Distinguishing the differences between ChowNow vs Olo vs Revolution Ordering is a must when searching for online ordering solutions. Maybe you manage an eatery that resides within a boutique resort, and you’re hoping to excel with the help of hotel in room dining. Or, perhaps your restaurant business attracts large parties, provoking a need for group ordering solutions. Either way, choosing to invest in POS integration features will be worthwhile.

But which restaurant tech provider should you partner with? There are several competing hospitality software companies within the current market. But in this blog, we’re going to outline ChowNow vs Olo vs Revolution Ordering. By the end, you should feel confident of which one will best suit your business.

ChowNow vs Olo vs Revolution Ordering: The Complete Breakdown

If you stumbled across this article, you’re likely searching for the key differences between ChowNow vs Olo vs Revolution Ordering. It can be an overwhelming process when you’re presented with a ton of features, pricing models, fees, and implementation plans. Hopefully, the three overviews below will help you during the decision-making process.

Understanding ChowNow’s Services In the Restaurant Industry

ChowNow is one of several Olo competitors that offers online ordering solutions. But they’re more than just order management tools. ChowNow offers a customizable and diverse selection of products that clients can choose from to scale their business.

Some features that ChowNow clients seem to enjoy include:

• Hotel room service functionalities with the help of delivery apps.
• They allow enterprises to design custom digital menus.
• ChowNow offers restaurant marketing and demand creation services.
• Similar to Revolution Ordering, they cater to small and medium-sized businesses.
• Clients can work with ChowNow to create custom packages, though there’s a possibility that these could lead to higher monthly costs and hidden fees.

Pro Tip: Always be mindful of providers that let you pick and choose low-cost features. They can add up rather quickly, and any sudden fluctuations can hinder your financial stability.

The Olo Brand and Key Characteristics

The chances of you already having some familiarity with Olo are quite strong. After all, they’re one of the biggest players in the game. However, this is mainly due to their clientele. Olo continuously works with large-scale restaurant franchises that are known on a global scale. However, their heavy focus on larger brands weakens their suitability for smaller entities.

Several points to be mindful of when pursuing a partnership with Olo include:

• Clients who use Olo can pick and choose which features they employ, but this is how the price breakdown becomes super granular.  
• Olo has the capabilities and API to accommodate the needs of enterprises with hundreds or thousands of units.
• Olo has a variety of gift card integrations that work seamlessly with their platform.
• The onboarding process, or as they call it “the deployment phase,” can cost a few thousand dollars a month. Meanwhile, it can take upward to five months for their team to design the menu and connect to your POS system.
• Unlike other Olo alternatives, the monthly fee that you pay once deployment ends can be hefty, even if you only own one or a few restaurants. As of May 2023, this fee was $1,000.
• If you operate a restaurant chain that already uses Olo but open more units, you’ll have to pay the same deployment fee of approximately $3,000 for those that aren’t fully integrated yet.
• If you’re using Dispatch to offer food delivery, there will be a fee for each order stacked onto the payment processing fee.
• In recent years, Olo clients have experienced massive increases in their monthly fees. As a result, many companies have begun searching for an Olo replacement.

A Head’s Up for Newer Entrepreneurs: The deployment phase of Olo partnerships can cost you a fortune depending on the timeline. If your funds are scarce or you’re new to the restaurant space, choosing Olo for online ordering solutions can be risky.

Revolution Ordering’s Most Groundbreaking Features

If you’re in need of solutions to boost online ordering for small restaurants, look no further than Revolution Ordering. With the help of a centralized dashboard, hospitality professionals can view all on and off-premise transactions in one place. This feature is a result of onboarding Connect, our marketplace order insertion tool.

But what makes Revolution Ordering so special? Here are just a handful of reasons why we stand out against other restaurant tech alternatives:

• Instead of charging several fees that can fluctuate, we offer a flat monthly rate for all our features. Regardless of your total number of units or the features you’re using the most, our payment structure makes it extremely easy to budget expenses.
• Small to medium-sized enterprises make up a large portion of our client base. Sure, we can accommodate massive franchises when they come our way, but we pride ourselves on being able to assist smaller brands, too.
• Our solutions consist of zero POS hardware devices. By using cloud technology to keep all information and features in one place, operations can be much simpler for your staff.
• We provide our clients with a high-level overview of their multi-unit enterprise as well as the industry. With business intelligence functionalities, this feature is a game-changer when planning strategic efforts.
• With clients spanning the entire hospitality space, we have offerings for multiple business types. From in room dining for hotels to pickleball restaurants, we assist everyone.
• Our multi-pay feature makes  group dining a breeze. Collecting transactions can be one of the most tedious parts of dining with a large group, but we allow you to manage such operations rather efficiently.
• We’re super flexible when it comes to POS system integrations. We integrate with several POS partners, but if you don’t see yours anywhere on our site, don’t worry! Let us know which one you use, and we’ll look into making it work!
• The Revolution Ordering customer service team is available 24/7! That’s right–if you’re ever in need of assistance, someone will be accessible via phone or email to help you out.

Let’s Chat! From flat monthly rates to a complete 360-degree customer profile view, we offer it all. Schedule a demo today to learn how we can help level up your business!

Frequently Asked Questions About ChowNow vs Olo

When you compare ChowNow vs Olo vs Revolution Ordering, you may find that there are similarities as well as distinct differences. After all, all three brands are competing with one another, among several others. As you’re conducting research for your upcoming investment, it’s crucial that you understand all there is to know about each of your options. Below, you’ll find a handful of commonly asked questions and answers that might address some more of your inquiries. Have a look!

Between Olo vs ChowNow, Which Is Better?

If you’re deciding between ChowNow vs Olo, it really depends on your brand. But generally speaking, Olo tends to be suitable for massive franchises. Meanwhile, ChowNow offers very customizable packages that can accommodate smaller enterprises. However, if you’re looking for flat rates and a simple pricing model, it might be worth looking into Revolution Ordering.

Who Competes With Olo?

Some of the leading brands within the industry that compete with Olo are:

• Revolution Ordering
• ChowNow
• Chowly
• Aloha
• Bentobox
• Lunchbox IO
• Owner
• Toast

Is DoorDash the Same As ChowNow?

No, DoorDash and ChowNow are not the same. DoorDash is one of several food delivery apps. ChowNow is a software provider that offers third-party app integrations. So in other words, restaurants may use ChowNow or one of its competitors to insert their digital menu into apps like DoorDash. Then, customers can place such orders through… you guessed it–DoorDash. The utilization of a platform like ChowNow allows all orders to roll into one place, which boosts efficiency and order accuracy.

What Kinds of Companies Use ChowNow?

Restaurants and other hospitality business models use ChowNow and its competitors. Most, if not all of these entities offer food and beverage services, which issues a need for online ordering tools. ChowNow and its rivals offer hospitality brands such resources. As a result, they allow them to scale their exposure and profitability.

How Popular Is ChowNow?

ChowNow is a fairly popular SaaS provider in the restaurant space. According to a recent report, ChowNow has a market share of 3.6 percent in the market of restaurant and hospitality tools. Within this category, there are about seventeen other competing software firms.

Begin Revolutionizing Your Business Today: Book a Demo!

The implementation of tech solutions is an investment of both time and money. If you’re interested in how Revolution Ordering can empower your business, click the “Book a Demo” button up top to schedule a call! Then, a team member will have the opportunity to walk you through the product and determine whether our platform is right for your business.