Online ordering without commission: what it really saves.
Delivery apps take a share of every order. Your own ordering site costs a flat fee plus card processing. Here is the arithmetic, what you give up, and how to move your regulars to ordering from you directly.
Who wrote this: we make Digilife F&B, a flat-fee ordering system. Marketplace rates are US rates from DoorDash's pricing page and Restaurant Dive's report on Uber Eats fees (10 March 2026), checked 2 November 2026. Rates differ by country and by contract.
What the delivery apps charge
- DoorDash (US)
- Delivery orders: 15% on Basic, 25% on Plus, 30% on Premier. Pickup orders: 6% on every plan.
- Uber Eats (US)
- Since March 2026: 20% on Lite (up from 15%), 25% on Plus (30% on orders from Uber One members), 30% on Premium. Pickup: 7% with in-store prices, otherwise 10%.
- Your own ordering site
- No commission. You pay the system's monthly fee and your card processor's fee, for example Stripe's standard US rate of 2.9% + 30¢ per card payment.
The arithmetic on a normal month
Take $8,000 of delivery orders a month, an average order of $25 (320 orders):
| Delivery app, 25% plan | Your own site | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | $2,000 | $0 |
| Card processing | Included | $328 (2.9% + 30¢ × 320) |
| Ordering system | $0 | $49.99 |
| You keep of $8,000 | $6,000 | about $7,622 |
Two honest caveats:
- Delivery apps' commission includes their couriers. If you deliver yourself, add your own drivers' cost to the right-hand column.
- On pickup the gap is small. At 6–10% commission, $8,000 of pickup orders costs $480–$800 on an app, against about $378 on your own site. The big saving is on delivery and on regulars who would have ordered from you anyway.
What you give up
Delivery apps bring you new customers: people scrolling for dinner who have never heard of you. Your own ordering site does not do that by itself. That is why most independents keep the apps for discovery and move their regulars to ordering direct, where you keep the 15–30% an app would have taken.
You also take on a few jobs the app did: answering "where is my order?", handling refunds, and, if you deliver, running your own drivers.
How to move regulars to ordering direct
- A card in every bag with a QR code to your ordering site.
- Your Google Business Profile: set the "Order online" link to your own site.
- Instagram and Facebook: put the link in your bio and on every menu post.
- Table QR codes for dine-in, so guests order and pay from their phone.
- A reason to switch: a small direct-order perk, a free extra, or simply faster pickup. Check your delivery-app contract first: some limit pricing lower elsewhere.
- Measure it. Pick a system that shows which orders came from Google, Instagram or your QR codes, so you know which of these works.
What a commission-free setup needs
- An ordering website on your own brand and address, with your full menu, sizes and options.
- Payments that go straight to your own account (Stripe, PayPal, Square), plus cash if you take it.
- A kitchen screen or printer so online orders reach the kitchen without retyping.
- Delivery zones, fees and minimums, if you deliver.
- Reports that show your sales and where your orders came from.
Questions
Is commission-free ordering really free?
No. There is no cut of each order, but you pay the system's monthly fee and your card processor's fee. On Digilife F&B that is $49.99 a month per store plus your own Stripe, PayPal or Square fees, which go to them, not to us.
Do my customers pay extra fees?
Not on Digilife F&B. We add no fee to your customers' orders. A service charge only appears if you set one yourself.
Should I leave DoorDash and Uber Eats?
Usually not straight away. Keep them for new customers and move your regulars to ordering direct. Watch how many orders shift over a few months before deciding.
Where does the money go?
Straight to your own payment account. Digilife F&B never holds your customers' money.
Keep the whole order.
Digilife F&B gives you your own ordering website, payments to your own account, a kitchen queue and stock control. One plan with every feature, $49.99/month per store, no commission. Your first 3 months are free, with free set-up help.
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