Lucky for restaurant owners, we live in an age of apps and tools and great technology that help streamline operations. The hard part isn’t necessarily running loyalty programs, handling delivery, and staying on top of marketing; it’s deciding which of the hundreds of programs available to use. Decision factors include cost, ease of use, how it may or may not communicate with your POS system, etc.
This guide breaks down this year’s most popular apps and tools for restaurant loyalty programs, delivery, and marketing.
Best Restaurant Loyalty Programs in 2025
A good loyalty program helps create restaurant regulars. The tricky part is choosing a system that fits naturally into your service flow without slowing down your staff or confusing guests.
Toast Loyalty
The Good: Toast’s built-in loyalty system is popular because it lives inside a POS that many restaurants already use. Guests can enroll right at checkout by entering a phone number, which keeps the experience fast. The biggest advantage is simplicity: everything is tied to existing guest profiles, reporting, and online ordering.
The Not So Good: Toast struggles with customization. If you’re hoping to offer experience-based rewards (exclusive tastings, early tickets to special events, etc.), Toast’s structure can feel limited.
Who it’s good for: Toast is great for fast-casual and counter-service restaurants where speed is important, and staff don’t have time for complicated systems.
Square Loyalty
The Good: Square’s loyalty tool is incredibly user-friendly for restaurant owners and for their guests. Customers earn points automatically and receive rewards through email or text.
The Not So Good: Square’s downside is that the program can get pricey as your customer base grows. Larger restaurants with higher average tickets sometimes outgrow it or need more advanced segmentation.
Who it’s good for: Square is ideal for a coffee shop, bakery, or grab-and-go café where customers visit often and want simple, consistent perks.
Belly, FiveStars, and Thanx
The Good: Platforms like Belly (revived), FiveStars, and Thanx specialize in branded loyalty experiences. They offer gorgeous mobile apps, branded rewards portals, and robust customer data. Thanx, for example, syncs with credit cards directly so guests automatically earn points without scanning anything.
The Not So Good: These premium systems cost more and often require a dedicated marketing plan to fully benefit from the features.
Who they’re good for: They fit best with multi-location restaurants or independent restaurants that prioritize storytelling, experience design, and long-term guest relationships.
Top Delivery Platforms for Restaurants in 2025
Delivery platforms occupy a complicated space in restaurant life. They bring in orders, but the commission fees bite into margins. The key is understanding what each platform does best and how to structure your menu and pricing so you’re not losing money.
Did you know that we offer free setup of online ordering systems for your restaurant’s website when you choose a website package? We’ll handle the setup of your online ordering system settings, menu upload, and import any food photography that you would like to use. We’ll also update it for you at any time. Learn more about this service we offer to our clients here.
DoorDash
The Good: DoorDash remains the largest platform in the U.S., which means visibility is high. It’s often the first app customers open when deciding what to order. Restaurants appreciate its reach and speed.
The Not So Good: Fees can be steep unless you negotiate or adjust pricing.
Who it’s best for: DoorDash is best for restaurants in urban areas or tourist towns, where the volume of potential customers is high. Many restaurants use it primarily as a discovery tool, as guests find them on DoorDash and eventually become dine-in customers.
Uber Eats
The Good: Uber Eats has a strong brand and excellent delivery logistics. It typically attracts younger guests, travelers, and people who already rely on Uber for transportation.
The Not So Good: Customer service disputes can be frustrating, especially when issues that aren’t your fault impact your ratings.
Who it’s good for: Restaurants that lean on speed (quick-service, poke, sushi, salad, bowls) often find Uber’s logistics make food quality more reliable on arrival.
Grubhub
The Good: Grubhub works well for restaurants with loyal communities or late-night traffic, as it has historically catered to those markets.
The Not So Good: Restaurants sometimes report lower order volume compared to DoorDash or Uber Eats.
Who it’s good for: Grubhub tends to perform better in college towns, East Coast cities, and areas where it has longstanding partnerships.
First-Party Ordering (Flipdish, ChowNow, Olo)
A growing number of restaurants are shifting to first-party ordering, which is an online ordering system that sends orders straight to your POS without a marketplace fee. Platforms like ChowNow, Flipdish, and Olo make this process easy and help restaurants reclaim more margin.
Who they’re good for: These work best for restaurants with strong followings, recognizable names, or highly repeatable takeout business. You need customer awareness to drive traffic to your own site, but the savings can be significant.
Best Restaurant Marketing Software in 2025
The best platform for your restaurant will support your existing workflow and help you stay connected with guests.
Email Marketing: Mailchimp and Constant Contact
Mailchimp and Constant Contact remain popular choices for restaurant email marketing. Mailchimp offers stronger design tools, while Constant Contact is more beginner-friendly and better for frequent updates like weekly specials.
Both allow you to upload your guest list, send steady updates, and automate birthday or welcome messages. Restaurants that host events, tastings, or seasonal menus often benefit most.
Check with your website platform as well, as many, like Squarespace and Wix, offer built-in email clients. If you’re using something else, like Webflow (what we use to build restaurant websites) or WordPress, reach out, because we can help you get something set up.
SMS Marketing: Mobiniti, TextMagic, and Toast Text
Text marketing works best for urgent, time-sensitive messages like: “We have fresh oysters tonight,” “Tomahawk special until sold out,” or “New brunch menu drops this weekend.”
Mobiniti and TextMagic are designed for straightforward text campaigns. Toast offers integrated text messaging that connects to guest profiles, which is helpful for loyalty-driven restaurants.
SMS is incredibly powerful, but it requires restraint. Send too many messages, and unsubscribe rates rise. For busy restaurants with strong repeat business, it can be a game-changer.
Social Media Tools: Later, Buffer, and Canva
If your restaurant uses Instagram (and many do), simple scheduling tools like Later or Buffer help you pre-plan posts so you’re not scrambling every night.
Combine these with Canva, a design tool that makes creating menus, flyers, and social graphics fast, and you have a lightweight marketing system that is easy to use.
Restaurants with photogenic dishes, strong chef personalities, or event-driven calendars get the most out of social tools because visuals drive engagement.
Reputation and Review Management: Reputation.com and Marqii
Review management platforms help ensure you respond to customer reviews consistently, which boosts your ranking on Google. Marqii also syncs your business information across apps such as Yelp, Toast, Uber Eats, OpenTable, and Google, which is helpful for restaurants that frequently update their hours or seasonal menus.
This tech is ideal for restaurants in competitive markets where high visibility on search results directly impacts foot traffic.
In the end, always pick marketing tools that match the way you already communicate. If you love photography and storytelling, lean into social. If you’re event-driven, email will feel natural. If you rely heavily on repeat business, SMS can drive impressive returns.
Restaurant technology is only helpful if it reduces friction, protects your margins, or strengthens your relationship with guests. The best tools work behind the scenes, saving you time and keeping your customers engaged without adding more to your plate.
Need help finding the right restaurant tools and apps, or looking to add an online ordering system to your website? We’d love to help! Let’s chat.
