If you run a restaurant, bakery, food truck, or home kitchen in Maryland, getting online no longer means building a website or handing 30% of every order to a delivery giant. Here’s how to start selling food online the simple way — and keep more of what you earn.
1. Decide how customers get their food
Before anything else, pick how you’ll fulfil orders. With Optra there are two options, and you can offer either or both:
- Pickup — customers order ahead and collect in store. Zero delivery cost.
- Your own delivery — you (or your staff) deliver locally, on your terms.
Optra doesn’t run a courier fleet, so there are no third-party courier fees sitting between you and the customer. You stay in control of fulfilment, and the margin stays with you.
2. Create your seller account
Sign up on the web — no app needed, and no app-store cut. You’ll add your business name, contact details, and your Maryland address. The whole thing takes a few minutes.
3. Get verified
A quick identity and business check earns you the verified-seller badge. This matters: buyers trust verified sellers, and verified storefronts convert better. Reviews on Optra only come from real, confirmed orders — so the reputation you build is genuinely yours.
4. Build your menu
Add your items, photos, prices, and any options or modifiers from one dashboard. Mark what’s available, set a price tier, and add cuisine tags so you show up in the right searches. A good photo on each item makes a real difference — items with photos sell noticeably more.
5. Set your hours and go live
Set your opening hours, add a cover photo and logo, and flip the switch. Your storefront is now live and discoverable, and customers can order for pickup or delivery and pay securely in the app.
6. Get paid automatically
Every sale is paid up front by the customer and settles to your bank account on a schedule. Payments are escrow-backed, so buyers order with confidence — and you get reliable settlement on fulfilment. You can track every order and payout live from your phone.
What it costs
Optra charges a flat monthly subscription plus a low commission per order — far less than the roughly 15–30% the big delivery apps commonly take, and with no app-store fee. Because you fulfil orders yourself, there are no courier charges either.
Ready to start?
Selling food online in Maryland doesn’t have to mean giving away your margin. See how Optra works for restaurants and food businesses →