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Key Takeaways
The Problem with Third-Party Apps
- Commissions eat 15–30% per order → up to $36K+ lost yearly.
- Aggregators own your customers, data, and visibility.
- Rising fees = long-term dependency trap.
The Benefits of Going Direct
- Higher margins: Every direct order = more profit.
- Full control: Menus, upsells, promos, loyalty—all yours.
- Unified operations: POS, kitchen, payments, and data in one system.
- Smarter growth: Data-driven promos, menu optimization, and loyalty programs.
- Operational flexibility: Pause orders, auto-hide out-of-stock items, update in real time.
What to Look For
- Easy menu management
- POS & delivery integration
- Real-time reporting & analytics
- Loyalty & promo tools
- Mobile-first, multichannel ordering=
Bottom line: Owning your ordering platform means more profit, more control, and stronger customer loyalty—without paying aggregator premiums.
Why? Because third-party aggregators like UberEats and DoorDash take up to 30% commission per order, while leaving you with zero control over customer data or brand experience.
But there’s a better way: owning your online ordering system. In this blog post, we’ll explore:
- The hidden cost of third-party delivery platforms
- How branded ordering systems increase revenue and efficiency
- What to look for in a restaurant-first ordering platform
The Growing Cost of Third-Party Aggregators
Aggregators promise convenience, but at a steep and growing price. Most aggregator platforms take 15–30% in commission, plus a per-order pickup fee. Combined, it could cost anywhere from twenty to thirty percent additional cost.
Let’s say your restaurant pulls in $10,000/month through third-party delivery app orders. If you’re paying 30% commission, that’s $3,000/month or $36,000 a year, gone just in fees to platforms that own your customers and your data.
In the long-term, it’s a deterrent for customers. As prices get inflated to cover these costs, customers may hesitate to reorder from you, even when they love your food.
We’ve done a detailed breakdown of how much Doordash, UberEats, and GrubHub charge restaurants. For a growing chain or even a single-location business, these fees stack up fast.
What You Lose with Third-Party Delivery Apps
You Lose Customer Data And Branding Control
When customers order through aggregator customers, they aren’t yours. The platform owns the relationship and the insights. You receive little to no data on their preferences, spending habits, or ordering frequency, which means no loyalty, no personalization, and no remarketing.
You Lose Control Over How You Show Up
Unlike your own digital channels, third-party apps promote competitors right next to you. Discounts, rankings, and promos often go to the highest bidder, not the best restaurant experience.
You Risk Long-Term Dependency
What starts as a convenient boost turns into a long-term crutch. As commission fees rise and customer loyalty shifts toward the aggregator, you may find yourself trapped in a cycle of dependency.
What is a Direct Online Food Ordering Software?
An online ordering system is a branded platform (website or app) that lets customers order directly from you—no middlemen, no commissions, no compromises.
You own the system and it connects your restaurant to sell directly to customers instead of routing through a middleman good aggregator app.
Benefits of an Online Food Ordering Software
Let’s walk through the most impactful restaurant ordering software benefits that drive real-world ROI.
1. More Revenue, Less Commission Drain
Every direct order means money stays in your pocket instead of going to aggregators. Even moving 20–30% of your orders to your own platform can save thousands each month.
Case in point: Jeremy's Kitchen adopted a branded ordering system and, within a few months, digital sales grew to 45% of total revenue.
The takeaway? Direct platforms don’t just cut aggregator fees; they unlock a new revenue stream altogether.
Pro tip: Tools like Restolabs help small and growing restaurants scale fast without depending on third-party apps to reach customers. Find out how.
2. Full Control of Brand and Customer Experience
On aggregator apps, your restaurant sits beside dozens of competitors. With your own platform, you control every touchpoint—menus, upsells, checkout flow, promotions, and loyalty programs.
Take Oil Center Deli, a Restolabs customer, for instance. After launching their custom-branded ordering site, they saw a 60% increase in revenue in just one month, proving that brand visibility + user experience directly impacts growth.
3. Unified Data, Smarter Decisions
Instead of juggling spreadsheets, patchy APIs, or multiple vendors, a single ordering system connects everything: POS, kitchen tickets, payments, and customer data.
That means:
- Real-time visibility across every channel
- Fewer vendors to manage and chase
- Less room for error, and more room for speed
- Lower reliance on Excel or delayed aggregator updates
4. Customer Data = Loyalty Engine
Aggregators own the customer relationship—you don’t. With direct orders, you capture powerful insights like favorite items, order frequency, and spend patterns.
That data fuels:
- Personalized promotions
- Smarter menu decisions
- Loyalty programs that keep customers coming back
5.Operational efficiency and order accuracy
When the rush hits, aggregator apps don’t let you adjust. With a branded system like Restolabs, you can:
- Pause online orders during peak hours
- Auto-hide items when stock runs out
- Sync menu updates instantly across channels
This prevents refunds, bad reviews, and unnecessary chaos.
What to Look for in an Online Food Ordering System
When choosing an online ordering platform, look for features that support your growth, simplify your workflows, and enhance your customer experience from start to finish.
Turn Every Order into Profit with Restolabs
The most successful restaurants are not just optimizing their food, they're optimizing their operations as well. Restolabs gives you the tools to take charge of your digital ordering, boost margins, and deliver standout customer experiences, without paying a premium to aggregators.
Whether you’re a local spot scaling to multiple locations, or a chain looking to cut delivery app costs—Restolabs puts you back in charge.
With our platform, you can:
- Convert more direct orders
- Save on aggregator fees
- Personalize your customer experience
- Scale fast—without extra tech overhead
All from one easy-to-manage, platform that puts you in full control.
Own Your Orders, Own The Growth
Let’s build your branded ordering system today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all. While large chains benefit from scale, online ordering software is ideal for any growing restaurant or hospitality brand looking to reduce third-party costs, increase direct sales, and improve operational control, whether you have two or twenty locations.
No. Modern platforms like Restolabs offer intuitive dashboards that make managing your menu, orders, and promotions easy for non-tech staff.
You can usually get up and running in a matter of days, depending on the complexity of your menu and integrations. Restolabs, for example, helps brands launch fully functional, branded ordering systems in over a week.
You’ll gain access to rich customer insights like order frequency, preferences, spend patterns, and more.
Yes. Most reputable systems offer native integrations with popular POS systems and third-party delivery services to streamline kitchen operations and reduce manual input.
Restaurants that shift even 20–30% of their online orders from aggregators to direct channels often see thousands in monthly savings. Combined with increased efficiency and higher customer retention, the long-term ROI is significant.
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