ChowNow Review: Overview, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2025

Tired of paying commissions on every order?

If you’re running an independent restaurant, it’s frustrating to lose revenue and control your branding just to offer online ordering. You’re probably searching for a way to accept digital orders without getting squeezed by third-party fees.

In my analysis of ChowNow, I actually established that relying on marketplaces eats into your margins and blocks you from building real customer loyalty.

What I found is that ChowNow flips the traditional model—giving your restaurant a branded, commission-free ordering system and direct access to your customer data. After testing their platform, I see how their simple subscription pricing, branded apps, and delivery options address pain points most restaurant owners face.

In this review, I’ll walk you through how ChowNow lets you keep more revenue and reconnect with your customers on your terms.

You’ll see everything you need: a full ChowNow review with feature breakdowns, pricing details, competitive comparisons, and real-world pros and cons.

By the end, you’ll know the features you need to make an informed decision and confidently choose the best ordering system for your business.

Let’s dive right into the analysis.

ChowNow Overview

ChowNow has been around since 2011, based in Los Angeles. What I found is their entire mission is laser-focused: helping independent restaurants build their own online business.

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What truly sets them apart is their exclusive market focus. They were built for independent restaurants and small regional chains that feel stuck with high marketplace commissions. This specialization means their product directly serves your specific business needs.

The 2021 acquisition of Ordermark and a key Google partnership show serious investment in their platform beyond basic ordering. I’ll explore the implications in this ChowNow review.

Unlike competitors taking a percentage of every order, ChowNow’s model is built on subscription-based, commission-free software. From my evaluation, this core difference puts control and all of the profit directly back into your hands.

They now work with over 20,000 local restaurants across North America. These are businesses of all types looking to control their brand identity and online ordering destiny for good.

From my research, their strategy centers on unbundling ordering from delivery logistics, which is a smart move. This gives you direct control over costs, branding, and the crucial customer relationship.

Now let’s examine their capabilities.

ChowNow Features

Tired of high delivery commissions eating your profits?

ChowNow offers robust, integrated solutions aimed at empowering independent restaurants to take back control of their online presence. Here are the five core ChowNow solutions that solve critical challenges for your business.

1. Branded Online Ordering System

Is your brand getting lost in marketplace noise?

Relying on third-party apps can erase your restaurant’s unique identity. This means you miss out on building direct relationships with your diners.

ChowNow builds your own mobile-responsive website and branded mobile apps, creating a direct customer channel. From my testing, this is where ChowNow truly shines by giving you full control over your brand image. You can link this solution everywhere.

What you get is a powerful, persistent presence on your customers’ phones, ensuring they always order directly from you.

2. ChowNow Pro (Subscription Suite)

Tired of juggling multiple restaurant tech subscriptions?

Piecemeal software solutions lead to fragmented data and unpredictable costs. This complicates operations and makes budgeting a nightmare.

ChowNow Pro bundles essential capabilities like your branded system, order tablet, and marketing tools into one predictable monthly fee. What I found is that this solution simplifies your tech stack by replacing commission fees with a flat rate.

This means you gain financial predictability and operational efficiency, empowering you to invest more back into your restaurant.

3. The Order Better Network

Need more visibility without losing profit?

Traditional marketplaces drive traffic but at a steep cost, eroding your margins. This makes growth challenging without sacrificing profitability.

This solution acts as ChowNow’s unique commission-free discovery network. It lists your restaurant on their app and website, but orders flow directly to you.

• Attracts new customers via the ChowNow network
• Directs orders through your commission-free system
• Combines marketplace reach with direct ordering benefits

You expand your reach and attract new customers, all while keeping more of your hard-earned revenue.

4. Flex Delivery

Delivery logistics a constant headache?

Building your own delivery fleet is expensive, and third-party services take a massive cut. This can make offering delivery unprofitable for your business.

Flex Delivery integrates on-demand drivers from partners like DoorDash Drive, dispatched automatically when customers request delivery. From my evaluation, this solution gives you flexible delivery without the overhead of hiring drivers. You pay a flat, per-delivery fee.

This means you can offer convenient delivery to your customers while maintaining control over the experience and keeping your profit margins intact.

5. Customer Data & Marketing Automation

Who owns your customer data?

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Third-party apps guard customer information, preventing you from marketing directly to your patrons. This stifles your ability to drive repeat business.

This ChowNow solution empowers you to capture customer names, emails, and order history from every direct order. Here’s what I found: it includes tools for automated email campaigns and a basic loyalty program.

You finally build a valuable customer database, allowing you to re-engage patrons and drive consistent repeat business on your terms.

What I love about these ChowNow solutions is how they collectively create a powerful, integrated online ordering ecosystem for your restaurant. They enable you to compete effectively while retaining control and profits.

ChowNow Pricing

Struggling to find predictable software costs?

ChowNow pricing is designed to be transparent and commission-free, offering subscription-based plans so you can easily understand your online ordering budget. This commitment helps local restaurants keep more of their hard-earned revenue.

Plan	Price & Features
Monthly Plan	$199/month + $199 one-time setup fee • Branded website & mobile apps • Order management tablet • Full customer data access • Built-in marketing tools • 24/7 technical support
Annual Plan	$169/month (billed annually at $2,028) + $199 one-time setup fee • Branded website & mobile apps • Order management tablet • Full customer data access • Built-in marketing tools • 24/7 technical support
Two-Year Plan	$149/month (billed every two years at $3,576) + $199 one-time setup fee • Branded website & mobile apps • Order management tablet • Full customer data access • Built-in marketing tools • 24/7 technical support

1. Value Assessment

Value beyond just the price.

From my cost analysis, ChowNow’s commission-free model means you avoid losing a significant percentage on every order, which is a key differentiator in their pricing strategy. What impressed me is how this directly boosts your profit margins over time compared to marketplace alternatives. You pay a flat fee, keeping your revenue.

This means your budget benefits from predictable expenses and more retained earnings, driving real bottom-line growth.

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2. Trial/Demo Options

Want to try before you buy?

While ChowNow doesn’t offer a free trial, they provide free, personalized demos for prospective clients. This means you can get a tailored walk-through and see exactly how the platform works for your specific restaurant setup. What I found is that their demo process truly helps you visualize the system’s impact on your daily operations.

This allows you to evaluate functionality and value, ensuring you’re confident before committing to their pricing.

3. Plan Comparison

Choosing the right plan is simple.

All ChowNow plans offer identical features, with the main difference being the commitment level and resulting monthly cost savings. The Annual and Two-Year plans significantly reduce your monthly expense compared to the Monthly option. What I advise is to consider your long-term business strategy to lock in the best rate for your budget.

This tiered pricing structure helps you match your desired commitment with the biggest savings, optimizing your budget.

My Take: ChowNow’s pricing approach emphasizes long-term value for independent restaurants, providing predictable costs that allow you to grow your business without sacrificing profit to commissions.

The overall ChowNow pricing reflects clear value for commission-free online ordering.

ChowNow Reviews

Real user experiences truly reveal all.

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From my review analysis, ChowNow reviews consistently highlight real user feedback. I’ve sifted through hundreds of user experiences to provide balanced insights, focusing on what actual customers genuinely think about the software.

1. Overall User Satisfaction

Customers largely express high satisfaction.

ChowNow consistently earns strong ratings, often averaging 4.5 out of 5 stars across major platforms. What I found in user feedback is how financial benefits drive overall user happiness, especially regarding their commission-free model. Review-wise, this financial predictability is a recurring theme.

This strong positive sentiment largely stems from the transparent pricing and excellent support during setup, ensuring a smooth transition for restaurants.

2. Common Praise Points

Commission-free model leads the praise.

Overwhelmingly, users laud the commission-free model, empowering restaurants to keep more revenue instead of paying high percentages. From customer feedback, predictable monthly fees are a huge relief, contrasting sharply with competitors. Many reviews also commend the responsive and helpful customer support for onboarding assistance.

These features directly translate into increased profitability and reduced operational headaches for your business, making it highly appealing.

3. Frequent Complaints

Some users find tools too basic.

While generally positive, frequent complaints often target the marketing tools, described as less sophisticated than dedicated platforms. What stands out in user feedback is how website design options feel somewhat restrictive, hindering unique branding efforts. Occasional tech glitches with ordering tablets also appear in several reviews.

These issues are typically minor annoyances, not deal-breakers, especially considering ChowNow’s core value proposition and cost savings.

Overall, ChowNow reviews reflect a strong, positive sentiment, especially concerning its financial benefits and customer support. The feedback offers credible insights for potential users, highlighting consistent patterns of satisfaction despite minor limitations.

Best ChowNow Alternatives

Choosing the right online ordering system can be tricky.

Deciding between online ordering platforms can be tricky. The best ChowNow alternatives offer diverse strengths, making your choice depend on your restaurant’s specific operational scale, budget, and integration needs.

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1. Toast

Looking for an entire restaurant operating system?

Toast is a complete ecosystem, including POS, payments, and online ordering. From my competitive analysis, Toast provides deep integration across all operations, ideal if you’re building from scratch or replacing an entire system. This alternative offers robust, end-to-end management.

Choose Toast if you require a singular, deeply integrated system for your entire restaurant operation, committing to one vendor.

2. Square for Restaurants

Starting small or need a free POS?

Similar to Toast, Square is POS-centric, but offers a free plan for basic online ordering. What I found comparing options is that Square for Restaurants keeps upfront costs minimal with transaction fees, making it accessible for new or very small operations. This alternative helps you get started.

Consider Square when you’re a very small operation or just starting, needing a free POS and basic online ordering.

3. Olo

Operating a large, multi-location enterprise?

Olo is the enterprise-grade solution, built for large national chains needing deep customization, extensive API access, and advanced analytics. From my analysis, Olo handles complex multi-location brand needs that ChowNow isn’t designed for, though it comes at a substantially higher cost and complexity.

Choose Olo when you’re a large enterprise needing extensive customization, complex integrations, and advanced analytics for hundreds of locations.

4. DoorDash Storefront

Seeking a commission-free, low-cost option?

DoorDash Storefront offers a commission-free online ordering website, similar to ChowNow’s model, charging only payment processing fees. From my competitive analysis, this alternative offers extreme price sensitivity, appealing if you want a free tool without monthly software costs.

Select DoorDash Storefront if your priority is minimal cost, but understand its connection to the broader DoorDash ecosystem.

The best ChowNow alternatives cater to specific business needs. The ultimate choice depends on your restaurant’s unique operational scale and budget, not just feature lists, enabling you to find the perfect fit.

Setup & Implementation

ChowNow deployment offers guided simplicity.

ChowNow’s implementation process is designed for ease, differing from self-serve platforms. This ChowNow review explores its hands-on deployment, helping you understand the resources and time involved for a smooth transition.

1. Setup Complexity & Timeline

Setup is guided, not DIY.

Your ChowNow implementation begins with a hands-on onboarding specialist. They digitize your menu, configure modifiers, and build your branded website. What I found about deployment is that this guided process is smooth and thorough, typically taking 2-3 weeks to go live depending on menu complexity.

You’ll want to plan for a quick, focused engagement with their team, ensuring your menu details are ready for their specialists to build out.

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2. Technical Requirements & Integration

Minimal tech, but internet is key.

The primary technical requirement for your ChowNow implementation is a stable internet connection for their provided order tablet. What I found about deployment is that a reliable internet service is critical, as the tablet lacks cellular backup, so plan for strong Wi-Fi.

Your IT readiness means ensuring robust Wi-Fi at your restaurant, as the tablet acts as your central hub for all online orders.

3. Training & Change Management

Staff training is intuitive.

Training is integrated directly into the onboarding process, focusing on the intuitive tablet interface. From my implementation analysis, staff learn quickly with minimal effort, making user adoption straightforward. You should expect high satisfaction with how easily your team adapts.

You’ll want to ensure key staff participate in the initial setup and practice using the tablet to maximize a smooth transition for your team.

4. Support & Success Factors

Support is a major strength.

ChowNow offers 24/7 technical support via phone and email, a crucial resource during and after implementation. From my analysis, this accessible support is highly valued, especially for businesses operating outside standard hours. Prompt assistance prevents minor tech glitches from becoming major issues.

For your implementation to succeed, leverage their excellent customer support whenever needed, ensuring any tablet or printer issues are quickly resolved.

Overall, ChowNow implementation is designed to be a straightforward, guided process. It emphasizes user-friendly setup and strong ongoing support, making it accessible for independent restaurants seeking online ordering.

Who’s ChowNow For

ChowNow isn’t for every restaurant.

This ChowNow review helps you quickly assess if the platform aligns with your restaurant’s unique needs. I’ll guide you through specific business profiles, team sizes, and use cases to determine your ideal fit.

1. Ideal User Profile

Independent restaurants craving control.

ChowNow is ideal for independent restaurant owners and small groups (2-15 locations) prioritizing brand ownership and direct customer relationships. From my user analysis, you’ll keep more revenue with a flat fee instead of high commissions. Target users value predictable costs and self-sufficiency.

You’ll see success if building a loyal customer database and avoiding marketplace fees are your top priorities.

2. Business Size & Scale

Fits specific small to mid-market needs.

This solution works best for businesses doing consistent online order volume, like QSRs, cafes, or pizzerias. What I found about target users is that your team will thrive if you’re a small-to-mid-sized restaurant (SMB). Larger enterprises might find it too basic.

Assess if your current order volume makes a flat monthly fee more cost-effective than commission-based models.

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3. Use Case Scenarios

Direct-to-consumer online ordering is key.

ChowNow excels when your primary goal is creating a branded, commission-free direct ordering channel, escaping third-party marketplace dependence. User-wise, it’s perfect for owning your customer list and digital presence without a full POS overhaul.

You’ll find this works when your priority is investing in your own brand and building a direct customer database.

4. Who Should Look Elsewhere

Not for every restaurant seeking online orders.

If your restaurant requires highly custom website designs, extremely sophisticated marketing automation, or deep POS integration, ChowNow might fall short. From my user analysis, you need more robust enterprise features if your operation is complex.

Consider enterprise-level systems like Olo or full POS solutions like Toast if your needs extend beyond direct ordering basics.

Ultimately, this ChowNow review shows that the platform’s value lies in its commission-free direct ordering model. Evaluate your desire for brand control and long-term customer relationships to determine your fit.

Bottom Line

ChowNow delivers genuine value for restaurants.

My comprehensive ChowNow review reveals a platform exceptionally well-suited for independent restaurants prioritizing direct customer relationships and predictable costs. I’ll guide you through its core strengths and minor limitations.

1. Overall Strengths

ChowNow excels at empowering restaurants.

The platform’s highly praised commission-free model allows restaurants to retain significantly more revenue from online orders. This focus empowers businesses to own their customer data and relationships, fostering loyalty. Additionally, user feedback consistently highlights responsive, helpful customer support during onboarding.

These advantages directly translate into improved profitability and stronger direct connections with your customer base.

2. Key Limitations

Consider these potential drawbacks carefully.

While functional, some users find ChowNow’s integrated marketing tools less sophisticated than dedicated platforms. The templated ordering websites also offer limited customization, sometimes appearing generic. Based on this review, occasional tech glitches with tablets or printers require simple restarts.

These limitations are generally manageable trade-offs for the financial benefits, rather than significant deal-breakers for most users.

3. Final Recommendation

ChowNow earns a strong recommendation.

You should choose ChowNow if you’re an independent restaurant or small chain aiming to escape high third-party commissions. It’s ideal for building direct customer relationships and maximizing order profitability. From my analysis, this solution empowers true business ownership in online ordering.

My recommendation provides high confidence for businesses prioritizing cost-efficiency and direct customer engagement over deep marketing sophistication.

This comprehensive ChowNow review provides high confidence for specific restaurant needs, demonstrating its clear value proposition. It’s a strategic investment for many.