As shares of the online food ordering company GrubHub shot up on Wall Street last week, and news broke that Olive Garden restaurants would debut online ordering this month, a small Wilmington restaurant stuck a fork in growing high-tech menu service.

The Greeks launched online ordering last week at its Beau Rivage Marketplace store, 5920 Carolina Beach Road, and was scheduled to go live this week at its downtown location, 124 Princess St.

Providing ultra-quick and fuss-free service for both take-out and eat-in orders is the goal, said Yanni Papanikolaou, who operates The Greeks with his parents and sister.

“If they [customers] are sitting at their desks thinking ‘I don’t even feel like calling,’ they can order right on their computers,” Papanikolaou said.

The Greeks’ point-of-sale system, provided by Pennsylvania-based Harbortouch, also works on tablets, laptops and smart phones. A button on The Greeks’ Facebook page (www.facebook.com/thegreeksnc) directs diners to the online menu, which includes photos of most dishes. Selections may be customized, say extra gyro meat or dressing on the side, and diners can note if an order is to-go. Payment is made online. From there, customers need only pop in for pick-up; delivery is not offered, Papanikolaou said. 

As they are placed, online orders show up on the cash register and in the kitchen, Papanikolaou said. The system limits the number of orders, so as not to overload The Greeks’ kitchens, and large orders must still be placed by telephone or in person, Papanikolaou said.

GrubHub Inc. shares jumped nearly 50 percent in early trading after an initial public offering that valued the company upwards of $2 billion, the Associated Press reported. Meantime, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Orlando, Fla.- based Darden Restaurants, which operates Olive Garden, would begin online ordering at the Italian chain in April.

Papanikolaou said he hopes area independent restaurants, especially downtown, won’t leave online ordering to chain and large national food service companies.

“The more convenient it is for people to come downtown and spend money, it’s good for all of us,” he said.