ChowNow Updates Platforms to Boost Restaurant Revenue

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Over 400,000 independent restaurants in the United States are operating in razor-thin margins, with food, labor, and operational costs rising. Wholesale food prices have increased by 35% since February 2020, and a third of restaurant operators reported that their businesses were not profitable in the first half of 2026. Third-party delivery platforms exacerbate this issue, often charging as much as 25 to 30% per order.

Kanika Soni, CEO of ChowNow, emphasizes the importance of capturing more value from every order and every guest.

ChowNow, the restaurant growth platform, has recently updated its three product suites: Ordering, Marketing, and Operations. These updates are designed to help independent restaurants regain control of their orders, their data, and their diners. The platform now includes SMS alongside email, loyalty, and customer data tools, all backed by automation. This allows campaigns to run themselves once they are set up, and restaurants can also launch their own custom email and SMS campaigns on demand, reaching a larger audience by uploading their existing contact lists.

The Marketing Suite now includes SMS alongside email, loyalty, and customer data tools, all backed by automation. This enables campaigns to run themselves once they are set up, and restaurants can also launch their own custom email and SMS campaigns on demand, reaching a larger audience by uploading their existing contact lists. The Marketing Suite now includes SMS alongside email, loyalty, and customer data tools, all backed by automation. This allows campaigns to run themselves once they are set up, and restaurants can also launch their own custom email and SMS campaigns on demand, reaching a larger audience by uploading their existing contact lists.

ChowNow's update strengthens all three suites, bringing online ordering, catering, and QR code ordering together into a single operating system. This helps restaurants scale their direct revenue and deepen guest relationships, while running their business with less complexity.

The Marketing Suite now includes SMS alongside email, loyalty, and customer data tools, all backed by automation. This allows campaigns to run themselves once they are set up, and restaurants can also launch their own custom email and SMS campaigns on demand, reaching a larger audience by uploading their existing contact lists. The Marketing Suite now includes SMS alongside email, loyalty, and customer data tools, all backed by automation. This allows campaigns to run themselves once they are set up, and restaurants can also launch their own custom email and SMS campaigns on demand, reaching a larger audience by uploading their existing contact lists.

The Catering Suite now offers a direct, branded online ordering experience for high-ticket orders, with dedicated menus, flexible scheduling, and streamlined order management. This also captures the customer data that comes with it, for future marketing purposes. A restaurant running 10 catering orders a month at a $360 average order value could save more than $4,300 a year with ChowNow's catering rate versus a 15% marketplace commission.

QR Code Ordering speeds up ordering and payment while capturing valuable diner data that restaurants can use to drive targeted marketing and repeat visits. Data from ChowNow shows that restaurants using QR code ordering see an average 9% increase in check size. Restaurants powered by ChowNow are already seeing results. Since sending its first campaign in May 2026, DJ's Pizza has generated 542 orders and more than $32,700 in direct sales from its ChowNow email and SMS campaigns. And since adding ChowNow Catering in late 2025, Real Mediterranean Kitchen has generated over $80,000 across more than 130 catering orders, demonstrating how restaurants can use direct digital tools to expand beyond individual takeout orders and capture larger ticket demand.

The update also lays the groundwork for ChowNow's next generation of AI-powered restaurant tools, which are set to launch in Q4 2026.

ChowNow, which is trusted by more than 15,000 restaurants nationwide, is a restaurant growth platform offered in three packages: Launch, Grow, and Elevate. It helps independent restaurants attract diners, grow revenue, and own their customer relationships. Since 2011, ChowNow has helped independent restaurants save $1.36 billion in commission fees, an average of $16,000 per restaurant per year compared to third-party marketplaces.