ChowNow website screenshot

ChowNow

ChowNow is a Playa Vista, Los Angeles-based restaurant technology company providing commission-free online ordering, branded mobile apps, marketing tools, and operational software purpose-built for independent restaurants. Founded in 2011, ChowNow powers ordering websites, native iOS/Android apps, QR-code dine-in ordering, catering, email and SMS marketing, a rewards program, Flex Delivery, order aggregation, and centralized menu management for 20,000+ restaurants. The platform integrates with 20+ point-of-sale systems including Toast, Square, Revel, Clover, Lightspeed, Heartland Genius, Skytab, and PosiTouch, and syndicates restaurant menus through a Discovery Network spanning Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, and other channels, with optional hand-off to DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub for last-mile delivery. ChowNow's business model is flat-fee software-as-a-service for restaurants rather than per-order commissions, and the company does not publish a public developer API, SDK, OpenAPI specification, webhooks reference, or open developer portal. Third-party integration is handled through pre-built connectors managed inside the restaurant dashboard and a private partnerships program; prospective POS, delivery, and technology partners apply through a partnerships form rather than self-serve API documentation. The company's public GitHub presence consists primarily of forks of open-source Python/JavaScript tooling and archived internal libraries, with no SDK, client library, or specification repositories.

ChowNow is profiled on the APIs.io network. Tagged areas include Restaurants, Online Ordering, Food And Beverage, Restaurant Technology, and Point Of Sale.

ChowNow’s developer surface includes developer portal, pricing, engineering blog, support, and 14 more developer resources.

18.9/100 emerging ▬ flat Agent 0/100 human only Full breakdown ↓
scored 2026-07-27 · rubric v0.5
AccessPaid
0 APIs 13 Features 5 Use Cases
RestaurantsOnline OrderingFood And BeverageRestaurant TechnologyPoint Of SaleDeliveryCateringMarketingMobile AppsIndependent RestaurantsCommission Free

Kin Score

Kin Score Kin Score How this is scored →
scored 2026-07-27 · rubric v0.5
Composite quality — 18.9/100 · emerging
Contract Quality 0.0 / 25
Developer Ergonomics 3.0 / 20
Commercial Clarity 8.4 / 20
Operational Transparency 0.7 / 13
Governance 0.0 / 12
Discoverability 6.8 / 10
Agent readiness — 0/100 · human only
Machine-Readable Contract 0 / 18
Agentic Access Contract 0 / 15
MCP Server 0 / 12
Machine-Readable Auth 0 / 10
Idempotency 0 / 9
Stable Error Semantics 0 / 8
Request/Response Examples 0 / 7
Rate-Limit Signaling 0 / 7
Typed Event Surface 0 / 6
Agent Skills 0 / 5
Well-Known Catalog 0 / 4
Consent & Bot Identity 0 / 3
Improve this rating by publishing the missing artifacts — every area above can be raised, and the full rubric is at apis.io/rating/. This rating is computed from github.com/api-evangelist/chownow: open an issue to ask a question, or submit a pull request to add artifacts. Want it done for you? Prioritized profiling — $2,500 →

Pricing Plans 1

Published pricing tiers and plan structures.

Chownow Plans Pricing

4 plans

PLANS

Features 13

Notable capabilities this provider offers.

Online Ordering

Commission-free direct online ordering for restaurant websites, replacing per-order marketplace commissions with flat-fee SaaS.

Branded Mobile Apps

Custom-branded native iOS and Android ordering apps published under the restaurant's own identity.

Website Builder

Restaurant website creation with integrated direct ordering.

Marketplace

ChowNow's aggregated consumer ordering marketplace that surfaces member restaurants to diners.

Discovery Network

Menu and ordering syndication across Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, Tripadvisor, Snap, and other discovery channels.

QR Code Dine-In Ordering

Scan-to-order experience for on-premise dine-in service.

Catering

Specialized catering and large-order management.

Email And Text Marketing

Customer communication campaigns with contact slots and email/SMS credits scaled by plan tier.

Rewards Program

Customer loyalty and rewards program to drive repeat ordering.

Flex Delivery

Flexible last-mile delivery with optional hand-off to DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub, billed per delivery order.

Order Aggregation

Consolidation of orders from multiple ordering channels into a single stream sent to the POS or printer.

Advanced Reporting

Business analytics, payment insights, and operational reporting.

POS Integrations

Pre-built connectors to 20+ point-of-sale systems for direct order injection.

Scroll for all 13

Security Posture 1

Authentication, domain security, vulnerability disclosure, and trust-center signals.

Chownow Domain Security

TLSv1.3 · HSTS · DMARC

SECURITY

Use Cases 5

What developers build with this provider.

Commission-Free Direct Ordering

Independent restaurants take online orders on their own site and apps without paying per-order commissions to marketplaces.

Owning The Customer Relationship

Restaurants retain customer contact data and use built-in marketing to drive repeat business rather than renting access from aggregators.

Unifying Multi-Channel Orders

Order aggregation routes web, app, dine-in QR, and third-party delivery orders into one POS or printer workflow.

Expanding Discovery Reach

Syndicating menus and ordering through Google, Apple Maps, and Yelp to capture demand without ceding margin.

Adding Delivery Without Commission Lock-In

Using Flex Delivery to offer last-mile fulfillment on a per-order fee basis instead of marketplace commission tiers.

Integrations 5

Pre-built integrations with other platforms and tools.

Point Of Sale Systems

Auphan, Brink, Clover Connect, Curv, Dinerware, EPOSnow, Givex, Genius for Restaurants, InTouch POS, Lavu, Lightspeed, Maitre'D, Oracle MICROS, PixelPoint, POSitouch, Revel, Sil...

Delivery Apps

DoorDash, Grubhub, Skip, and Uber Eats for last-mile delivery hand-off.

Discovery Networks

Apple Maps, Google, Snap, Tripadvisor, and Yelp.

Printers And KDS

Epson and Star Micronics receipt printers and kitchen display systems.

Payments

Card processing through ChowNow's transaction-fee model, with payment insights surfaced via Stripe.

Resources

Get Started 1

Portal, sign-up, and the first successful call

Build 1

SDKs, sample code, and the tooling you integrate with

Access & Security 1

Authentication, authorization, and security posture

Operate 1

Status, limits, changes, and where to get help

Commercial 2

Pricing, plans, and the legal terms of use

Company 3

The organization behind the API

Other 9

Properties that don't map to a standard resource type

Scroll for all 9

Source (apis.yml)

apis.yml Raw ↑
aid: chownow
name: ChowNow
description: ChowNow is a Playa Vista, Los Angeles-based restaurant technology company providing commission-free online ordering,
  branded mobile apps, marketing tools, and operational software purpose-built for independent restaurants. Founded in 2011,
  ChowNow powers ordering websites, native iOS/Android apps, QR-code dine-in ordering, catering, email and SMS marketing,
  a rewards program, Flex Delivery, order aggregation, and centralized menu management for 20,000+ restaurants. The platform
  integrates with 20+ point-of-sale systems including Toast, Square, Revel, Clover, Lightspeed, Heartland Genius, Skytab,
  and PosiTouch, and syndicates restaurant menus through a Discovery Network spanning Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, and other
  channels, with optional hand-off to DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub for last-mile delivery. ChowNow's business model is
  flat-fee software-as-a-service for restaurants rather than per-order commissions, and the company does not publish a public
  developer API, SDK, OpenAPI specification, webhooks reference, or open developer portal. Third-party integration is handled
  through pre-built connectors managed inside the restaurant dashboard and a private partnerships program; prospective POS,
  delivery, and technology partners apply through a partnerships form rather than self-serve API documentation. The company's
  public GitHub presence consists primarily of forks of open-source Python/JavaScript tooling and archived internal libraries,
  with no SDK, client library, or specification repositories.
type: Index
accessModel:
  pricing: paid
  onboarding: unknown
  trial: false
  try_now: false
  public: false
  label: Paid
  confidence: medium
  source:
  - plans
  generated: '2026-07-22'
  method: derived
position: Provider
access: 3rd-Party
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/icons/chownow.png
tags:
- Restaurants
- Online Ordering
- Food And Beverage
- Restaurant Technology
- Point Of Sale
- Delivery
- Catering
- Marketing
- Mobile Apps
- Independent Restaurants
- Commission Free
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/chownow/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2026-05-25'
modified: '2026-06-02'
specificationVersion: '0.20'
apis: []
common:
- type: DomainSecurity
  url: security/chownow-domain-security.yml
- type: Portal
  title: Website
  url: https://get.chownow.com
- type: Marketplace
  url: https://www.chownow.com
- type: Resources
  title: Products
  url: https://get.chownow.com/products/
- type: Integrations
  url: https://get.chownow.com/integrations/all/
- type: Pricing
  url: https://get.chownow.com/pricing/
- type: Plans
  url: plans/chownow-plans-pricing.yml
- type: Resources
  title: Demo
  url: https://get.chownow.com/demo/
- type: Blog
  url: https://get.chownow.com/blog/
- type: Support
  url: https://support.chownow.com
- type: Resources
  title: About
  url: https://get.chownow.com/about/
- type: Resources
  title: Careers
  url: https://chownow.com/careers
- type: Partners
  title: Partner Program
  url: https://get.chownow.com/affiliates/partner-signup/
- type: Resources
  title: Refer A Restaurant
  url: https://get.chownow.com/refer-a-restaurant/
- type: GitHubOrganization
  url: https://github.com/ChowNow
- type: X
  url: https://twitter.com/ChowNow
- type: LinkedIn
  url: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chownow
- type: Resources
  title: Facebook
  url: https://www.facebook.com/ChowNow
- type: Resources
  title: Instagram
  url: https://www.instagram.com/chownow
- type: Features
  data:
  - name: Online Ordering
    description: Commission-free direct online ordering for restaurant websites, replacing per-order marketplace commissions
      with flat-fee SaaS.
  - name: Branded Mobile Apps
    description: Custom-branded native iOS and Android ordering apps published under the restaurant's own identity.
  - name: Website Builder
    description: Restaurant website creation with integrated direct ordering.
  - name: Marketplace
    description: ChowNow's aggregated consumer ordering marketplace that surfaces member restaurants to diners.
  - name: Discovery Network
    description: Menu and ordering syndication across Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, Tripadvisor, Snap, and other discovery channels.
  - name: QR Code Dine-In Ordering
    description: Scan-to-order experience for on-premise dine-in service.
  - name: Catering
    description: Specialized catering and large-order management.
  - name: Email And Text Marketing
    description: Customer communication campaigns with contact slots and email/SMS credits scaled by plan tier.
  - name: Rewards Program
    description: Customer loyalty and rewards program to drive repeat ordering.
  - name: Flex Delivery
    description: Flexible last-mile delivery with optional hand-off to DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub, billed per delivery
      order.
  - name: Order Aggregation
    description: Consolidation of orders from multiple ordering channels into a single stream sent to the POS or printer.
  - name: Advanced Reporting
    description: Business analytics, payment insights, and operational reporting.
  - name: POS Integrations
    description: Pre-built connectors to 20+ point-of-sale systems for direct order injection.
- type: UseCases
  data:
  - name: Commission-Free Direct Ordering
    description: Independent restaurants take online orders on their own site and apps without paying per-order commissions
      to marketplaces.
  - name: Owning The Customer Relationship
    description: Restaurants retain customer contact data and use built-in marketing to drive repeat business rather than
      renting access from aggregators.
  - name: Unifying Multi-Channel Orders
    description: Order aggregation routes web, app, dine-in QR, and third-party delivery orders into one POS or printer workflow.
  - name: Expanding Discovery Reach
    description: Syndicating menus and ordering through Google, Apple Maps, and Yelp to capture demand without ceding margin.
  - name: Adding Delivery Without Commission Lock-In
    description: Using Flex Delivery to offer last-mile fulfillment on a per-order fee basis instead of marketplace commission
      tiers.
- type: Integrations
  data:
  - name: Point Of Sale Systems
    description: Auphan, Brink, Clover Connect, Curv, Dinerware, EPOSnow, Givex, Genius for Restaurants, InTouch POS, Lavu,
      Lightspeed, Maitre'D, Oracle MICROS, PixelPoint, POSitouch, Revel, Silverware, Skytab, Square, Stream, Toast, Universal
      POS, Verona, and Volante.
  - name: Delivery Apps
    description: DoorDash, Grubhub, Skip, and Uber Eats for last-mile delivery hand-off.
  - name: Discovery Networks
    description: Apple Maps, Google, Snap, Tripadvisor, and Yelp.
  - name: Printers And KDS
    description: Epson and Star Micronics receipt printers and kitchen display systems.
  - name: Payments
    description: Card processing through ChowNow's transaction-fee model, with payment insights surfaced via Stripe.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com