I've seen Thai restaurants doing $40,000/month in online orders. $32,000 came through DoorDash and Uber Eats. They were paying 30% commission on those orders. That's $9,600 per month. $115,200 per year. They switched to a direct ordering system, kept the third-party apps for discovery only, and within 8 months, 60% of their online orders were direct. They saved $69,000 in commissions in the first year.
Third-party delivery apps are a discovery channel, not a fulfillment channel. Use them to get found. Convert those customers to direct ordering. Keep the 30% commission for yourself.
DoorDash owns 67% of the US food delivery market in 2026. Uber Eats has 23%. Grubhub is under 10%. The US online food delivery market hit $429.9 billion in 2026. 70% of consumers say they'd rather order directly from a restaurant. But most still use DoorDash because it's what they know. Your job is to make direct ordering easier than opening an app.
Industry Data & Sources:
BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey found that 94% of diners read online reviews before choosing a restaurant.
National Restaurant Association reports that 67% of operators say technology gives them a competitive edge.
Direct vs Third-Party Ordering: Quick Comparison
| Feature | Direct Ordering | Third-Party (DoorDash/Uber Eats) |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | 0% (flat monthly fee) | 15-30% per order |
| Profit on $40 order | $38.54-$40 | $28 |
| Customer data | You own it (email, phone, order history) | App owns it |
| Discovery | You drive your own traffic | Built-in marketplace audience |
| Monthly cost | $0-$399 | $0 + per-order commission |
| Order errors | Direct to your POS/kitchen | Manual tablet entry, higher error rate |
| Rating risk | None (you control the experience) | Driver delays hurt your rating |
| Best for | Profitability, customer relationships | Discovery, reaching new customers |
The Real Cost of Third-Party Delivery
Commission Breakdown
DoorDash: 15-30% commission depending on your plan. Basic plan (15%): you appear in search but get less visibility. Plus plan (25%): better visibility, DashPass eligible. Premium plan (30%): top visibility, marketing support.
Uber Eats: 15-30% commission. Similar tiered structure. Lower commission = lower visibility in the app.
Grubhub: 15-30% commission. Slightly lower average rates than DoorDash and Uber Eats but smaller user base in most markets.
On a $40 order, 30% commission is $12. Your food cost on that order is probably $12 (30%). Your labor is $12 (30%). Your rent and overhead is $8 (20%). You're left with -$4. You lost money on that order. And that's before accounting for packaging costs, which run $1-3 per order.
Hidden Costs
Menu price markup: Most restaurants mark up menu prices 15-20% on delivery apps to offset commissions. Customers notice. They compare your in-restaurant prices to your app prices. Some get angry. Some just order from someone else.
Order errors: Third-party tablets don't integrate with your kitchen display system. Staff manually enter orders from the tablet into your POS. Errors happen. Wrong items. Missing modifications. These errors cost you remakes and refunds.
Customer data: You don't get the customer's email or phone number from third-party orders. You can't add them to your loyalty program. You can't send them a birthday offer. You can't email them about your new menu. The delivery app owns the customer relationship. You're just the kitchen.
Rating risk: A delivery driver takes 45 minutes to deliver food that sat in your hot window for 10 minutes. The customer gets cold food. They blame you, not the driver. Your rating drops. Your organic visibility drops. You had nothing to do with the problem.
Direct Online Ordering: The Profit Alternative
Commission Comparison
Direct ordering platforms charge a flat monthly fee or a small per-transaction fee. No percentage commission.
Toast Online Ordering: Included with Toast POS ($69/month for the starter plan). 0% commission. Customer pays a small processing fee or you absorb it.
Square Online: Free with Square POS. 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee per transaction. No additional commission.
ChowNow: $99-149/month. 0% commission. Includes marketing tools to drive direct orders.
Popmenu: $199-399/month. 0% commission. Includes website, menu management, and marketing automation.
On that same $40 order: Toast charges $0 commission. Square charges $1.46 in processing. ChowNow charges $0 commission (covered by your monthly fee). You keep $38.54-$40 instead of $28. That's $10-12 more profit per order. On 100 orders per month, that's $1,000-1,200. $12,000-14,400 per year.
How to Drive Customers to Direct Ordering
Make your direct ordering site better than DoorDash. Faster. Easier. Better photos. More accurate menu. Remember customer preferences. Save payment information. If your direct ordering experience is worse than DoorDash, customers won't switch.
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Offer a direct ordering incentive. "Order directly on our website and save 10%." You can afford a 10% discount when you're saving 30% in commissions. You're still 20% ahead.
Put a QR code on every takeout bag. "Next time, order directly at [yourwebsite.com/order] and save 10%." The customer is already holding your food. They're already thinking about next time.
Include a card in every delivery order. "Enjoyed your meal? Next time order directly at [yourwebsite.com/order]. Same food, lower prices, supports a local business." DoorDash and Uber Eats prohibit this in their terms of service. Do it anyway. They need you more than you need them.
Train your staff. When someone calls to place a takeout order, say: "I can take your order now, or you can order online at [yourwebsite.com/order]. It's faster and you'll earn loyalty points." Most people will choose the phone. Some will switch. Over time, more will switch.
The Hybrid Strategy
Keep third-party apps for discovery. New customers find you on DoorDash. They try your food. They like it. Now convert them.
How to identify third-party customers: Include a card in every third-party order. "Thanks for ordering! Join our loyalty program for a free appetizer on your next visit. Sign up at [link]." The card doesn't mention ordering directly. It just captures their email. Once you have their email, you can market to them directly.
Run Google Ads for your direct ordering page. Bid on your own restaurant name. When someone searches "Tony's Pizza delivery," your ad appears above the DoorDash listing. They click your ad. They order directly. You pay $1-2 for the click instead of 30% commission.
Technology Stack for Direct Ordering
Ordering Platform
Your website needs an ordering system. Options: Toast Online Ordering (best if you use Toast POS), Square Online (best if you use Square POS), ChowNow (best standalone option), Popmenu (best for full digital presence), GloriaFood (free option, limited features), Owner.com (direct ordering with marketing automation, $199-499/month).
Delivery Logistics
If you offer delivery, you need drivers. Options: hire your own drivers ($15-20/hour plus tips), use a delivery-as-a-service platform (DoorDash Drive charges a flat $6.99-8.99 per delivery with no commission), use a local courier service.
Most independent restaurants should start with pickup-only direct ordering. Add delivery later. Pickup has no driver cost, no delivery radius limitations, no cold food complaints. It's pure profit.
Integration Requirements
Your online ordering system must integrate with your POS. Orders should flow directly to your kitchen display or printer. No manual entry. No tablets. No errors.
Your online ordering system must sync your menu in real-time. If you 86 the halibut, it should disappear from your online menu immediately. Nothing frustrates customers more than ordering something that's not available.
Menu Design for Online Ordering
Your online menu is different from your in-restaurant menu. Online, customers can't ask questions. They can't see the food. They can't smell it. Your menu descriptions have to do all the work.
Every item needs: a mouth-watering description (not just ingredients, but how it tastes and feels), a high-quality photo (items with photos sell 30-50% more), clear customization options (modifiers should be checkboxes, not text fields), accurate pricing (including any online ordering markup).
Organize your online menu logically: Most Popular (top 5-8 items, makes decision-making easy), Appetizers, Salads, Mains (by protein: chicken, beef, seafood, vegetarian), Sides, Desserts, Drinks. Don't replicate your physical menu structure. Design for the screen.
FAQ
Should I be on DoorDash if I'm losing money on every order? Yes, but treat it as a marketing expense, not a revenue channel. Set a monthly budget for third-party commissions. Once you hit that budget, pause new orders or raise your prices. Use the exposure to build your direct ordering customer base.
How do I get my direct ordering URL to rank on Google? Create a dedicated page on your website for online ordering. Target it for "[restaurant name] online ordering" and "[restaurant name] delivery." Build links to this page. Over time, it will outrank the DoorDash listing for your own restaurant name.
What if I can't afford a direct ordering platform? Start with a simple online ordering form on your website. Even a basic form that emails orders to your restaurant is better than paying 30% commission. Upgrade to a proper platform when volume justifies it.
How do I handle the transition from third-party to direct? Don't cut off third-party apps cold turkey. Gradually reduce your visibility on third-party apps while building your direct channel. Lower your commission tier. Reduce your delivery radius. Eventually, keep third-party apps at the lowest commission tier for discovery only.
Related: Restaurant Delivery Guide · Restaurant POS Buying Guide · Restaurant Marketing Plan