Put a clear order action near the top of your mobile homepage, close to the menu, and on each location page where ordering is available. A persistent button can help on a long page, but only if it leaves prices, navigation, and other essential information visible and usable.
The right placement depends on where a guest starts. Someone looking at the homepage may be ready to order immediately. Someone arriving from a search result on a menu or location page should not have to return to the homepage first. Check each route separately before deciding that one prominent button is enough.
Map the paths guests take to ordering
Start with the three pages a hungry guest is most likely to use: the homepage, the menu, and the location page. Open each directly on a phone rather than navigating to it from your homepage. This reveals whether the page makes sense to someone who has not seen your main navigation.
On the homepage, place the order action where it is visible without a long search. It should sit near enough to the restaurant name or main introduction that a guest understands whose food they are ordering. If a large photo pushes the button far down the screen, consider shortening the image area or moving the action above it.
On the menu page, keep the action near the food information. A guest may arrive looking for a dish, check its price, and then decide to order. A button at the top helps an impatient visitor; another after a long menu may help someone who has scrolled to the bottom. Neither should cover dishes or prices.
On a location page, make the destination specific. A guest checking an address or hours needs to know whether the button starts an order for that location or opens a location selector. If a location does not accept online orders, say so rather than sending the guest down a dead end. Keep the address, hours, and phone number easy to find alongside the action.
Use this worksheet to check the three entry points. The last column describes what the guest should see next, not just where the button should sit.
| Entry page | Useful placement | What to keep visible | Expected next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homepage | Near the top, after the restaurant identity | Name, navigation, and location context | Ordering page or location selector |
| Menu | Near the menu heading and, if useful, after a long menu | Dish names, descriptions, and prices | Ordering page with a clear path to the menu |
| Location | Near the location details | Address, hours, and phone number | Order for that location or choose a location |
If your restaurant has multiple locations, repeat the location check for each one. A button that works for the first restaurant in a list may send guests at another address to the wrong ordering page.
Choose placement and wording together
Start with a button in the page itself. It moves naturally with the content and is less likely to obscure information. A sticky button, which stays on screen as a guest scrolls, can be useful on a long menu, but it consumes a portion of a small display the whole time. Treat it as a tradeoff, not a default.
Compare the options on your actual pages. Can a guest find the in-page button quickly? If they scroll through the menu, can they still start an order without a frustrating trip back to the top? If you use a sticky control, check whether the content can scroll fully above it, including the final menu item and any footer links.
Use a label that describes the action. Order online is generally clearer than Start or Click here. If the button opens a choice of locations, a short explanation beside it can set that expectation. Avoid labeling a link as pickup or delivery unless its destination actually supports that choice for the guest.
Make the button look like an action rather than a decorative banner. Give it enough contrast against its background and enough space around it to tap without hitting a neighboring link. Check the label over photos as well as solid colors. If the site uses a photo behind the button, a busy or bright part of the image can make otherwise readable text disappear.
Also check competing actions. Reservations, directions, and calling the restaurant may all matter, but a row of equally prominent buttons can make each one harder to find. Choose the main action for that page and keep the others clearly labeled. On a location page, for example, directions and calling may deserve prominent treatment even if ordering is also available.
Your restaurant website creation guide can help with the broader page setup. For this decision, focus on whether the guest understands both the button and the page it opens.
Check the smallest screen you intend to support
Test on the smallest phone screen your restaurant intends to support, in both the normal view and a larger text setting. If possible, use a real phone as well as a browser’s mobile preview. A preview is useful for checking layouts, but it does not replace tapping and scrolling on a device.
Begin at the top of each entry page. Check that the order action, navigation, and restaurant identity do not overlap. Then scroll slowly to the bottom. Look for prices hidden behind a sticky control, menu sections cut off at the edges, and links that are too close together to tap reliably. Rotate the phone if you expect guests to use the site in landscape view; a persistent control takes up a larger share of the available height there.
Open any navigation menu or location selector and check it against the order button. A floating control should not cover a close button, a selected location, or an important instruction. Check the screen when the on-screen keyboard is open, too, if guests must enter an address or search for a location. A button that looks fine on a static page can become an obstacle during that task.
Do not judge only the first screen. On the menu, confirm that guests can read every item and its price without moving a control out of the way. On a location page, confirm that the full address and hours remain readable. On the ordering destination, make sure the selected restaurant is apparent before the guest continues.
For a practice check, use a staging page or a non-transactional path. Stop before submitting an order. The simulation should not trigger a real payment, guest message, or courier dispatch. If you later run a live-service pilot, plan it separately with the people handling orders and agree on how any real transaction will be managed.
Measure whether guests reach the right page
Ask people who did not build the site to try a few short tasks on their phones. Give each person a starting page and a goal, but do not point to the button. For example: “You are on the menu page and want to order for this location. Show me where you would go next.” Repeat from the homepage and a location page.
Count a task as complete only when the person reaches the correct ordering page or the appropriate location-selection step and understands what to do next. A tap on the order button alone is not enough: the link might lead to the wrong restaurant, a general page with no clear next action, or an unavailable ordering flow. Record those as problems to fix, not successes.
In this hypothetical example, six participants each try one menu-page task. Four reach the correct ordering page without help; two do not. The completion share is four out of six, or about 67%. One person misses a button below a long introduction; the other reaches a different location. Moving the button closer to the menu heading addresses the first problem, while correcting the destination addresses the second. The small group is useful for finding obstacles, not for predicting an exact rate across all guests.
Write down where each attempt started, whether it ended at the right destination, and what confused the person. Note whether assistance was needed. After making a change, run the same tasks again with people who have not practiced the old route. Compare the results by entry page so an improvement on the homepage does not hide a problem on the menu.
Before changing platforms, ask who can edit button labels, destinations, and mobile layouts, and whether an existing site can link to the ordering flow. Fleksa describes options for keeping an existing site with an ordering button or link, as well as ordering-ready branded websites. Review Fleksa online ordering and the restaurant website page, then ask for a demonstration using your homepage, menu, and location paths if the setup looks like a fit.
Frequently asked questions
Should the order button stay visible while guests scroll?
It can help on a long page, but it is not required. Use a sticky button only if guests can still read and reach all content, including prices, navigation controls, and the bottom of the page.
Should every location page have an order button?
Include an order action where online ordering is available, and check that it leads to the right location or a clear selector. If ordering is unavailable at a location, say so and keep useful alternatives visible.
Can an existing restaurant website link to online ordering?
That may be possible without replacing the site. Ask the ordering provider how the link is added, who can edit it, and whether guests arrive at the right restaurant and ordering page on a phone.
