Restaurant Online Ordering Without Commission Fees

Third-party delivery apps are easy to sign up for and expensive to live with. If you want restaurant online ordering without commission fees eating your margin, the answer is to take orders on your own site. I build restaurant sites in New Orleans, including online ordering, so here is the plain version of why direct beats the apps on cost.

What the delivery apps really cost

DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub charge restaurants a commission on every order. Depending on the plan and how much visibility you want, that commission commonly runs from 15% to 30% per order. Higher tiers buy better placement in the app and cost more. On a thin restaurant margin, handing over a quarter or a third of an order is the difference between a good week and a flat one.

The math on a single order

Take a 30 dollar order. At a 30% commission, the app keeps 9 dollars. At 15%, it keeps 4.50. Now take that same order on your own site through a card processor at about 2.9% plus 30 cents. That costs you a little over a dollar. The gap is money that stays in your kitchen instead of leaving with the app. I break down processing rates across platforms in website builder transaction fees compared.

Ordering on your own site

Your own ordering page connects straight to a payment processor like Stripe or Square. You pay the card rate and nothing else. There is no commission and no middle layer. You also keep the customer. When someone orders through an app, the app owns that relationship and the data. When they order from your site, the email and the repeat business are yours. That is the ownership side, and it works the same way I describe for stores in do you actually own your Shopify store.

What you keep, what you give up

The apps are not worthless. They bring reach and they handle drivers, which is real work you would otherwise arrange yourself. Direct ordering saves the commission but leaves delivery to you, whether that means pickup only, your own driver, or a flat-fee delivery service. It is a trade between reach and margin.

	Third-party delivery app	Your own ordering
Cost per order	15% to 30% commission	Card processing only, about 2.9% + 30¢
Customer data	The app keeps it	You keep it
Your brand	The app's listing	Your own site
Delivery	Handled by the app	Pickup, your driver, or a flat-fee service
Best for	Reach and delivery labor	Margin and repeat customers

A path that fits most restaurants

Many restaurants run both. They keep a listing on one app for reach and push regulars to order direct, where the food costs the same and the restaurant keeps more. Put the ordering link on your site, your receipts, and your window, and the repeat orders move to the channel you own. My Yami Hibachi build takes orders on the restaurant's own site for that reason, and the OK Ice Cream shop keeps its ordering close to home too.

Want ordering on your own site instead of renting it from an app? Tell me about your restaurant and I will set it up.

How to move regulars to direct ordering

The apps are good at reach. You are better at loyalty, and that is where direct ordering wins. The move is simple and it takes repetition. Put the ordering link on your website, print it on receipts and takeout bags, and stick a small sign at the register. Mention it when regulars come in. Offer a reason to order direct, like a small discount or a free side, since even a dollar off beats handing 30% to an app. Over a few months the customers who order from you every week shift to the channel you own, and the app becomes what it should be, a way for new people to find you rather than the toll booth on every sale.

Common questions

How much do delivery apps charge restaurants?

Commonly 15% to 30% per order, depending on the plan and how much visibility you buy. Higher tiers get better placement in the app and cost more. Some plans add fees for marketing and promotions on top of the base commission.

Is direct ordering cheaper than DoorDash or Uber Eats?

Yes. On your own site you pay only the card processing rate, about 2.9% plus 30 cents per order, instead of a 15% to 30% commission. On a 30 dollar order that is a little over a dollar versus several dollars.

Can I still offer delivery without the apps?

Yes. Options include pickup only, your own driver, or a flat-fee delivery service that charges a set amount instead of a percentage. You keep the order and the customer either way.

Do I need Shopify to take restaurant orders?

No. A custom ordering page connects straight to a processor like Stripe or Square, with no platform commission and no monthly store plan. That is usually a better fit for a restaurant than a full store platform.

Are third-party delivery commissions negotiable?

The tiers are mostly set by plan, though high-volume restaurants sometimes get custom terms. The dependable way to lower your effective fee is to move repeat orders to your own site, where there is no commission at all. The app then earns its cut only on the new customers it actually brings you, which is a fairer trade than paying it on every regular.

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About the author. I'm Walid Elsayed, a web developer in New Orleans. I build restaurant sites with online ordering that connects straight to a payment processor, so the kitchen keeps its margin.

Sources

• DoorDash for Merchants, Partnership Plans and Pricing
• Uber Eats, Pricing for Merchants
• Grubhub for Restaurants, Pricing