GloriaFood is shutting down: what restaurants should switch to

If your takeaway runs on GloriaFood’s free ordering widget, you’ve got a deadline. Oracle is switching GloriaFood off in spring 2027, and there’s no Oracle product waiting to replace it.

So you need a new ordering system before your menu, customer list and order history disappear with it. This guide covers the real dates (there are 2 of them), what each alternative charges according to its own pricing page, and a checklist for moving over without dropping a single order.

Moving off GloriaFood? AppBuild gives you your own branded ordering app on iPhone, Android and the web, with 0% commission on the Business plan, and the team imports your GloriaFood menu for you. See how the GloriaFood switch works

When does GloriaFood actually close?

GloriaFood’s own homepage says: “GloriaFood will reach end of life on April 30, 2027.” (gloriafood.com)

But Oracle’s food and beverage pages give an earlier date. Both the US and UK versions say GloriaFood’s “full end of service” is “scheduled for March 31, 2027”, and that Oracle is no longer accepting sign-ups.

That’s a 1-month gap, and I wouldn’t bet your Friday night takings on it. Plan to be fully live on your new system by the end of February 2027, so March is your buffer.

From October 2026 that gives you about 5 months. Plenty of time if you start now. Tight if you wait for the new year.

What happens to my menu and customer data?

Oracle hasn’t published a migration programme. GloriaFood’s notice says Oracle “does not offer a direct replacement” and points customers to FoodAmigos, a separate ordering company with onboarding help for GloriaFood users (FoodAmigos’ GloriaFood page).

I couldn’t find any Oracle page promising access to your data after shutdown. So treat the closing date as the last day you can get anything out, and export these now:

• Your full menu: categories, items, modifiers, prices and photos.
• Your customer list from the admin panel’s reports (names, emails, phone numbers).
• Your order history, for your own records and your accountant.
• Delivery zones, fees, minimum orders, opening hours and promo codes (screenshots are fine).

One note for UK and EU readers: your customer list is personal data. Only send marketing to people who agreed to hear from you, and tell your new provider which customers those are.

What should a GloriaFood replacement include?

GloriaFood won people over by being free with no commission. You only paid for extras: online payments at $29 a month, promo marketing at $19 a month and the POS at $49 a month per location (GloriaFood pricing).

So when you compare replacements, check 5 things:

• Commission on your own direct orders (and whether customers get charged a fee).
• Card processing fees. These apply whoever you pick.
• Whether you get your own app in the App Store and Google Play, or just an ordering page.
• Push notifications, so you can bring regulars back without paying for ads.
• Whether you can export your data if you leave later. (You’re learning that lesson right now.)

Most “GloriaFood alternative” lists skip the app question. But a widget only works when someone’s already on your website. An app on their home screen, with a push message at 5pm on a wet Tuesday, is what gets them ordering again.

What are the best GloriaFood alternatives?

Here’s the shortlist, with prices taken from each provider’s own site in October 2026.

AppBuild: best for your own branded app with 0% commission. AppBuild is made by AppInstitute, a UK company that’s been building apps for small businesses since 2011. You get a branded ordering app on iPhone, Android and as an installable web app, with collection, delivery zones and fees, curbside pickup and table ordering.

Customers pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through Stripe, and the money goes to your own Stripe account. “Order confirmed” and “ready” alerts go out by push, and you can send offers with unlimited push notifications on every plan. There are stamp cards and points for loyalty, and orders print to EPSON and Star Micronics thermal printers.

For GloriaFood switchers, the team imports your menu, categories and modifiers and helps bring your customer list across. The GloriaFood switching page walks through it, and you can see how AppBuild’s food ordering app works for collection, delivery and table service.

Pricing is published on the AppBuild pricing page. The Free Ordering plan is $0 a month plus 5% of the food and drink subtotal on paid orders (delivery fees, tips and tax aren’t included). Business is $49 a month or $299 a year with 0% AppBuild commission for up to 1,000 app users. Business Pro is $99 a month or $499 a year for unlimited users. Stripe’s card fees apply on top, plus Apple’s $99 a year developer account and Google Play’s one-off $25.

ChowNow: a US option with lots of marketing bolted on. Plans start at $229 a month billed annually ($249 monthly), with a $119 to $499 setup fee and 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction. Every plan includes a branded mobile app, email marketing and loyalty, with 0% commission on direct orders (ChowNow pricing). It’s solid, but you’re paying roughly 4 to 5 times AppBuild Business for the starting plan.

Owner.com: US, all-in-one website plus app. The Flex plan is $249 a month plus a 5% restaurant fee per order. The Flat Rate plan is $499 a month. On both, guests pay a 5% “order support fee” at checkout (Owner.com pricing). The branded app is included. Check how your customers feel about that guest fee before you sign.

Flipdish: UK and Ireland, ordering with an optional POS. A branded website with online ordering starts at £49 a month per site billed annually (£69 monthly), and adding your own branded app takes it to £79 a month annually (£99 monthly), all “from” prices (Flipdish online ordering pricing). Their Essential bundle, which adds the Flipdish POS and CRM, is from £119 a month (Flipdish pricing). The pricing pages don’t state a commission rate, so ask. Good fit if you want to replace your till at the same time.

Square Online: best if you already run Square. In the UK there’s a free plan, and online card payments cost 1.4% + 25p for UK cards (Square UK). In the US, Square says its online ordering profile is commission-free on any plan, with online card fees of 3.3% + 30¢ on Square Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus, which is $49 a month per location (Square US pricing). Square’s UK page describes a home-screen icon in place of a native branded app.

Toast: best if you’re already on Toast POS. Toast’s POS starts at $0 a month (Starter Kit) or $69 a month, and online ordering comes as a “Digital Storefront” add-on where “additional fees may apply” (Toast pricing). There’s no standalone online ordering price published. If you’re not on Toast already, it’s a big move just to replace a free widget.

Slerp, Foodhub, FoodAmigos and others. Slerp has a strong UK following, but its pricing page is password-protected. Foodhub’s partner FAQ describes a “commission-free model” without publishing prices (Foodhub for business). FoodAmigos, the company Oracle points to, doesn’t list a fixed monthly price either. StoreKit and Supaorder also target GloriaFood users. For all of these, get a written quote that shows monthly fee, commission, card fees and setup.

How do the costs compare?

Platform	Published price	Commission on direct orders	Branded app	Source
AppBuild	$0 (Free Ordering); $49/mo or $299/yr (Business); $99/mo or $499/yr (Business Pro)	5% on Free Ordering; 0% on Business and Business Pro	Yes: iOS, Android and web app	appbuild.diy/pricing
ChowNow	From $229/mo billed annually; $119 to $499 setup	0% (2.95% + $0.29 per transaction)	Yes, every plan	get.chownow.com/pricing
Owner.com	$249/mo (Flex) or $499/mo (Flat Rate)	5% on Flex; 0% on Flat Rate; guests pay 5% on both	Yes, every plan	owner.com/pricing
Flipdish	Website + ordering from £49/mo (annual) or £69 monthly; with branded app from £79/mo (annual) or £99 monthly; POS bundle from £119/mo	Not stated on pricing page	Yes, on the app plan	flipdish.com/gb/pricing-online-ordering
Square Online	Free plan; paid plans extra	None stated; card fees 1.4% + 25p (UK) or 2.9% to 3.3% + 30¢ (US)	No native app on UK page	squareup.com
Toast	POS from $0 or $69/mo; online ordering is an add-on	Not stated on pricing page	Not confirmed on pricing page	pos.toasttab.com/pricing
Slerp	Not published	Not published	Yes (app product listed)	slerp.com/pricing
Foodhub	Not published	Described as commission-free	Not stated	foodhubforbusiness.com
FoodAmigos	Not published	Not published	Yes	gloriafood.foodamigos.io

Let’s run real numbers. Say your takeaway does 300 orders a month at $25 (about £20) each. That’s $7,500 in food sales.

• AppBuild Free Ordering: 5% is $375 a month. Fine while you test, expensive once you’re busy.
• AppBuild Business: $49 a month flat, or about $25 a month on the $299 annual plan.
• ChowNow Launch: $229 a month, plus setup.
• Owner.com Flex: $249 plus 5% ($375), so $624 a month, and your customers pay their own 5% on top.

Card processing applies to every one of these, so I’ve left it out. The quick rule for AppBuild: once your monthly food and drink sales pass about $980, Business is cheaper than paying 5%. There’s a fuller side-by-side comparison of AppBuild and GloriaFood if you want to check feature by feature.

Which one should I pick?

• Single takeaway or restaurant that wants its own app and no commission: AppBuild Business.
• Already on Square or Toast: start with their own online ordering. Keeping orders and till in one system saves you headaches.
• Want a new till as well (UK): Flipdish.
• US restaurant that wants a done-for-you marketing package and has the budget: ChowNow or Owner.com.

And you can mix. Plenty of owners keep Square or Toast at the counter and add a branded app for regulars, as long as the app doesn’t double up on what the till already does.

How do I switch without losing orders?

1. Export everything this week. Menu, customers, orders, zones, promos. Don’t wait until you’ve chosen a provider.
2. Shortlist 2 options and place real test orders. Sales demos look perfect. Test orders show you the actual checkout.
3. Rebuild the menu and test every modifier. Half-and-half pizzas, meal deals and “no onions” are where things break.
4. Set up payments and printing. Connect your payment account, check payout timing and print a test ticket in the kitchen.
5. Submit your app early. Apple and Google review new apps before they go live, so allow a few days to a week.
6. Run both systems side by side for 2 to 4 weeks. Keep GloriaFood live while staff get used to the new one.
7. Swap every link. Website order button, Google Business Profile, Facebook, Instagram bio, table QR codes, flyers and menus in the bag.
8. Tell your regulars. Email customers who opted in, and drop a QR card into every bag with “Order direct in our app”.
9. Switch GloriaFood off by the end of February 2027. Then you’re not depending on which closing date turns out to be right.

GloriaFood shutdown FAQ

When does GloriaFood shut down? GloriaFood says end of life is 30 April 2027. Oracle’s food and beverage pages say full end of service is scheduled for 31 March 2027. Plan around the earlier date.

Can I still sign up for GloriaFood? No. Oracle says it’s no longer accepting sign-ups and is supporting existing customers through the transition.

Will Oracle move my data to a new provider? Oracle hasn’t published a migration programme. It points customers to FoodAmigos. Export your menu, customer list and orders yourself, and ask your new provider to import them.

Is there a free GloriaFood alternative? AppBuild’s Free Ordering plan is $0 a month plus 5% per paid order, and includes a branded app. Square Online has a free plan with card fees only, but no native app.

Do I need my own app, or is a website ordering page enough? An ordering page covers people already on your site. An app adds push notifications to your regulars’ lock screens, which is how you get repeat orders without paying delivery platforms or buying ads.

I manage GloriaFood for several clients. What should I do? Start exports for every client now and stagger the switchovers, so you’re not moving 20 restaurants in March. FoodAmigos runs a GloriaFood reseller programme, so price AppBuild per client against it before you commit.

Ready to get off GloriaFood before the deadline? Send us your menu and AppBuild’s team will set up your branded ordering app, with 0% commission on the Business plan. Start your GloriaFood switch

Last Updated on October 8, 2026 by Ian Naylor