Delivery apps vs. your own online ordering: what each one costs you

Delivery apps and marketplaces are good at one thing: putting your restaurant in front of people who are already scrolling for food. That reach is real. But every order through an app comes with costs, and not all of them show up on the statement.

What an app order costs you

• A commission on each order. The rate depends on your plan and your contract, so check your own statement rather than an average.
• Extra fees for marketing, promotions or better placement in the app.
• The guest relationship. The app keeps the guest’s contact details, and the next time they’re hungry the app decides which restaurant to show them.
• Control of your prices and your menu presentation, which many restaurants handle by charging more in the app.

What direct ordering costs you

• Your website and ordering software, usually a monthly subscription and sometimes a share of each order.
• Card processing when guests pay online, which applies wherever a card is used.
• Your time to promote it: links, QR codes, and reminding regulars to order direct.

A simple way to compare, with your numbers

1. Take last month’s statement from each app. Add up everything you paid them: commission, marketing and any other fees.
2. Divide by the number of orders. That’s what each app order cost you.
3. Take the monthly cost of direct ordering and divide it by the number of direct orders you had, or expect to have.
4. Compare the two, then remember the guest you win through your own site can order again without paying the app anything.

Use both, on purpose

Most restaurants don’t need to leave the apps. Keep them for discovery, and move repeat guests to your own site: a card in every app bag, points for direct orders, and your ordering link everywhere you can put it.

What Y3ll0 costs

Y3ll0 has two plans with every feature included: a lower monthly price plus a small share of each online order, or one flat monthly price. No setup fee, no long-term contract, and no fee added to your guests’ orders. See Pricing for the details and a calculator.