Delivery apps solved a real problem for restaurants. They brought customers you couldn’t reach on your own, and they did it overnight. The cost is a commission on every order, often somewhere between 25% and 35% once marketing fees and promotions are added, and customers who think of the app, not you, as the place they order from.
We’re not anti-app. For most restaurants they’re a useful discovery channel. The problem is when they become the only channel, and every repeat order from a loyal customer still pays the platform’s cut.
Work out what an app order is really worth
Take your average app order value and subtract the commission, any packaging you supply and any promotions the platform asks you to fund. Now do the same for an order taken directly through your own website or phone line, where the main costs are your ordering system fee and card processing.
For example, on a £30 order with a 30% commission, the platform keeps £9. Taken direct, you might pay around £1 in fees. That £8 difference is what each customer you move to ordering direct is worth to you, every single time they reorder.
Keep the apps for discovery
Most restaurants shouldn’t leave the apps entirely. They’re good at putting you in front of people who’ve never heard of you. The aim is simple: let the apps win you the first order, then make the second order come to you.
Make ordering direct the easy option
- A menu and ordering page that works in two taps on a phone. If it’s slower than the app, people will use the app.
- Your own ordering link on your Google Business Profile, alongside or instead of the app links.
- A clear reason to order direct, such as a small loyalty reward or free side, without undercutting your own prices.
- A leaflet or card in every delivery bag with a QR code to your direct ordering page.
- An email or text after the first direct order to bring them back. This is where a customer list starts paying for itself.
Measure it
Track the split between app and direct orders every month, and the average order value on each. If direct orders are growing and app orders are holding steady, you’re winning back margin without losing reach.
If you want help building a direct ordering journey that actually gets used, that’s exactly what our Booked plan and website builds are designed for.
Want this done for you? Get a free proposal.