals. In this guide, I’ll share some great BentoBox alternatives that could be just what you’re looking for.

Why do customers leave BentoBox?

BentoBox is a great pick if you’re looking for a stylish, high-end, and professional website for your restaurant. But sometimes, it doesn’t check all the boxes.

Some users feel that while BentoBox looks good, it falls short on important features—or makes you pay extra for them. And, they lack features that help rebuild your website for conversions and search engine optimization (SEO). 

Here’s why some restaurant owners decide to switch from BentoBox:

  • Limited customization: BentoBox templates look nice, but they don’t offer much flexibility. If you need your website to match your unique style or handle specific needs, you might find this option too restrictive.
  • Better for fancy spots: BentoBox works best for upscale restaurants. If you run a casual café, diner or food truck, it might not offer enough value for the price. Its extra features can also get expensive for smaller businesses.
  • Ideal for dine-in: Many of Bentobox’s features cater to dine-in restaurants, like contactless in-person ordering and table management systems. So, quick-service restaurants don’t benefit as much as they could from other tools. 

If this doesn’t sound like the right fit for you, I’ll show you some of my top BentoBox alternatives in the next section. 

1. Owner.com for increasing quick-service restaurant sales   

If you’re looking to grow your sales profitably and you’re a casual and quick-service restaurant, Owner.com is the perfect choice. Owner.com’s website builder has been designed to help you increase your online sales. We’ve found that customers who use Owner.com see more than a 2x boost in their orders compared to similar platforms. 

However, we are a premium option, so it may not be the most budget-friendly option if you’re a newer restaurant just starting out. Our design options are also less flexible since we test and optimize for turning your visitors into new customers.

Owner.com vs BentoBox

Plus, Owner.com can help you save on those third-party app fees. We do this by getting more of your customers excited to order directly from your website instead of using apps like DoorDash. 

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Key features:

  • SEO features to help you rank 
  • Online ordering system with no commission fees 
  • Offers a branded mobile app which can help you earn 85% more reorders
  • Loyalty program to keep customers coming back  
  • Automatic marketing through text and email 

Where it falls short:

  • Limited design customization 
  • Not a wide range of integrations

How it stacks up to BentoBox: Owner.com is a stronger option for growing direct online orders. However, because Owner.com focuses on conversion, there isn’t the same amount of customization available. 

Real customer reviews for Owner.com

Category Rating
Overall 4.9
Ease of Use 4.9
Customer Service 4.9
Features 4.8
Value for Money 4.8
Rating source

2. Clover for customization options

If you’re looking for a restaurant platform that can do more than just build a pretty website, Clover might be right up your alley. It’s a customizable POS system that’s perfect for tailoring your operations to fit your restaurant’s unique needs. 

Clover gives you tools to handle everything from payment processing to employee schedules. While BentoBox focuses on sleek design and marketing, Clover steps in to help you run the day-to-day more efficiently.

Key features:

  • Inventory management 
  • Customizable POS
  • Accepts many payment options 
  • Flexible hardware options 
  • Sleek design 
  • Manage orders from anywhere

Where it falls short:

  • Customer support 
  • Can be glitchy at times 

How it stacks up to BentoBox: Clover offers a more robust POS, so if you’re looking to use those features, Clover may be the better choice. You can also pair BentoBox with Clover for a more rounded-out marketing tool. 

Real customer reviews for Clover

Category Rating
Overall 3.8
Ease of Use 4.0
Customer Service 3.2
Features 3.8
Value for Money 3.4
Rating source

3. Toast for new or small restaurants

If you’re running a new or small restaurant, Toast might be your go-to. It’s a cloud-based system that gives you the basics and plenty of extras to grow as you do. If you’re just starting out, it’s great because you can take advantage of their free plan to see if it’s a good fit first. 

Toast vs BentoBox

However, Toast charges extra for add-ons like mobile order and pay, loyalty programs and payroll features. So, customizing it with all the bells and whistles can get pricey, which might not be ideal for tight budgets.

Key features:

  • Cloud-based 
  • Wide range of add-ons and additional features
  • Tableside ordering and checkout 
  • Basic online ordering feature 
  • Notification updates for inventory levels 

Where it falls short:

  • Most features and add-ons come at a price, so customizing this tool can become pricey 
  • Doesn’t pair well with other tools 
  • Not as easy to use as other platforms, according to reviews 

How it stacks up to BentoBox: Toast’s POS features, tableside ordering and inventory tracking make it perfect for small or new restaurants that need help running smoothly day to day. If operations are your main focus, Toast might be the better fit.

Real customer reviews for Toast

Category Rating
Overall 4.2
Ease of Use 4.2
Customer Service 3.7
Features 4.1
Value for Money 3.9
Rating source

4. Square for retail 

If your restaurant also sells merchandise or specialty products, Square might be just what you need. It’s built to help restaurants with retail spaces manage both sides of the business easily.

Square vs BentoBox

Plus, Square offers a free plan with solid features like online ordering, so you can give it a test drive before committing. I also like that it has more hardware options than BentoBox, which is another reason why this tool fits really well with retail stores. 

Another benefit of Square is that it doesn’t require a long-term contract like BentoBox does, which is ideal if you want to try the tool out first. 

Key features:

  • Menu management 
  • POS
  • Online ordering
  • Personalized add-on recommendations 
  • Integrates well with other products like Owner.com

Where it falls short:

  • Website builder templates are on the generic side, so not great for restaurants that want something fancy 
  • Not highly customizable like tools such as Clover  

How it stacks up to BentoBox: Square stands out as a practical alternative to BentoBox, especially for restaurants with a retail side hustle. I’d recommend it if you want a POS system and don’t want to be locked into a long-term contract. 

Real customer reviews for Square

Category Rating
Overall 4.7
Ease of Use 4.6
Customer Service 4.4
Features 4.5
Value for Money 4.6
Rating source

5. Popmenu for dine-in restaurants

If your restaurant thrives on dine-in experiences, Popmenu could be a great fit. I like this tool because it’s designed with dine-in operations in mind, offering a mix of features that cater to customer engagement and front-of-house efficiency. 

While it shares some similarities with BentoBox in terms of design appeal, Popmenu is a competitor that adds a few extra tools that make it stand out—especially if you want to connect better with guests during their visit.

Key features:

  • Connects well with third-party software 
  • Attractive web designs 
  • Unique front-of-house features
  • Offers SMS marketing 

Where it falls short:

  • It is not the best for direct online orders since that feature is clunky and not user-friendly 
  • Doesn’t have a custom mobile app 
  • Requires long-term contracts 

How it stacks up to BentoBox: Popmenu stands out for dine-in restaurants. It offers front-of-house and SMS marketing tools to help you connect with guests and keep them coming back.

Real customer reviews for Popmenu

Popmenu has few online reviews available, so we can’t provide a breakdown by category (ease of use, value, etc.). I recommend a free trial before committing to the full product or looking at Reddit reviews. 

6. ChowNow for a third-party app alternative

If you’re over third-party apps cutting into your profits with endless commission fees, let me introduce you to ChowNow. It’s like DoorDash but without the constant drain on your bottom line. ChowNow charges a simple monthly fee and is a straightforward way to offer online ordering.

ChowNow vs BentoBox

I also like Chownow, which is better for casual restaurants since its website is less customizable than BentoBox. 

Key features:

  • Sync your menu to sales channels 
  • Automatic email marketing 
  • Loyalty program add-on

Where it falls short:

  • The website templates are pretty bare-bones, so if you want a site that really wows, you might feel a bit let down. 
  • No SMS marketing or upsell features, which can be a dealbreaker if those are key parts of your strategy.

How it stacks up to BentoBox: ChowNow focuses on helping restaurants with online ordering without the hidden costs of commission-based apps.

Real customer reviews for Chownow

Category Rating
Overall 4.0
Ease of Use 4.7
Customer Service 3.5
Features 3.7
Value for Money 4.3
Rating source

7. TouchBistro for front-of-house

If keeping your front-of-house running smoothly is your main goal, I’d recommend TouchBistro. It’s made by restaurant people for restaurant people, so it’s easy to use and helps with everyday tasks.

TouchBistro vs BentoBox

TouchBistro works well for restaurants with more than one location. It allows you to quickly update your menus and has built-in tools, so you don’t need extra apps to manage things.

Key features:

  • Online ordering 
  • Reservation management 
  • Menu customization 
  • Tableside ordering 

Where it falls short:

  • Customer support can be tricky to reach 
  • Contract-only service, so you’re locked in 

How it stacks up to BentoBox: Compared to BentoBox, TouchBistro focuses more on running your restaurant than just looking good online. It has built-in tools for online ordering and reservations, so you don’t need extra services. This can save you time and money.

Real customer reviews for TouchBistro

Category Rating
Overall 3.9
Ease of Use 4.7
Customer Service 3.5
Features 3.7
Value for Money 4.3
Rating source

Build your online presence with Owner.com

Choosing the right tool to help run your restaurant can save you a lot of time and money. BentoBox may be a good choice if you’re looking for more complex design needs, but the alternatives I covered above may be better for needs like online ordering and POS capabilities. 

If you’re looking to boost your online ordering efforts, consider Owner.com. Try our free demo today and see how we can help you reach your goals. 

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Co-founder, CEO of Owner

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Adam Guild — Co-founder, CEO of Owner