When your ordering provider is down but your website still works, put a short notice on the website itself, close to every prominent ordering link. Say which ordering action is affected, offer an alternative only if your team can handle it, and give a time when you will update the notice.
Keep the menu, hours, and other working information available. The goal is to help a guest decide what to do next, not to turn a partial outage into the appearance that the whole restaurant is closed. Before an incident, make sure someone on the team can publish and remove the notice without waiting for the ordering provider.
Confirm what guests can still do
Start with the action that failed, not the name of the system. Can a guest open the menu but not submit an order? Does pickup fail while another ordering option still works? Is the ordering link unavailable altogether? A notice that says “online ordering is unavailable” may be appropriate in the last case, but it is too broad if only one route is affected.
Ask the person managing the website to check the relevant links on a phone and a computer. Ask the ordering provider what it knows about the interruption and when it expects to provide another update. Treat an estimated repair time as an estimate, not a promise. If the cause or scope is unclear, say what you have observed rather than guessing.
Next, check alternatives with the people who would handle them. A phone number is useful only if someone can answer it and take the type of order you are offering. If the kitchen cannot accept additional phone orders, do not send everyone there. Likewise, do not direct guests to walk in for pickup unless the restaurant is open and the team can serve them.
Use this table to match the notice to the situation. The wording is an example; replace it with the result of your own checks.
| Situation | What to say | Alternative to verify | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordering link will not open | Online ordering is temporarily unavailable. | Phone orders, if staff can take them | Ordering provider and shift lead |
| Pickup ordering fails | Online pickup ordering is temporarily unavailable. | Phone pickup orders, if accepted | Shift lead and kitchen |
| Scope is still unclear | Some guests may be unable to order online. We are checking. | Current phone or walk-in availability | Website manager and shift lead |
Check reservations separately. If bookings still work, avoid wording that suggests they are down. If a guest reports a payment or order problem, direct them to a staff member who can check its status; do not assume the failed screen means an order was never received.
Place a concise alert near ordering links
A sitewide banner is often a sensible starting point when visitors can reach ordering from several pages. Put it where guests will see it before selecting an order link, including on mobile. If the site cannot display a banner across pages, add the same short message beside the prominent ordering buttons on the home page, menu page, and other pages guests use to start an order.
Do not rely only on an outage message inside checkout. A guest may never reach it, and a broken ordering link may not display it at all. The restaurant website should carry the notice when it remains available, even if a separate ordering service is having trouble.
Use plain language and lead with the affected action. Include the alternative and the next update time only after the team has agreed to them. For example:
Hypothetical notice: “Online pickup ordering is temporarily unavailable. Please call the restaurant to place a pickup order. We will update this notice by 6:30 p.m.”
This example assumes the phone is staffed, pickup orders can be accepted, and someone will check the notice by 6:30 p.m. It does not promise that ordering will be fixed by then. If those assumptions change, the message should change too.
Make the notice easy to read without covering the menu, hours, or navigation. A large pop-up might get attention but can also block a guest trying to find the phone number. A small banner can be less disruptive, but it must remain visible enough to be useful. Check the actual page on a narrow phone screen, not just in a desktop editor.
If the ordering button stays active, place the notice immediately beside it where possible. Consider temporarily changing or hiding the button only if your website setup allows it and the team knows how to restore it. Do not remove a working reservations or menu link just because it sits near the ordering button.
Assign an update owner and review time
Choose one person per shift to own the notice. That person does not need to repair the provider's system. They do need permission to edit the site, a way to reach the provider, and a direct line to the shift lead. Name a backup in case the owner is serving guests or goes off shift.
At the agreed review time, the owner should check three things: whether the affected action has changed, whether the alternative still works operationally, and when the next update can be made. Then they should update the wording and time, even if the answer is simply that the problem continues. A stale notice can make guests doubt information that is otherwise correct.
For a hypothetical practice scenario, suppose an ordering link stops opening before dinner. The shift lead confirms that two staff members can take phone pickup orders, and the website owner posts the sample notice above. Before the stated review time, one staff member is reassigned. The shift lead decides the remaining person cannot handle phone orders, so the owner removes that alternative and posts a new review time. No repair time is promised.
Practice the workflow in a staging area or with a draft that guests cannot see. Walk through who would approve the wording, who would publish it, and how the backup would gain access. Simulate the guest journey without placing a real card payment, sending a guest message, or dispatching a courier. A practice run checks the team's handoff; it does not prove the provider's live ordering system is working.
Keep a short incident record for the next handoff: the affected action, current message, time of the last check, alternative offered, and next review time. Store the website login and recovery method where authorized staff can reach them. The domain ownership guide is useful when checking who controls the site's address and access.
Test recovery, then remove the notice
A provider's recovery announcement is a reason to check, not the final step. Ask the shift lead whether the restaurant is ready to accept orders again, then follow the affected path from the restaurant website on both a phone and a computer. Confirm that each relevant ordering link opens the expected destination and that the previously affected action is available.
Use a provider-approved test environment or a simulated check where available. Do not make a real payment, message a guest, or dispatch a courier as part of practice. If confirming live order receipt is necessary, agree on a controlled live service pilot with the provider and staff first, including how to prevent unintended charges, messages, and dispatch. A page opening alone does not prove that an order would reach the kitchen.
If the action is still uncertain, keep the notice accurate and set another review time. Once the team has confirmed the affected path and is ready to serve, remove the sitewide notice and restore any ordering buttons you changed. Check the published pages again: a cached page, a second banner, or an overlooked menu link can leave conflicting information behind.
Keep this checklist with your incident contacts:
- Identify the affected guest action and check which other services still work.
- Confirm the alternative with the staff who must fulfill it.
- Publish a short notice near ordering links, with an update time rather than a promised fix.
- Assign an owner and backup, and record the next review time.
- Recheck the message and alternative at each handoff.
- Confirm recovery through an appropriate check, restore changed links, and remove old notices.
Before the next outage, use this list to inspect your current setup. Can staff edit the site independently of the ordering service? Can they place a message near every order link and remove it quickly? When comparing options, the restaurant website builder comparison offers a starting point for questions about edit control and ordering connections.
Ready to check your setup? Ask Fleksa about its online ordering connection and website editing options, and confirm availability and setup for your US location.
Frequently asked questions
Should I take down my restaurant website during an ordering outage?
Usually, keep it available if it is working. Guests may still need your menu, hours, phone number, or reservation information. Add a clear notice identifying the affected ordering action instead.
Should the alert include an estimated repair time?
Include one only if you have a reliable estimate, and label it as an estimate. A time for your next update is often more useful because your team can control when it checks and communicates again.
What if I cannot add a sitewide banner?
Add the same notice beside each prominent ordering link you can edit, starting with the home and menu pages. Ask your website provider how authorized staff can publish and remove a sitewide notice for future incidents.
