How to Reduce Delivery-App Commission Dependency
Delivery apps are still useful for discovery, but every order that goes through one pays a commission. Here's how to build a direct ordering channel without dropping delivery apps altogether.
Most restaurant and café owners never fully drop delivery apps — and this isn't a pitch to do that. The problem isn't the platform itself, it's when every order, including from customers who already know you, has to route through one and pay a commission.
What an order through a delivery app actually costs
Every order through a delivery platform pays a commission off the top, before you see the money. There's a second cost that's easy to miss: the customer relationship — who ordered, when, what — stays with the platform. You can't directly reach the customer who loved last week's order.
A direct channel is a complement, not a replacement
- Your own online storefront — a link for your Instagram bio, a table QR code, or a WhatsApp broadcast
- Zero commission on orders through that link
- Direct WhatsApp contact with the customer, for repeat orders
- It doesn't replace delivery apps — most businesses run both
The goal isn't to beat delivery apps. It's to stop depending on them entirely for customers who already know you.
Where to start
The simplest move: create a free storefront with your menu, share the link everywhere customers already find you (Instagram bio, table, social), and let both channels — direct and delivery apps — run side by side. No technical setup required.