GloriaFood Alternative: The Best GloriaFood Replacements
What happened to GloriaFood?
GloriaFood was a free online ordering system that allowed restaurants to take orders directly through their website and Facebook page without paying per-order commission. It was acquired by Oracle in 2020 and integrated into the Oracle MICROS ecosystem. Oracle has been phasing out GloriaFood’s standalone availability, removing the free product and community support that made it a popular choice for independent restaurants.
Restaurants that relied on GloriaFood now need a replacement — ideally one that improves on what GloriaFood offered rather than just replicating it.
What restaurants used GloriaFood for
GloriaFood’s appeal was simple: free online ordering with a website widget, a basic branded ordering page and Facebook integration. Restaurants could accept orders without commission.
As restaurants grew, the limitations became clear:
- No native branded mobile app for customers
- Basic reporting with no meaningful customer data
- Weak or no integration with POS systems
- No loyalty or marketing tools
- Dependence on Oracle’s product roadmap after the acquisition
A GloriaFood replacement is an opportunity to close those gaps rather than just restore the status quo.
The best GloriaFood alternatives
1. Flipdish
Flipdish is the most complete GloriaFood replacement available in the UK and Ireland. Where GloriaFood offered basic ordering, Flipdish provides a full direct ordering platform — website, mobile app, kiosk and POS — without per-order commission.
Key advantages over GloriaFood:
Branded mobile app. GloriaFood had no mobile app for your customers. Flipdish’s branded app puts your restaurant in the App Store and Google Play under your own name, with push notifications to drive repeat orders.
Integrated POS. Flipdish connects online ordering directly to a purpose-built restaurant POS system, eliminating the manual steps GloriaFood required to get orders into the kitchen.
Customer data and marketing. GloriaFood gave restaurants limited customer insight. Flipdish captures first-party data and uses it to power automated marketing campaigns — bringing back lapsed customers and increasing repeat order frequency.
Loyalty programmes. Flipdish includes loyalty and promotions built directly into the ordering flow, something GloriaFood never supported.
AI phone ordering. Flipdish’s AI Phone Agent handles telephone orders automatically, routing them to the kitchen the same way online orders do. GloriaFood never addressed phone ordering.
Self-service kiosks. For dine-in or QSR operations, Flipdish offers self-service kiosks that integrate with the same platform.
The trade-off versus GloriaFood is cost. GloriaFood was free at its base tier; Flipdish charges a monthly fee. For restaurants taking a meaningful volume of online orders, that fee is quickly recovered through better conversion, higher average order values and improved customer retention.
2. Square Online
Square’s online ordering product can be embedded in a restaurant website and handles basic ordering and payments at a transaction-fee model. It is not specifically built for restaurants and lacks mobile app, loyalty and deep POS integration. Closest in simplicity to GloriaFood but with Square’s payment infrastructure.
3. Slerp
A UK direct ordering platform targeting independent restaurants. Commission-based pricing makes it closer to a marketplace model than a flat-fee platform. Designed for simple independent operations.
4. Flipdish Website (standalone)
If you only need website ordering and are not ready for a full platform, Flipdish’s restaurant website product is available as a starting point. It provides a professional branded ordering website and integrates with the wider Flipdish platform when you are ready to expand.
5. Deliverect / Orderlord
Deliverect and similar aggregation tools manage inbound marketplace orders through a single interface. They are not direct ordering platforms in the same sense as GloriaFood or Flipdish — they are designed for restaurants already on multiple marketplaces who want to consolidate tablet chaos. A different use case.
Comparing GloriaFood alternatives
| Platform | Type | Mobile app | POS integration | Marketing | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flipdish | Full direct ordering platform | Yes, branded | Yes, native | Yes, AI-powered | Monthly fee |
| Square Online | E-commerce with ordering | No | Square only | Basic | Transaction fee |
| Slerp | Direct ordering | No | Third-party | Basic | Commission |
| Just Eat / Deliveroo | Marketplace | Shared marketplace app | Third-party | None | Per-order commission |
What to look for in a GloriaFood replacement
Flat fee or commission? GloriaFood’s strength was zero per-order cost. Look for alternatives with flat monthly fees rather than commission — the economics improve as your order volume grows.
Mobile app? GloriaFood’s biggest gap was the absence of a branded customer app. A platform with a native branded app significantly improves mobile conversion and enables push notifications.
POS integration? Routing orders directly to your kitchen without manual re-entry reduces errors and speeds up service. Make sure your new platform connects cleanly to your POS.
Customer data. Every order through a direct platform should be building a first-party customer database. GloriaFood did this only partially. Your replacement should do it properly.
Support. GloriaFood’s community forums are gone with Oracle’s transition. Whatever you move to should have responsive commercial support available when you need it — particularly during evening service when problems are most costly.
How to switch from GloriaFood
The practical steps are straightforward:
- Choose a new platform and build your menu and branding
- Get a new ordering URL or website embed code from the platform
- Update your website to point to the new ordering system
- Update any QR codes on packaging, menus or signage
- Let regular customers know through email and social media
- Run a launch promotion to drive first orders through the new channel
Flipdish typically onboards a restaurant within a few weeks, including menu configuration and testing.
Summary
The best GloriaFood alternative for UK and Irish restaurants is Flipdish. It replaces GloriaFood’s basic ordering with a complete direct ordering platform — website, branded mobile app, POS, loyalty and marketing — at a flat monthly fee without per-order commission.
Restaurants that need only website ordering to start can begin with Flipdish’s restaurant website product and expand later.
For independent comparisons of restaurant technology options in the UK and Ireland, visit restauranttech.co.uk.