For independent restaurants and cafés in China
Online ordering system for restaurants in China
An online ordering system lets customers order on your own website, so you keep the order and the customer. Menuthere gives independent restaurants and cafés in China one menu for collection and delivery, with prices in yuan and 0% commission on every plan, instead of paying Meituan a technology service fee of 6–8% plus a per-order delivery fee. Customers pay by cash, WeChat Pay or Alipay that you collect.
Free plan: 50 orders a month and 0% commission. Paid plans from US$17 a month, with a 14-day free trial. Find your restaurant on Google to start.
Not on Google? Create it manually
What it does
What an online ordering system does for a restaurant in China
It has two halves. The customer side is a mobile-friendly menu on your own link or domain: customers pick dishes, sizes and extras, choose collection or delivery, and pay cash on delivery or through your own WeChat Pay, Alipay or payment link. The kitchen side is where orders land, on a dashboard, a phone app and a kitchen printer, so staff can accept, cook and mark the order ready.
The difference from Meituan or Ele.me is who owns the customer. On a platform, it keeps the relationship and takes a technology service fee on every order, plus a delivery fee when its riders deliver. On your own system, the customer orders from you and you see their details. Many owners keep the platforms for discovery and use their own page for regulars and WeChat groups.
- 0% commission on every plan, including Free.
- Yuan prices on one menu for collection and delivery.
- Cash, WeChat Pay or Alipay that you collect, outside Menuthere.
What the platforms charge
What Meituan charges in China
Meituan states its commission, which it calls a technology service fee, as a range of 6–8% of the order. Restaurants that use Meituan's riders also pay a separate delivery service fee on every order, priced by distance, order value and time of day, which Meituan doesn't publish as a rate.
| Fee | Rate | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Technology service fee | 6–8% of the order | Meituan's published range |
| Delivery service fee | Per order, not published | Charged when Meituan's riders deliver; tiered by distance, order value and time |
| Promotion | Optional, varies | Paid promotion on top of the two fees above |
Restaurants that deliver themselves or use a third party pay Meituan no delivery service fee. A recommended national standard released in December 2025 asks platforms to publish these fees and to give notice of promotions, but it is voluntary and sets no cap. Full breakdown with sources: Meituan commission in China.
Worked example
300 orders a month at ¥40
A restaurant does 300 orders a month at an average of ¥40: ¥12,000 in sales. Here is what each channel costs in a month and a year. Meituan's technology service fee is taken at 7%, the middle of its 6–8%; its per-order delivery fee is extra and isn't included here.
| Channel | Technology service fee | Total a month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meituan (7%, delivery fee extra) | ¥840 | ¥840 + delivery fees | ¥10,080 + delivery fees |
| Your own system (Menuthere Lite, cash / WeChat Pay / Alipay) | 0% | US$17 | US$204, or US$170 on yearly billing |
Meituan's per-order delivery service fee comes on top of the 7% and isn't published as a rate, so your real Meituan cost is higher than the figure above. Menuthere takes 0% on your own orders; you still pay for your own couriers and any payment provider you use. The plan is billed in US dollars; your bank converts it to yuan.
If only 100 of those orders move to your own page, at 7% you save about ¥280 a month in technology fees alone, plus the delivery fees you'd have paid. Model your own case with the delivery fee calculator.
How customers pay
Cash, WeChat Pay and Alipay: what works today with Menuthere
Menuthere's built-in online card checkout uses the restaurant's own Stripe account, and Stripe does not open standard accounts for businesses in mainland China (stripe.com/global). So on Menuthere your orders are paid cash on delivery or at pickup, or through your own WeChat Pay, Alipay or payment link, always collected by you outside Menuthere.
After the customer pays you, you mark the order as paid in the dashboard. WeChat Pay and Alipay are not integrated as Menuthere payment gateways; you collect through your own merchant account and show the QR at checkout or on delivery. Tell us which provider you use so we can consider it for a future gateway. Menuthere never touches your money and takes 0% commission.
- Cash on delivery or at pickup, on any plan
- Your own WeChat Pay or Alipay merchant QR, collected by you
- Menuthere adds no commission and no payment fee; these wallets are not integrated gateways
How it works
How Menuthere's online ordering system works
- 1
Find your business on Google
Menuthere pulls your name, address and photos from your Google listing. Set the currency to CNY and the timezone to Shanghai. Enter details by hand if you have no listing.
- 2
Import your menu
Upload a photo or PDF and the AI reads in the dishes and prices. Sizes, add-ons and sold-out marking are built in.
- 3
Choose order types
Collection, delivery and dine-in table orders, all from one menu.
- 4
Set how customers pay
Cash on delivery or at pickup. Show your own WeChat Pay or Alipay QR, or a payment link.
- 5
Share your link
In your WeChat profile and groups, on receipts and on a QR at the counter and on tables.
- 6
Take orders
Each order rings on the partner app until someone accepts it, or switch on auto-accept. Tickets print to your kitchen printer.
Local rules
Local rules your online menu should follow
Product and allergen information. Customers should be able to see what's in a dish before they order. On Menuthere, tag the 14 major allergens on each dish on every plan, including Free, and add a short description for each item, so the information is on the menu before the order is placed.
Prices and invoices. Prices shown to customers must be clear and include tax. Menuthere shows prices in yuan, with any extra charge as its own line at checkout. Keep issuing the fapiao (发票) your customers ask for through your own registered system; Menuthere is your ordering channel, not your invoicing system.
- Allergen information before the order, on every plan
- Prices in yuan, with any extra charges shown
- Issue fapiao through your own registered system, not Menuthere
Features
Features independent restaurants use most
One ordering website
Collection and delivery from one menu. Scheduled orders and pre-orders on Lite. Minimum order value and a free-delivery threshold at checkout.
QR table ordering
Diners order from the table and a second round joins the open bill. Print the free QR codes for every table.
Delivery zones and riders
Basic zones on every plan; zones priced by area and distance fees on Lite and above. Your own rider app for iPhone and Android with live tracking for customers on Pro.
Cash, WeChat Pay and Alipay
Cash on delivery or pickup on any plan. Show your own WeChat Pay or Alipay QR; Menuthere adds no fee and no commission, and these wallets are not integrated gateways. See recording payments.
Allergens and nutrition
Tag the 14 allergens and add calories on every dish, on every plan including Free, so the information is on the menu before the order.
Repeat orders
Coupons and Google menu sync (Lite), loyalty points (Pro), and kitchen tickets to your kitchen printer so regulars are served fast.
Plans
Menuthere plans, 0% commission
| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | US$0 forever | Testing direct ordering. 50 orders a month, then the menu is view-only until the 1st. QR codes, unlimited items, basic delivery zones |
| Lite | US$17 a month | Most independent restaurants and cafés. Unlimited orders, your own domain, scheduled orders, table booking, advanced delivery zones, coupons, no “Ordering by Menuthere” badge |
| Pro | US$39 a month | Busy sites. Loyalty, rider app, several outlets, POS integration (no charge for a POS we already integrate with; a set-up fee for a new one), advanced analytics |
| Branded App | US$99 a month | Your own Android and iOS app: everything in Pro, Apple and Google store fees included |
Billed in US dollars; your bank converts it to yuan. Lite and Pro have a 14-day free trial: a card is needed to start, and nothing is charged until it ends. Month to month; pay yearly and get 2 months free. See full pricing.
Go live
Six steps to go live this week
- 1
Set up your Menuthere account
Create your store and set the currency to CNY and the timezone to Shanghai.
- 2
Add your details
Name, address and opening hours, from your Google listing or by hand.
- 3
Import your menu
Upload a photo or PDF; check the dishes and prices the AI reads in.
- 4
Tag the 14 allergens
On every dish, so the information is there before the order.
- 5
Set collection and delivery
Collection times, delivery zones, a minimum order and a free-delivery threshold. Choose cash on delivery and show your WeChat Pay or Alipay QR.
- 6
Tell your regulars
Share the link in your WeChat groups and profile, and put a QR sticker in every bag. A small direct-order perk, such as 10% off over ¥50, is a coupon on Lite.
Questions owners ask
Answered, plainly.
Sources (3) · checked 2026-10-26
- What is Meituan's real commission rate? (in Chinese) · Meituan, 25 December 2024
- Stripe: supported countries · Stripe, 26 October 2026
- Menuthere pricing · Menuthere, 26 October 2026
Start your China ordering page
Set up your store in minutes and take direct orders with 0% commission. Free for 50 orders a month, with a 14-day free trial on paid plans. Prefer a walkthrough? Book a demo.
