Online Ordering Through Your Website vs Third-Party Apps: The Math
If you run a restaurant in 2026, you are almost certainly on at least one third-party delivery platform. DoorDash, UberEats, Grubhub — they bring in orders, and that is hard to argue with. But at what cost?
Let me walk you through the actual numbers and make the case for why your own online ordering system deserves a seat at the table alongside (not necessarily replacing) third-party apps.
What Third-Party Apps Actually Cost
The commission structures vary, but here is what most restaurants are paying:
DoorDash
- Basic Plan: 15% commission (customers pay delivery fees)
- Plus Plan: 25% commission (reduced delivery fees for customers)
- Premier Plan: 30% commission (lowest delivery fees, priority placement)
UberEats
- Lite: 15% (pickup only)
- Plus: 25% (pickup + delivery)
- Premium: 30% (priority placement + marketing)
Grubhub
- Basic: 15% (pickup only)
- Standard: 20%
- Premium: 25-30%
On top of commissions, most platforms charge:
- Payment processing fees (2.5-3%)
- Tablet rental fees ($5-10/week)
- Marketing fees if you want visibility in the app
Let's Do the Math
Say your restaurant does $10,000/month in third-party delivery orders at an average commission of 25%.
- Commission: $2,500/month
- Payment processing: $250/month
- Tablet fees: $40/month
- Total cost: $2,790/month = $33,480/year
That is $33,480 going to a platform that also owns the customer relationship. The customer ordered from DoorDash, not from your restaurant. They get DoorDash's marketing emails, not yours. If they have a bad delivery experience, they blame you.
What Your Own Ordering System Costs
A custom online ordering system built into your restaurant website typically costs:
- Build cost: $2,000-5,000 (one-time)
- Payment processing: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (Stripe)
- Hosting and maintenance: $100-200/month
Using the same $10,000/month in orders:
- Payment processing: $320/month
- Hosting/maintenance: $100/month
- Total cost: $420/month = $5,040/year
Annual savings: $28,440
Read that again. Nearly $30,000 per year in savings — and that is on just $10,000/month in orders. If you are doing $20,000 or $30,000 in delivery orders, the savings double and triple.
Beyond the Math: What You Gain
You Own the Customer Data
When someone orders through your website, you get their email, phone number, and order history. You can:
- Send them promotions and specials
- Build a loyalty program
- Analyze ordering patterns to optimize your menu
- Re-engage customers who have not ordered recently
Third-party apps keep all of this data for themselves.
Your Brand, Your Experience
On DoorDash, your restaurant is one listing among hundreds. Your branding is reduced to a logo and a few photos. On your own website, you control the entire experience — the design, the messaging, the upsells, the thank-you page.
No Platform Dependency
When a third-party app changes its algorithm, raises commissions, or decides to promote a competitor, you have no control. Your own ordering system cannot be taken away from you.
Higher Average Order Values
Multiple studies show that orders placed directly on restaurant websites have 20-30% higher average values than third-party app orders. Why? Because you can design the ordering flow to suggest add-ons, highlight premium items, and present your full menu in the best light. Third-party apps compress your menu into a generic format that does not do your food justice.
The Hybrid Approach
I am not suggesting you pull off third-party apps entirely. They serve a purpose:
- Discovery: People browse DoorDash looking for something new. That exposure has value.
- Convenience: Some customers are loyal to the app, not any specific restaurant. They are going to order through the app regardless.
- Delivery logistics: If you do not have your own drivers, third-party delivery infrastructure is useful.
The smart play is a hybrid approach:
- Keep third-party listings but on the lowest-commission tier
- Build your own ordering system on your website
- Drive customers to order direct — Flyers in delivery bags ("Order direct and save 10%"), social media pushes, signage in the restaurant
- Offer incentives for direct orders — Lower prices, exclusive menu items, loyalty points
Over time, you shift the ratio. Instead of 80% third-party / 20% direct, you flip it. Every percentage point that moves from third-party to direct is money back in your pocket.
What a Good Ordering System Looks Like
Your online ordering should be:
- Mobile-first — Most orders are placed on phones
- Fast — Three taps from "I want food" to "order placed"
- Visual — Photos of every dish, not just text descriptions
- Flexible — Modifiers, special instructions, tip options
- Integrated — Orders go directly to your kitchen printer or POS
- Branded — Your colors, your logo, your voice
It should not feel like a tech project to your customers. It should feel like ordering food.
Getting Started
If you are doing any meaningful volume on third-party apps, the ROI on your own ordering system is almost immediate. A $2,000-5,000 investment pays for itself in 1-2 months of commission savings.
At North Shore Labs, we build restaurant websites with integrated ordering systems that are designed to convert. Your menu, your brand, your customer data — with none of the 25% commission. Let's run the numbers for your restaurant.