For most restaurants, online ordering is no longer optional. Customers expect to order from their phone, whether that's pickup on the way home or delivery to the couch. The real question is where they order: through a third-party marketplace like DoorDash, Uber Eats or Grubhub, or through your own ordering page. Each has a place. The mistake is relying on one without understanding what it costs you.
How third-party delivery apps work
Marketplace apps list your restaurant alongside hundreds of others, handle the ordering interface, and often provide the drivers. In exchange, they typically charge a commission on each order. In the US, marketplace plans are commonly priced as a percentage of the order subtotal, often somewhere in the 15% to 30% range depending on the tier you choose (higher tiers usually include more visibility or delivery coverage). Some cities have passed rules capping these fees. Payment processing, promotions and marketing programs may add further costs.
What you get for that commission is real:
- Discovery. People browsing the app who have never heard of you.
- Delivery drivers without hiring your own.
- A familiar checkout with saved cards and order tracking.
What you give up: a share of every order, control over the customer relationship (you often don't get the customer's email for marketing), and sometimes control over how your food is presented and priced. Many restaurants raise app menu prices to offset commissions, which is generally allowed but worth doing transparently.
How your own ordering page works
A first-party ordering page is a menu and checkout that belongs to your restaurant, usually linked from your website and Google listing. Customers order directly from you, and there's no marketplace commission per order. You still pay:
- Card processing fees on each payment.
- Any software or POS subscription that includes online ordering.
- Delivery costs, if you offer delivery (your own drivers or an on-demand delivery service charged per trip).
The tradeoff is traffic. A marketplace sends you customers; your own page only gets orders if people find it. That's why direct ordering works best for regulars, nearby customers and anyone who already searched your name.
POS-integrated ordering: Toast, Square and Clover
If you already use a point-of-sale system, check what it offers before buying anything new. Toast, Square and Clover each offer online ordering that can send orders straight into your POS and kitchen workflow, so staff don't retype tickets from a tablet. Benefits of staying in your POS:
- One menu to maintain. Items, modifiers, prices and 86'd items stay in sync.
- Orders land where your kitchen already looks. Fewer missed tickets.
- Reporting in one place. Online and in-store sales appear together.
Features and pricing differ by provider and plan, and they change, so compare the current terms from Toast, Square or Clover directly: monthly fees, per-order fees if any, card processing rates, and whether delivery is supported. The ordering page your POS provides can be linked from your website with a clear "Order online" button, or embedded on an ordering page that matches your brand.
Doing the math for your restaurant
Rather than relying on anyone's averages, run your own numbers. Take a typical order total and calculate what you keep from each channel. As a purely illustrative example: on a $40 order, a 25% commission would be $10 before processing or promotions, while on your own page the main costs would be card processing and your share of any subscription. Then factor in what each channel brings that the other doesn't. An app order from a first-time customer who later becomes a regular may be worth the commission; a regular who would have ordered anyway is the order worth moving to your own page.
Look at a month of orders and ask: what share came from repeat customers on the apps? Those are the people most likely to switch if your direct option is just as easy, especially if you offer a small reason to order direct, like a pickup-only special.
Comparing the two side by side
- Cost per order: apps take a commission; your own page costs processing plus any subscription.
- New customers: apps are stronger; your own page relies on your website, Google listing and regulars.
- Customer data: limited on apps; on your own page you can usually collect email or SMS consent for future specials.
- Delivery: built in on apps; on your own page you choose pickup only, your own drivers, or an on-demand delivery service.
- Menu control: both let you set your menu, but your own page lets you present it your way, with your photos and descriptions.
A practical approach many restaurants use: keep the apps for discovery, and make the direct option the easiest choice for anyone who already knows you. Put your own ordering link first on your website and Google listing, mention it on receipts and bags, and consider pickup-only specials that don't depend on app pricing.
What to put on your menu page
Your menu page does double duty: it helps customers decide, and it helps search engines understand what you serve. Our restaurant website must-haves guide covers the full site; for the menu specifically:
- A real text menu, not only a PDF or photo. Include item names, short descriptions and prices.
- A prominent "Order online" button near the top, linking to your own ordering page.
- Pickup and delivery details: hours, delivery area, minimums and estimated times.
- Dietary notes such as vegetarian, gluten-free or spicy, and a line about allergens and how to ask.
- Real photos of your most popular dishes, compressed so the page loads quickly on a phone.
- Accurate prices. If your in-house and app prices differ, keep each one correct where it appears.
- Your phone number for customers who would rather call in the order.
Google "Order online" links
Many hungry customers never reach your website; they order straight from your Google listing. Your Google Business Profile can show order and menu links. To make your own page the easy choice:
- Sign in to your Business Profile and open the section for menu and food ordering links.
- Add your own ordering page as a pickup or delivery link (or both), and add your menu link.
- Google may also show links from delivery providers it works with. Where the option appears, set your own link as preferred.
- Search your restaurant on a phone and tap "Order online" yourself to see what customers see.
- Recheck after any POS or ordering change, since old links can linger.
Google's options and labels change from time to time, so follow the current prompts in your profile. If something looks wrong, such as an old provider link you can't remove, Google's Business Profile help pages explain how to report it.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Linking your website's order button to a marketplace when you have a direct option.
- Letting online menus drift out of sync with the in-store menu.
- Hiding the ordering link in a footer or a hamburger menu on mobile.
- Forgetting to pause online ordering when the kitchen closes early.
- Copying menu photos from suppliers or the internet instead of using your own.
How Buildzaro can help
We build restaurant websites with a text menu and an "Order online" button that points to your POS ordering page or a direct checkout, and we keep your Google links consistent with your site. Our pricing page lists an online ordering and delivery setup add-on ($599 one-time) for restaurants that need ordering set up from scratch; card processing and delivery fees are paid directly to those providers. See what we build for restaurants, or request a free demo.
General information, not legal advice. Platform policies change; check the platform's current rules before acting. We don't guarantee rankings, reviews or revenue.