Domains for Toast Websites and Online Ordering Pro

Your domain is the web address for your restaurant (or brand) page. 

• For Toast Websites users, connecting a domain will allow you to publish your website and all the related pages you’ve created. 
• For Toast Online Ordering Pro users, connecting a subdomain (e.g., order.yourrestaurant.com) will provide you with a pre-configured URL where your guests will go to place orders. If you have multiple locations under one brand, this URL (Uniform Resource Locator) will first bring guests to the Location Picker.

For both Toast Websites and Online Ordering Pro, you can connect to a domain you already own. For Toast Websites, you can purchase a domain directly from the configuration page in Toast Web. The article addresses both of those options. 

Note: To ensure the most reliable and long-term connection to Toast Websites, we recommend avoiding Cloudflare as a domain host. If you are new to Toast Websites and purchased your domain through Cloudflare, please transfer your domain to another provider, such as GoDaddy, IONOS, or NameCheap. You can follow these instructions here (external link) to begin the domain transfer.

If you're upgrading to a Toast Website from Online Ordering Pro and have previously linked a custom subdomain to your Online Ordering Pro account, that subdomain will be disconnected as part of your transition. Until you've activated your Website, you should direct your Online Ordering customers to your public Online Ordering link, which you can find on your Restaurant Info page in Toast. We recommend updating channels such as Google My Business or social media profiles with this link to ensure your customers can continue placing orders.

Interested in adding a subscription to Toast Websites or Online Ordering Pro for your restaurant?

US Customers can navigate to Toast Shop.

• Add Toast Websites
• Add Online Ordering Pro

For customers outside of the US, please reach out to your Onboarding Consultant (OC) or Customer Success Manager (CSM) to add Toast Websites and Online Ordering Pro.

In this Article:

• Domain Overview
• Online Ordering Pro Required Records
• Toast Websites Required Records 
• Connect a Domain That You Own
• Purchase a Domain (Toast Websites)
• Activate a Generic URL
• Manage Domain Settings
• Troubleshooting Domain Setup
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Additional Resources
  • Toast Websites
  • Toast Online Ordering Pro

Overview for bringing Toast Websites live.

Domain Overview

The Domain section of Online Ordering Pro allows users to set up their custom domain rather than use the pre-created URL provided by Toast.

The settings window will show the user different statuses for the domain itself: 

• Active - Domain is ready for use
• Error - Toast could not connect to the domain
• Not Connected - A domain has not been configured
• Verifying - Displays after a user adds a subdomain until the domain is verified. 
  • If the domain is verified within 24 hours, the status will switch to Active
  • If the domain is not verified within 24 hours, the status will switch to Error
    
     

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Online Ordering Pro Required Records

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Toast Websites Required Records

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Connect a Domain That You Own

To connect to a domain that you already own, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to the Website Dashboard section:|
   
   

   For Toast Websites	For Toast Online Ordering Pro
   Using the left-hand navigation in Toast Web, select Websites. On your Website Dashboard, navigate to the Manage Your Domain section.	Using the left-hand navigation in Toast Web, select Takeout & delivery > Branding & customization > Branding & customization configuration. Select Settings on the Branding & Customization Configuration left-hand menu.

2. Select + Connect your domain in the Manage Your Domain section, or select Connect Now if you see a red banner at the top of your page – both buttons will do the same thing.
3. On the pop-up message, select Continue.
   
    
    
4. Enter the name of your domain, and then select Continue again. 
   1. Note: For Toast Online Ordering Pro, it’s recommended to use a subdomain of your website here (e.g., order.yourrestaurant.com).
5. Follow the steps to connect to your DNS (Domain Name System) provider. Entri, the system Toast uses to configure your domain, will search for your provider and allow you to sign in and connect seamlessly. You’ll have the option to set up your domain manually if necessary. 

Once the process is complete, you’ll see that your Domain status has changed to “verifying”. 

Changes typically take less than a few hours to process, but may take up to 48 hours in some cases. Once your domain is connected, the status will change to “active.” 

If you completed domain setup 48 hours ago and the domain is still not active, please contact websites@toasttab.com. 

Note: For Toast Websites, if you need to add another domain for another brand, you can do so by selecting + Connect another domain and following steps 3-5 described above.
 

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Purchase a Domain (Toast Websites)

For Toast Websites, if you’d like to purchase a new domain for your restaurant or brand, you can do so directly within Toast. 

1. Navigate to the Website Dashboard section: 
2. In the Manage Your Domain section, select Purchase a domain.
3. In the pop-up window, type in the name of the domain you’d like to purchase
   
   
   
   
4. A new window will open with the results of your domain search.
   1. If the domain name is available, you’ll have the ability to purchase it.
   2. If the domain name is taken, you’ll see a few alternative domain options. You can select one of those or try searching for a different domain name.
5. Complete the guided steps to make your purchase and automatically connect your domain to Toast. 

Once the process is complete, you’ll see that your Domain status has changed to “verifying.” 

Changes typically take less than a few hours to process, but may take up to 48 hours in some cases. Once your domain is connected, the status will change to “active.” 

If you completed the domain setup 48 hours ago and the domain is still not active, please contact websites@toasttab.com. 

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Activate a Generic URL 

To get started with your website quickly, you can activate a generic URL that's visible to the public and ready to use immediately. 

1. On the top of the Website Dashboard, select Go Live.
   
   
    
2. In the next pop-up window, select Go Live with a Generic URL Instead.
   
   
   
   
3. Confirm that you are ready to go live with your website by selecting Yes, Take My Site Live. You will then see a pop-up with your website loading.
4. Once complete, your generic URL and site will be live.
   
   

Note: If you add a custom URL later, you can do so by navigating to the Website Dashboard and following the steps in this article for Connect a Domain That You Own or Purchase a Domain (Toast Websites).

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Manage Your Domain Settings

When you connect your domain to your Toast Website, you will be able to see the DNS (Domain Name Settings) that Toast is receiving from the domain provider, which will help you identify any errors. 

1. Log in to Toast Web and navigate to Websites > Manage Your Domains.
2. Select the gear icon next to Domain Status.
3. If all settings are listed as Correct, your domain status will be Active.
4. If there are any errors with your domain status, you can identify the errors and select the copy icon to capture the correct information for your domain provider. Example below:

Note: All necessary domain corrections must be made inside your domain provider, not in Toast Web. 

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Troubleshooting Domain Setup

To resolve the "Connection not private" error, check your DNS settings with your domain provider.
 

If you've completed the steps of domain setup but your page isn't showing on your custom domain (or you're experiencing a DNS resolution error), try the following troubleshooting steps:
 

• Use a DNS lookup tool like this one (external link) to confirm that your A record has been properly created.
• Make sure you have pop-ups enabled on your internet browser.
• Check your domain registrar's records to ensure that they match the required values below. 
• Delete records that may cause interference (see table).

Online Ordering Pro Required Records