How to Add Discount in Woocommerce Restaurant Website

Running a restaurant today is not easy. You are not just competing with nearby places anymore. You are also competing with dozens of food delivery businesses and other online restaurants.

And when customers order food online, they don’t just look at the food menu. They look for offers and discounts.

It is proven that adding discounts is one of the best ways to boost sales and maintain a running WooCommerce restaurant website. So, how do you actually add discounts to your WooCommerce restaurant website in a simple way?

In this guide, you will learn how to set up food ordering discounts step by step using WooCommerce. We will also show you a better way to manage restaurant offers using a tool built specifically for food businesses. So, let’s start. 💁

📚 Quick Overview:

Adding discounts to your WooCommerce restaurant website helps you attract more customers and increase order value without changing your menu prices.
In this guide, you’ll learn:

• how to create and apply discounts in WooCommerce step by step.
• how to set up coupon codes, special offers, and time-based deals.
• how discounts can increase sales and repeat orders.
• how WPCafe helps you manage discounts and offers within your ordering system.

By the end, you’ll understand how to use discounts effectively to grow your restaurant sales and improve customer engagement.

Why Add Discounts to Your WooCommerce Restaurant Website? (Benefits + ROI)

If you look at how people order food online today, one thing is clear – offers influence decisions.

Customers often compare multiple restaurants before placing an order. And in many cases, the one with a better deal wins.

That is why adding WooCommerce restaurant discounts is not just a marketing trick. It directly affects how many orders you get and how much customers spend.

Let’s break down how discounts actually help your restaurant grow.

🍽️ Attract More First-Time Customers

People love a good deal – especially when trying a new restaurant. A simple “10% off your first order” can be enough to turn a hesitant visitor into a paying customer.

Think about it: if someone is choosing between your restaurant and a competitor, a welcome discount could tip the decision in your favor.

Example: A new pizza place offers 15% off for first-time online orders. Within a month, their online orders double – simply because people felt it was low-risk to try.

📈 Increase Average Order Value

Discounts can actually encourage customers to spend more, not less.

Discounts like:

• Returning customer offers
• Weekly deals
• Loyalty-based discounts

make customers feel valued and give them a reason to order again from your website instead of switching to competitors.

🎯 Boost Average Order Value

Discounts don’t always reduce profit. In many cases, they actually increase it.

For example:

• “Get 15% off on orders above $30”
• “Buy 2 items, get 1 free”

These types of food ordering discounts encourage customers to add more items to their cart, which increases your total order value.

💰 The ROI of Restaurant Discounts

Here’s a simple way to think about return on investment:

Discount Offer	Customer Action	Business Outcome
10% off first order	New customer places order	Gain a new customer
Free item on $50+ spend	Customer adds more to cart	Higher order value
Happy hour 20% off	Customers order during slow hours	Fill slow time slots
Weekly loyalty deal	Customer orders every week	Predictable repeat revenue

A well-placed discount doesn’t cost you – it pays you back through volume, loyalty, and growth.

📚 Related reading: Most Used WooCommerce Plugins for Restaurants: Accept Orders, Deliveries, Reservations and More

How to Add Discounts Using Built-in WooCommerce Coupons (Step-by-Step + Simple)

WooCommerce already comes with a built-in discount system called Coupons. You don’t need any extra plugin to create basic discounts. But here’s the thing – this system is made for general online stores, not for restaurants.

For now, let’s see how you can create basic WooCommerce restaurant discounts using the default option.

Step 1 — Go to Coupons in WooCommerce

From your WordPress dashboard:

• Go to Marketing → Coupons
• Click on “Add Coupon”

This is where you will create your discount.

Step 2 — Create Your Coupon Code

You can:

• Add your own code (like FOOD10)
• Or click “Generate coupon code”

Try to use simple and clear names so customers can remember them easily.

Step 3 — Choose the Discount Type

Under General settings, you will see different options:

• Percentage discount → e.g., 10% off
• Fixed cart discount → e.g., $5 off total order
• Fixed product discount → discount on specific items

For most restaurant websites, percentage or cart discounts work best.

Step 4 — Set Basic Rules

You can control how the discount works:

• Minimum order amount (e.g., $20)
• Maximum discount value
• Apply to specific products or categories

This helps you manage your food ordering discounts more carefully.

Step 5 — Publish and Test

Once everything is set, click “Publish” on the right side.
Your coupon is now live! Share the coupon code with your customers via email, social media, or directly on your website.

⚠️ Default WooCommerce Discount Limitations for Restaurants

WooCommerce coupons are functional – but they fall short when it comes to restaurant-specific needs.

Here’s a quick comparison:

Feature	WooCommerce Default	WooCommerce + Dedicated Plugin
Basic coupon codes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Percentage & fixed discounts	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Combo meal deals	❌ No	✅ Yes
Time-based / Happy Hour discounts	❌ No	✅ Yes
Food category-specific discounts	⚠️ Limited	✅ Yes
Easy restaurant-friendly setup	❌ No	✅ Yes
Built for food ordering workflows	❌ No	✅ Yes

A Better Way to Manage Restaurant Discounts in WooCommerce

As you can see, the default WooCommerce discount system works – but it’s generic. It doesn’t understand the way a restaurant operates.

That’s where a dedicated restaurant plugin comes in.

Among all the available restaurant plugin options, one of the most popular and beginner-friendly solutions is the WPCafe.

WPCafe is a modern WordPress plugin designed specifically for restaurants. It simplifies the entire process of managing your food menu, online orders, delivery– and yes, discounts too.

Whether you want to offer combo meal deals, happy hour pricing, or special category discounts, WPCafe makes it straightforward.

The best part? No coding required. Any restaurant owner can set up and manage discount options directly from their WordPress dashboard in just a few clicks.

Let’s Add Discount in your Restaurant menus using WPCafe

Now that you know why WPCafe is a smarter choice for restaurant discounts, let’s get practical.

In this section, we’ll walk you through exactly how to add a discount to your restaurant menu using WPCafe. The steps are simple, beginner-friendly, and require absolutely no coding.

Let’s get started. 👇

Step 1: Install and Activate WPCafe

First, you need to have WPCafe installed on your WordPress site.

• Go to your WordPress Dashboard
• Navigate to Plugins → Add New
• Search for “WPCafe”
• Click Install Now and then Activate

Once activated, you’ll see the WPCafe menu appear on your left dashboard panel.

Step 2: Go to Food Menu Settings

After activation:

• From your dashboard, click on WPCafe
• Navigate to Food Menu
• Select the food item you want to add a discount to
• Click Edit to open the item settings

This is where you’ll control everything about that menu item — including its price and discount.

Step 3: Set the Regular Price and Discounted Price

Inside the food item editor:

• Scroll down to the Product Data section
• You’ll see two price fields:
  • Regular Price — the original price of the item
  • Sale Price — the discounted price you want to offer

Example: If a burger normally costs $15, set the regular price as $15 and the sale price as $12. WPCafe will automatically show both prices on your menu – with the original price crossed out.

This makes the deal visually appealing to customers.

However, you can easily add“Percentage discount” or “Standard discount” to your food menu. Now, all that remains is to analyze your competitors and set the price.

⚙️ Settings Key: WPCafe > Settings > Food Ordering > Discount > Set discount > Save Changes 

From the WordPress dashboard, go to WPCafe > Settings > Food Ordering, Simply scroll down to find the “Discount menu”. Choose Percentage Discount, Standard Discount, or pick specific menus or categories to apply discounts. Set the minimum order total and flat discount amount and add a standard money-off message for your menu. 

1. Percentage discount

This discount method is perfect for enticing customers to spend more or try new dishes. It offers reductions based on a predetermined percentage of the item or order price. For example: Here I have put a 10% discount on the “Veggie Pizza” item.

Backend Dashboard View

Web View Result

🔷You can also make category-wise discounts. For example: Here I have put a 10% discount on all “Pizza” categories.

Backend Dashboard View

Web View Result (1)

Web View Result (2)

2. Standard discount

These fixed-amount reductions work well for clearing slow-moving items or attracting budget-conscious customers. For example: Here I can pre-determine all items above 300 taka to get a discount of 50 taka. There is also a place for the standard discount message.

Note: The discount is automatically applied to the total price on the checkout page.

Backend Dashboard View

Web View Result

3. Addon discount 

This is another magical feature. Through an addon, you can add a different product and you can apply a discount on that product as well. 

Backend Dashboard View

Only WooCommerce Discount vs WPCafe(+WooCommerce)

Feature	WooCommerce Only	WPCafe + WooCommerce
Basic coupon codes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Percentage & fixed discounts	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Combo meal deals	❌ No	✅ Yes
Time-based / Happy Hour discounts	❌ No	✅ Yes
Schedule discount by date	⚠️ Limited	✅ Yes
Food category discounts	⚠️ Limited	✅ Yes
Show sale price on food menu	❌ No	✅ Yes
Restaurant-specific setup	❌ No	✅ Yes
No coding required	⚠️ Sometimes needed	✅ Always easy
Built for food ordering	❌ No	✅ Yes

🚀 Get Started with WPCafe Today

Whether you’re just starting your online restaurant or looking to improve your existing WooCommerce food ordering setup – WPCafe is the easiest way to take control of your restaurant discounts.

Already using WooCommerce for your restaurant? WPCafe works seamlessly with your existing setup – no rebuilding required. Just install, configure, and start growing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)