Group Orders — Everyone Adds Their Own Meal
One shareable link. Everyone signs in and picks their own food, then the organizer sends one order to the kitchen and pays for it. No more collecting orders by phone or chat.
What is a Group Order?
A group order is a shared order: one person (the organizer) starts it from the cart and sends the link to everyone. Each participant signs in, browses the menu and adds their own items. The group page shows who added what, with a subtotal for each person.
When everyone is done, the organizer opens the normal checkout, chooses pickup, delivery or a table, and pays for the whole order — by card or on site, whichever the venue offers. The kitchen receives one order with the items grouped by person, and each participant gets an email listing what they ordered.
Why Restaurants Love Group Ordering
No Orders Taken by Phone
Nobody has to collect everyone's choices and read them out. The order assembles itself as each person adds their items.
Works for Any Team Size
Whether it's 3 people or 30, one link is enough. Every line is tagged with the name of the person who added it.
Clear for the Kitchen
The kitchen ticket, the kitchen screen and the order detail show each person's items under their name, so every plate goes to the right person.
No App Required
Participants join from any browser, on a phone or a computer. They only need the link and an account at the venue.
How Group Ordering Works
The Organizer Starts the Order
Add items to your cart as usual, then click 'Start Group Order'. The order becomes a shared draft with its own link.
Share the Link
Send the link via Slack, WhatsApp, email or any other channel. Anyone with the link can sign in, join and add their own items.
Everyone Adds Their Items
Each participant signs in (or creates an account), browses the menu and adds what they want. Items are tagged to each person, and the same dish added twice becomes one line with quantity 2.
The Organizer Pays, the Kitchen Receives
When everyone is done, the organizer finalizes on the normal checkout and pays for the whole order, by card or on site. The order goes to the kitchen and each participant gets an email with their items.
Group Order Features
One Shared Order Page
One page for the whole group: who has joined, what each person added and what it all comes to.
- The participant list shows who has joined
- Items grouped by person, each with a subtotal
- A total for the whole group
- The organizer can remove any item
One Payment, by the Organizer
The organizer pays for the whole order at the normal checkout, with the payment methods the venue offers.
- Card payment through the venue's payment provider
- Or payment on site, where the venue accepts it
- Promo codes and tips at checkout
- Pickup, delivery or a table — the same rules as any order
An Email for Every Participant
Once the order is sent, each participant gets an email listing only the items they added, with a link to the group order.
- A personal email with only your items
- Your subtotal and the order total
- A link to the shared order page
- Works for any number of participants
Full Order Lifecycle
Group orders follow the same kitchen workflow as any other order — pending, confirmed, preparing, ready. Participants can check the status on the shared page.
- Status shown on the shared page
- The kitchen is notified when the order is sent
- Kitchen ticket grouped by person
- Order history in customer accounts
Perfect For Every Group Occasion
Office Lunches
Someone sends a link on Slack and everyone picks their meal by noon. The order is sent and delivered to the office — nobody collects orders by hand.
Corporate Events
Pre-order meals for team events. Each attendee chooses what they want before the event.
Birthday Dinners
The organizer starts the group order, friends join and add their food, and everyone can see what each person ordered.
Sports Teams
The captain creates the order after training. Players add their post-game meals and the captain sends one order.
University Groups
A student shares the link in the group chat. Everyone orders what they want, in one order.
Remote Teams
Coordinate team lunch across departments. Everyone participates digitally, even those ordering from different locations.
The Future of Group Dining
Group ordering has traditionally been one of the most painful parts of dining — someone collects everyone's orders, reads them out, and inevitably someone's order is wrong. Group orders on Ordering.Tools let every person enter their own meal, so the order the kitchen receives is the one people actually chose.
Why Traditional Group Ordering Fails
The classic approach — one person orders for everyone — creates a single point of failure. Items get forgotten and dietary needs are missed. Our group orders give each person direct control over their own meal.
Built for Modern Workflows
Share the link in Slack, Teams, WhatsApp or email. There is no app to install: participants open the link in a browser and sign in at the venue to add their items.
One Order, Many Meals
A group order brings several meals in one order, and every person orders exactly what they want rather than a compromise. For an office that orders together regularly, it is also the easiest way to order again.
Simple Payment
A group order is paid once, by the organizer, at the normal checkout — by card or on site, whichever the venue offers. Participants do not pay inside the order; how the group settles up between themselves is up to them.
Start Your First Group Order
Group ordering is part of your online ordering page — there is nothing extra to switch on.