Configure RestroFood Plugin in Just 3 Easy Steps

RestroFood, a WooCommerce-based restaurant management plugin for WordPress, can be configured in 3 steps: install WooCommerce and RestroFood, configure your restaurant settings, then deploy your ordering system using the RestroFood shortcode. Most restaurant owners complete initial setup in under 2 hours.

What You Need Before You Start?

Before installing RestroFood, your WordPress server must meet minimum requirements. Checking system status first prevents installation errors and saves significant time on troubleshooting later.

RestroFood plugin provides a built-in System Status page (navigate to Admin → RestroFood → System Status) that displays all requirements and whether your server meets them. Check this before proceeding.

The minimum verified requirements from RestroFood documentation are:

• WordPress: version 5.0 or higher (always use the latest version available)
• PHP: version 7.2 or higher
• MySQL: version 5.6 or higher
• WordPress Memory Limit: at least 256MB recommended
• Maximum Upload File Size: at least 32MB recommended
• PHP Maximum Input Variables: 3,000 recommended
• PHP Time Limit: 300 seconds recommended
• Remote GET and POST methods: must be enabled on your server

If your memory limit or upload size falls below these thresholds, contact your hosting provider before proceeding. Undersized server resources are the most common cause of RestroFood setup problems that take hours to diagnose but minutes to fix at the hosting level.

Step 1: Install WooCommerce and RestroFood Plugin

RestroFood requires WooCommerce to function. WooCommerce provides the product management, checkout, and payment gateway infrastructure that RestroFood builds its restaurant ordering system on. Without an active WooCommerce installation, RestroFood ordering, branch management, and checkout features will not work.

Why WooCommerce Is Required

WooCommerce handles 3 core functions that RestroFood depends on directly:

• Product management – each menu item in RestroFood is a WooCommerce product. Prices, categories, images, and variants are all managed through WooCommerce’s product system.
• Checkout processing – the payment flow, billing fields, and order confirmation all run through WooCommerce’s checkout framework.
• Order management – every order placed through RestroFood is stored and tracked in WooCommerce’s order database.

You do not need a separate WooCommerce account. WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that installs directly into your site. Once installed, it integrates into your WordPress admin area automatically.

Step-by-Step Installation

Installing WooCommerce:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard at yourwebsite.com/wp-admin.
2. Navigate to Plugins → Add New.
3. Search for WooCommerce in the search bar.
4. Click Install Now on the WooCommerce plugin by Automattic, then click Activate.
5. WooCommerce will launch a setup wizard. Complete it by entering your store location, currency, and preferred payment methods (Stripe, PayPal, and bank transfer are available by default).

Installing the RestroFood Plugin:

1. Download the RestroFood plugin zip file from your purchase email or your RestroFood account dashboard.
2. In your WordPress admin, navigate to Plugins → Add New.
3. Click Upload Plugin at the top of the page.
4. Click Choose File and select the RestroFood zip file from your computer.
5. Click Install Now. WordPress will upload and install the plugin automatically.
6. Click Activate Plugin after installation completes.

After activation, a RestroFood menu item appears in your WordPress admin sidebar. If it does not appear, clear your browser cache or check that no other active plugin is conflicting with RestroFood by deactivating other plugins one by one.

Common Installation Issues

“Plugin could not be installed” – the zip file is either corrupted or the wrong file. Re-download from your RestroFood account and try again.

RestroFood menu doesn’t appear after activation – confirm the plugin shows as active under Plugins → Installed Plugins. If active but missing from the menu, deactivate caching plugins temporarily and reload the admin dashboard.

Plugin conflict after activation – deactivate all other plugins, confirm RestroFood works, then reactivate plugins one by one to identify the conflict.

Explore RestroFood All Features

Step 2: Configure RestroFood Plugin Settings

All RestroFood configuration happens under Admin → RestroFood in your WordPress dashboard. The settings panel is organized into sections covering general store details, product display, order behavior, delivery options, payment, email notifications, and more.

How to Access RestroFood Settings?

Navigate to Admin → RestroFood from your WordPress sidebar. This opens the plugin’s main settings page. For quick access, bookmark yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/admin.php?page=restrofood in your browser, useful if you adjust settings frequently.

1. General Settings

The General Settings section is where you establish your restaurant’s core operational identity. Enter:

• Restaurant name, phone number, email address, and physical address – this information appears on customer-facing pages and order receipts.
• Currency – select the currency matching your region (USD, EUR, GBP, and others). RestroFood inherits currency from WooCommerce settings.
• Time zone – this is a critical setting that is frequently overlooked.

Setting the correct time zone: RestroFood operating hours and delivery/pickup time slots run off your WordPress site’s time zone. Navigate to Settings → General in WordPress and set the correct time zone for your restaurant’s location. If your WordPress time zone is wrong, RestroFood will block or accept orders at incorrect times, a problem that creates customer frustration and is difficult to diagnose after the fact.

To set the time zone:

• Go to Settings → General in WordPress.
• Scroll to the Timezone dropdown.
• Select the geographic time zone matching your restaurant’s location.
• Click Save Changes.

2. Product Settings

RestroFood manages menu items as WooCommerce products. Before products display in RestroFood, you need to add them through WooCommerce’s product system:

• Navigate to Products → Add New to create each menu item.
• Add a product title (dish name), description, price, and product image.
• Assign each product to a category (your menu sections, such as Starters, Mains, Desserts).
• Use WooCommerce product variants for items with size or customization options.

Under RestroFood → Settings → Product Settings, you can configure:

• Product display layout – choose between grid, list, or other layout styles to control how the menu appears to customers.
• Product visibility – control which products are shown or hidden in the RestroFood ordering interface.
• Custom labels – highlight items with tags such as “New” or “Chef’s Pick”.
• Flash sale slider – configure a promotional banner section for featured or discounted items.

3. Order Settings

Order settings control how orders are received and processed:

• Order types – configure which order types customers can select: delivery, takeaway, dine-in, or scheduled pickup.
• Minimum order amount – set a minimum cart value required before a customer can place an order. Navigate to RestroFood → Settings → Order Settings to enter your minimum. The system automatically prompts customers to add more items if their cart falls below the threshold.
• Order time limit per slot – set a maximum number of orders that can be placed within a single time slot to prevent kitchen overload during peak hours.
• Checkout type – choose between 2 checkout methods:
  • Same Page (Mini Cart) Checkout – customers complete the order without leaving the product page, ideal for quick-service and mobile-first setups.
  • WooCommerce Default Checkout – redirects to a full checkout page, better for complex orders requiring detailed billing and shipping fields.

To configure checkout type: navigate to RestroFood → Settings → Checkout Settings and select your preferred option.

4. Delivery and Pickup Settings

Configure when and how customers can receive their orders:

• Delivery/Pickup date and time: Navigate to RestroFood → Settings and locate the Delivery/Pickup Time options. Set the specific hours available for delivery or pickup (for example, 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM), the time interval between slots (every 30 minutes or hourly), and which days of the week are available. These slots appear as a calendar and time dropdown during customer checkout.
• Checkout billing and shipping fields: Under RestroFood → Settings → Checkout, you can configure which billing and shipping fields appear at checkout, hiding fields that are not relevant to your operation reduces checkout friction.

5. Email Notification Settings

RestroFood sends automatic email notifications to customers whenever an order status changes, when an order moves from “Received” to “In Preparation” to “Out for Delivery,” for example.

To manage email notifications:

• Navigate to Settings → Email Notifications in RestroFood.
• Use the ON/OFF toggle labeled “Order Status Email Notifications” to enable or disable automatic emails.
• Customize the notification text for each order status, the email subject line, and the header and footer text.
• Set the header background color to match your brand.

These notifications run automatically once enabled, no manual action is required per order.

6. Set the Order Received Page

After a customer completes checkout, they land on an order received (thank-you) page. RestroFood lets you designate which page serves this function:

• Navigate to RestroFood → Settings → Checkout (or Order Settings).
• Locate the Order Received Page option.
• Select an existing WordPress page from the dropdown, or create a new one.
• Save your changes.

If you have multiple branches, RestroFood allows you to set different order received pages per branch.

Step 3: Display Your Ordering System Using the RestroFood Shortcode

RestroFood provides the shortcode [restrofood_products] to embed the complete product ordering interface on any WordPress page or post. Paste this shortcode into any page to display your menu with the full add-to-cart and checkout system.

The RestroFood Product Shortcode

There are 3 ways to display RestroFood products on your site. All 3 render the same Ajax-powered ordering interface, choose the method that fits your workflow:

Method 1 – Shortcode (works in any editor)

The basic shortcode:

[restrofood_products]

This displays all products using default layout settings.

You can customize the display using shortcode attributes:

[restrofood_products col=”4″ cat=”mains” layout=”grid” sidebar=”yes” search=”yes”]

Attribute reference:

• col=”4″ – number of product columns per row
• cat=”mains” – filter to show only products from a specific category
• layout=”grid” – display style (grid or list)
• sidebar=”yes” – show or hide the category sidebar
• search=”yes” – show or hide the product search bar

Method 2 – RestroFood Template (no shortcode needed)

Navigate to RestroFood → Settings → Page Settings and select the page where you want products displayed. RestroFood applies its template to that page automatically, no shortcode paste required.

Method 3 – Elementor Widget

If you build pages with Elementor, locate the RestroFood product widget in the Elementor panel and drag it to your desired location on the page. Customize column count, categories, and layout from the widget settings panel.

Additional Shortcode: Delivery Availability Checker

RestroFood also provides a shortcode for a delivery area checker form, allowing customers to verify if delivery is available at their address before ordering:

Basic version:

[restrofood_delivery_ability_checker]

With custom button text:

[restrofood_delivery_ability_checker button_text=”Check My Area”]

Place this shortcode on your homepage or ordering page to reduce abandoned checkouts caused by customers discovering delivery isn’t available only at the payment step.

How to Find Your Shortcodes in the Admin Panel?

Navigate to RestroFood → Settings and locate the Shortcodes section. All available shortcodes and their attributes are listed there. Copy from the admin panel to avoid typing errors.

Post-Deployment Testing

Before sending customers to your ordering page, run these checks:

• Place a test order through the ordering page and confirm the order appears in WooCommerce → Orders.
• Verify that order status change email notifications arrive at your configured email address.
• Test on a mobile device to confirm the ordering interface loads correctly, and the checkout is usable on a small screen.
• If you configured delivery/pickup time slots, place a test order and confirm the date/time selector appears at checkout.
• If you set a minimum order amount, add items below the threshold and confirm the system blocks checkout and prompts the customer to add more.

Default Pages RestroFood Creates Automatically

When RestroFood is activated, it automatically creates 5 pages in WordPress. These pages are immediately functional and do not require manual setup.

Page	Purpose
Admin	Login page for branch managers, kitchen managers, and delivery staff — each role accesses only their section
Branch Manager	Dedicated page for branch managers to view and manage incoming orders for their location
Kitchen Manager	Page for kitchen staff to track pending, in-progress, and completed orders
RestroFood	The default product display page, this is where the ordering interface appears by default
Delivery	Page for delivery staff to view assigned orders and update delivery status

You can change which page serves each function by navigating to RestroFood → Settings → Page Settings and selecting a different page from the dropdown for any role. The default pages work immediately after activation, but you can replace them with custom-designed pages at any time.

Post-Setup: Key Settings to Configure Next

After completing the 3 core setup steps, these settings have a direct impact on customer experience and should be configured before going live:

Checkout billing/shipping fields – by default, WooCommerce displays a full set of billing and shipping fields. For a restaurant ordering system, many of these fields are unnecessary. Under RestroFood’s checkout settings, hide fields that don’t apply to your order types (for example, “Company Name” or “Address Line 2” for delivery-only operations). Fewer fields at checkout directly reduce order abandonment.

Product preparing and delivery times – set how long each product takes to prepare and how long delivery takes. Navigate to RestroFood → Settings to find these options. These times are used in delivery time estimates shown to customers at checkout.

Product extra items and variants – if your menu items have customization options (toppings, sizes, add-ons), configure these under the individual product settings in WooCommerce. RestroFood supports product variants and extra item add-ons that appear as customer selections during the ordering process.

Color and text customization – under RestroFood → Settings, you can change the plugin’s color scheme to match your restaurant’s branding and customize order status text labels (for example, changing “Processing” to “Preparing Your Order”).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does RestroFood include a built-in POS system?

No. RestroFood does not include a POS system in the core plugin. Point of sale functionality is available through the RestroFood POS Add-on, which is a separate add-on purchase. The POS add-on enables in-house and counter order processing. The core RestroFood plugin handles online ordering, delivery management, and restaurant settings, POS requires the dedicated add-on.

Is the RestroFood shortcode confirmed to work?

Yes. RestroFood provides the shortcode [restrofood_products] to display the ordering interface on any page or post. This is a verified feature documented in RestroFood’s official documentation. The shortcode also accepts attributes to customize column count, category filter, layout style, and sidebar display. A second shortcode, [restrofood_delivery_ability_checker], adds a delivery availability form.

Can I use RestroFood without WooCommerce?

No. WooCommerce is a required dependency. RestroFood’s ordering, product management, checkout, and order tracking all run on WooCommerce’s framework. If WooCommerce is deactivated, RestroFood stops functioning. You do not need a paid WooCommerce account; WooCommerce is a free plugin installed directly from the WordPress plugin directory.

What pages does RestroFood create automatically after installation?

RestroFood creates 5 pages automatically: Admin (login for staff roles), Branch Manager, Kitchen Manager, RestroFood (default product display page), and Delivery (for delivery staff order management). These pages are functional immediately after activation. You can assign different pages to any of these roles under RestroFood → Settings → Page Settings.

How do I set the correct time zone for RestroFood?

The time zone is set in WordPress, not inside RestroFood directly. Go to Settings → General in your WordPress admin dashboard, scroll to the Timezone dropdown, select your restaurant’s local time zone, and save. RestroFood reads this setting to control operating hours, delivery time slots, and order timestamps. An incorrect time zone causes orders to be accepted or blocked at the wrong times.

What are the 3 ways to display RestroFood products on a page?

RestroFood products can be displayed using the shortcode [restrofood_products] (paste into any page or post), the RestroFood template (assign a page in RestroFood → Settings → Page Settings and the template applies automatically), or the RestroFood Elementor widget (drag and drop onto any Elementor-built page). All 3 methods render the same Ajax ordering interface.

Can I set a minimum order amount in RestroFood?

Yes. Navigate to RestroFood → Settings → Order Settings and enter your minimum order value. When a customer attempts to check out with a cart total below the minimum, the system blocks the order and prompts the customer to add more items. This is useful for covering delivery costs on small orders.

What checkout options does RestroFood offer?

RestroFood offers 2 checkout methods. The Same Page (Mini Cart) Checkout keeps customers on the product page throughout the entire order process, faster, better for mobile, and reduces abandonment for simple orders. The WooCommerce Default Checkout redirects customers to a dedicated checkout page with full billing, shipping, coupon, and account options, better for complex orders. Switch between them under RestroFood → Settings → Checkout Settings.

Get Your Restaurant Online with RestroFood Plugin

Configuring the RestroFood plugin takes 3 steps and verified system requirements from official documentation. The result is a restaurant ordering system built on WordPress and WooCommerce, with no monthly SaaS fees, no commission on orders, and full control over your data.

Explore RestroFood Pricing and Add-ons →