Frequently asked questions
What is OrderHQ?
OrderHQ is catering order management software for independent food operators — specialty markets, delis, pizzerias, and restaurants with a catering business. It gives you your own branded online ordering site, a counter screen for staff, packages that size themselves per guest, production sheets by department, and card-on-file charging, for one flat monthly fee per location.
Who is OrderHQ for?
Food businesses that sell catering in advance: platters for Sunday, a buffet for the office, the whole Christmas Eve. It works the same for a single deli doing twenty orders a week and for a multi-store market at its December peak.
How much does OrderHQ cost?
$100 per location, per month. Setup is included. There are no commissions and no per-order fees, and it's month to month — cancel anytime. Stores that sign up now use it free through November 30, 2026; billing starts December 1.
Does OrderHQ take a commission or a percentage of orders?
No. OrderHQ never takes a percentage of an order. You pay the flat monthly fee, and card processing fees go to your payment processor at their standard rate, the same as they would anywhere else.
Is OrderHQ an alternative to ezCater and other catering marketplaces?
Yes, for operators who want their own ordering site instead of a marketplace. Marketplaces sit between you and your customer and keep a percentage of each order. With OrderHQ, customers order on a site under your own name, there's no commission, and every customer's name, phone, and order history stays yours.
Is OrderHQ a point-of-sale (POS) system?
No. OrderHQ handles the orders that come in days ahead — catering, platters, holiday orders — from the first phone call to the charged card. It runs alongside whatever register you already use.
How does setup work, and how long does it take?
Send the catering menu PDF you already hand to customers. OrderHQ reads it and builds your catalog — trays and sizes, packages, prices, and store hours. You review and approve everything before it goes live. Most stores are live in days. You can also start your store yourself at orderhq.app/signup.
What are dynamic packages?
Packages that size themselves. Tell OrderHQ you need 40 guests and a hot buffet package turns into the right number of entrée trays, salad trays, bread, and serviceware, each sent to the crew that makes it. Change the guest count and everything adjusts — online and at the counter, with the same math.
Can customers order online?
Yes. Each business gets its own ordering site with its logo, colors, photos, and store addresses. Customers pick a store and a pickup or delivery time from the blocks you allow, and pay with a card that's kept on file and charged when the order goes out.
What does OrderHQ print for the kitchen?
A production sheet per department per day, packing slips in walk-the-building order, invoices, tray labels, and delivery and pickup sheets. When an order changes after sheets print, the new sheet marks what changed. Every night each store also gets a printable packet of the next two days, so the store keeps running even if the internet goes down.
Does OrderHQ work with multiple locations?
Yes. Each store has its own hours, capacity, tax rate, delivery area, and bank account. Staff see their store, managers can switch between stores, and owners see everything, with reports across all stores or one at a time.
How are card payments handled?
Cards are entered once and kept on file by your payment processor; full card numbers never touch OrderHQ. You charge when the order goes out, one at a time or all at once on a big day, and can refund part of an order without voiding the whole thing.
What devices does OrderHQ run on?
It runs in a web browser, so there's nothing to install. Staff use it on a store PC or an iPad on the counter; customers order from their phones or computers.
Can I get my data out of OrderHQ?
Yes. Admins can download customers, orders, order items, and payments as spreadsheet files at any time, from Settings.
Who makes OrderHQ?
OrderHQ LLC, an independent company in New York. It was built inside the catering department of a five-store specialty food market and tested on real Christmas Eve orders before it was offered to anyone else.
Something else? Email hello@orderhq.app.