Direct Ordering Is About Control, Not Leaving Every Platform
Key takeaway: A delivery platform can be a useful discovery channel. The mistake is treating it as the only route to customers when the restaurant has no way to compare the economics.
Start with the agreement, not a headline percentage.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority found that commission rates vary by restaurant and are generally negotiated between restaurant and platform. Delivery model, marketing placement, payment handling and contractual terms can all change the cost. Your own invoices and agreement are the only reliable starting point.
Compare contribution per order.
Put the same order through each channel and record the menu value, platform or payment fees, discounts funded by the restaurant, packaging, delivery cost and staff time. The comparison is not “platform bad, direct good”; it is whether each channel is producing profitable, repeatable demand.
Make a direct route simple enough to use.
A mobile menu, clear order action, confirmation flow and status updates reduce the temptation to send every buyer back to an intermediary. The first goal is not to replace every channel overnight. It is to give returning customers a reliable choice.
The weekly scorecard
Track orders, average basket, gross sales, fees, discounts, refunds, repeat customers and net contribution by channel. One sheet is enough to expose whether a channel is earning its place.
A direct path worth sharing
Put the direct link where customers already look: Google Business Profile, social bio, packaging and follow-up messages. The direct system must be easier than calling, waiting or hunting for a menu.
Applied example from my work
The MARoselle case study shows how storefront, checkout and order operations can work as one product. My direct ordering service applies that same connected approach to restaurants and retailers.
If you want a cleaner view of your order economics, contact me; we can map the contribution by channel.