Food delivery platforms bring restaurants a large customer base, but the price is the commission taken from every order. As orders grow, so does the commission you pay. At this point many businesses ask the same question: should we set up our own ordering system?
What does your own ordering system mean?
A system where customers order directly through your website or your own app, pay, and the order is sent to the kitchen. With no platform in between, you pay no commission per order; only the payment provider’s transaction fee remains.
How much can it save?
To see this, work out your current commission burden. For example, a restaurant with 1,000 orders a month and an average basket of ₺400 pays about ₺80,000 a month at a commission of around 20%. Even if only a quarter of those orders move to your own system, roughly ₺20,000 a month stays in your pocket. You can see your own figures with our Commission Calculator.
Not just commission: the customer data is yours too
A customer who orders on a platform is the platform’s customer; you can’t reach their phone number or order history. On your own system you know who orders what and how often. With that data you can do things that aren’t possible on a platform, like birthday discounts, loyalty points or special offers for customers who haven’t ordered in a while.
Should you leave the platforms?
No. Platforms are a powerful shop window for finding new customers. The right strategy is to use both: let new customers come from the platform and let returning customers order through your own system. Putting a card or QR code about your own ordering channel in the bag is the easiest way to start that shift.
What to watch out for
- Ease: Ordering shouldn’t be harder than on the platform. Ordering in a few taps and card payment are a must.
- Delivery: If you deliver yourself, build the courier cost into your prices.
- Promotion: The system won’t bring customers on its own; it needs to be announced on Instagram, your Google Business Profile and in-bag cards.
- Incentive: Offer a small discount or gift to those who order through your own channel; sharing part of what you save on commission with the customer speeds up the switch.
Who is it right for?
For businesses with regular customers, hundreds of orders a month and a known brand, your own ordering system pays for itself quickly. For a newly opened business without a customer base yet, it makes more sense to become visible on the platforms first.