The Commission Trap (and How to Escape It)
Here's a story we hear constantly: A restaurant owner decides to join a delivery app. The orders start rolling in, and at first, everything looks great. The sales dashboard is climbing, the kitchen is busier than ever, and customers seem happy.
But then the end of the month arrives, and reality hits. After paying out 25–35% in commission fees on every single order, the profit margins have shrunk to almost nothing. What looked like a revenue boost turned into working harder just to break even.
The worst part? The restaurant doesn't own any of those customer relationships. Can't send them a special offer next week. Can't thank them for their loyalty. Can't even get their email address. The delivery platform owns everything, and you're just renting access to your own customers.
Sound familiar? At PlateForm, we see this pattern play out every single day. Talented chefs and hardworking restaurant teams making incredible food, but losing control of their business in the process.
The good news? You don't have to choose between online orders and profitability. The solution isn't to abandon digital ordering — it's to take ownership of it. Here are 10 proven strategies restaurants are using right now to increase orders, build genuine customer loyalty, and keep 100% of their revenue — all without paying a cent in commissions.
1. Build Your Own Commission-Free Ordering System
Think about it this way: when a customer walks into your restaurant and orders a burger, you don't hand 30% of the payment to someone standing at the door. That would be absurd. But that's exactly what happens every time an order comes through a third-party app.
The alternative is simpler than you might think. Instead of routing customers through someone else's platform, give them a direct line to your kitchen. That's the entire philosophy behind PlateForm — a complete ordering system that puts restaurants back in the driver's seat.
When you run your own ordering system, everything changes. Your website becomes your storefront. Your branding is front and center, not buried between competitors. Customers see your menu, your photos, your special offers — not algorithm-driven suggestions pushing them toward whoever paid for better placement.
You get custom-branded ordering pages that look and feel like your restaurant. Payment processing and delivery logistics are built right in, so there's no technical headache. Most importantly, you finally own your customer data. No more "unknown buyers" or mystery orders. You know exactly who's ordering, what they love, and how often they come back.
The Bottom Line
It's your food, your customers, your profit. Keep it that way.
Want to see how it works? Explore PlateForm's features here.
2. Turn Your Website Into a Conversion Engine
We've all seen them: gorgeous restaurant websites with stunning food photography, perfectly chosen fonts, and... absolutely no way to actually order food. You click around for a minute, get frustrated, and end up on a delivery app instead.
Here's the thing — your website shouldn't just look good. It should work. Every visitor who lands on your site is someone who's already interested in your food. They're one click away from becoming a customer. Don't send them somewhere else to complete that transaction.
The transformation from static brochure to active sales channel is easier than it sounds. Start with a clear, visible "Order Now" button that follows visitors as they scroll. Make your full menu interactive and browsable, not a PDF they have to download. Build in smart upsells right at the point of decision: "Add a side of fries for just $1?" turns into real revenue when it's presented at the right moment.
Highlight your best-sellers with actual photos and descriptions that make people hungry. Speed matters too — if your site takes more than three seconds to load on mobile, you're losing orders before they even start. A fast, intuitive, mobile-first ordering experience doesn't just turn browsers into buyers. It turns them into repeat customers who skip the apps entirely because ordering directly from you is just easier.
3. Reward Loyalty, Not Middlemen
Here's what drives us crazy about third-party apps: they charge you a massive commission, then use your money to build loyalty programs that keep customers coming back — to the app, not to you. You pay for the privilege of never building a real relationship with the people who love your food.
Flip that model on its head. When customers order directly from you, reward them for it. A simple points program goes a long way: every dollar spent earns points toward future discounts or free items. Birthday rewards make people feel valued. VIP tiers for your most frequent customers turn casual diners into genuine fans who tell their friends about you.
The math is compelling. Research shows loyal customers spend up to 67% more than new ones. But more importantly, they become advocates. They write reviews. They bring their families. They order from you first, not because an algorithm suggested it, but because they know you'll take care of them. That kind of loyalty can't be rented from a delivery platform — it has to be earned directly.
4. Make Direct Orders Irresistible
People are creatures of habit. If they're used to ordering through an app, you need to give them a compelling reason to change their behavior. Make it worth their while.
The most effective incentive is usually the simplest: free delivery on direct orders. You're already saving 30% in commission fees, so you can easily afford to comp the delivery and still come out way ahead. Frame it clearly — "Skip the apps, get free delivery" — and watch what happens.
Exclusive offers work wonders too. Create special meal combos or discounts that are only available when people order from your website. It doesn't have to be a massive discount; even 10% off is enough to make direct ordering feel like an insider's deal. The key is exclusivity. Make people feel smart for ordering direct instead of going through a middleman.
Real Results
We've seen restaurants double their direct orders within a month using this exact strategy. The best part? They're still more profitable than they were before, even with the free delivery.
5. Own and Use Your Customer Data
Let's talk about what you don't know when orders come through a delivery app. You don't know if Sarah orders from you twice a week or if this is her first time. You don't know that Mike always gets extra sauce, or that the Chen family orders the same thing every Friday night. You're flying blind, treating every order like it's from a stranger.
Now imagine you own that data. You see patterns. You notice that some customers haven't ordered in a while, so you send them a "We miss you" offer. You know what John ordered last time, so you save it for easy reordering. You track which promotions actually work, and double down on them.
This isn't creepy surveillance — it's just good hospitality, automated. When you send someone a message that says, "Hey Sam, we saved your last order — want it again tonight?", that's not spam. That's convenience. That's showing customers you remember them and value their time. That's how you turn one-time buyers into regulars who feel like they have a relationship with your restaurant, not just a transaction history.
6. Get Found with Local SEO
Picture this: someone in your neighborhood pulls out their phone and types "best pizza near me" into Google. Where does your restaurant show up? If the answer is "buried somewhere under a bunch of delivery marketplaces," you're losing orders every single day.
Local SEO isn't mysterious or complicated — it's about making sure Google knows you exist, what you serve, and how to send hungry people your way. Start with Google Business Profile (it's free). Keep your menu updated, post photos regularly, and respond to reviews. Google rewards businesses that stay active and engaged.
The real magic happens when your ordering system is connected directly to your online presence. When someone finds you on Google Maps and clicks to order, they should land on your site, not get redirected through three different apps. PlateForm syncs everything automatically — your menu, photos, hours, and most importantly, a direct link to place an order. No middleman, no commission, just free traffic turning into profit.
Think of it this way: you already invest time and money getting people to discover your restaurant. Why hand them off to a third party at the moment they're ready to buy? Own the entire journey, from discovery to delivery.
See how PlateForm boosts your local visibility.
7. Use Social Media as a Direct Ordering Channel
We spend so much time crafting the perfect Instagram story, building a following on TikTok, engaging with customers on Facebook... and then what? When someone comments "How do I order this?", we're basically saying "Go download this app, search for us, hope we're available in your area, then place an order." We lose half of them in that journey.
Social media shouldn't just drive awareness. It should drive orders. And in 2025, there's no excuse for making customers jump through hoops.
Add an "Order Now" button directly to your Instagram bio. Put your ordering link in your Facebook page. When you post about a new menu item or a limited-time special, tag it with a direct link where people can act on that impulse right now, while they're hungry and scrolling.
WhatsApp is especially powerful if you serve an international audience or neighborhoods where people prefer messaging. Someone sends "I want to order," you send back the menu link, they order, done. It's personal, it's immediate, and it keeps you in control of the transaction. Social media creates the desire; your direct ordering system captures it. That's the complete loop.
8. Leverage Local Influencers
Billboards are expensive and impossible to measure. You spend thousands of dollars for three months of exposure and hope someone remembers your name when they get hungry. Local influencers, on the other hand, show your actual food to people who actually trust them, and you can track every single order that results.
The key word is "local." You don't need someone with a million followers. A food blogger with 3,000 followers in your neighborhood is worth more than a celebrity chef in another city. These micro-influencers (typically 1,000 to 10,000 followers) have real relationships with their audience. When they say your burger is incredible, people believe them.
The partnership is straightforward: invite them in for a meal, ask them to share their honest experience, and give them a unique link to track orders. Many local food bloggers don't even charge money — they're happy to trade content for food and credit. You get authentic promotion, they get a story their audience loves, and you can measure exactly how many customers they sent your way.
Pro Tip
Local food bloggers usually work for free meals plus credit. It's an easy win-win that costs you almost nothing.
9. Simplify Reorders and Subscriptions
You know what's easier than navigating through a delivery app, searching for your restaurant, browsing the menu, and rebuilding your order from scratch? Clicking one button that says "Order the same thing you got last week."
Convenience is everything in the digital ordering world. If ordering from your website is even slightly harder than ordering from an app, people will default to the app. But if you make it easier, they'll never leave.
Save favorite orders. Enable one-tap reordering. For customers who order the same lunch every Friday or get family dinner delivered every Sunday, let them set up recurring orders. These small features create habits, and habits create loyal customers. This isn't about advanced technology — it's about respecting people's time and understanding that your most valuable customers are the ones who keep coming back. Make it dead simple for them to do that.
10. Manage Delivery Without Losing Control
Here's a common misconception: if you're not on a delivery app, you can't offer delivery. That's exactly what those apps want you to believe, but it's not true.
You have options. You can work with local delivery services that charge a flat fee instead of a percentage. You can build a small team of your own drivers (especially if you do high volume in a compact area). You can offer delivery during peak times and encourage pickup otherwise. The point is, you're in control.
When you manage delivery yourself, you set the zones and rates that actually make sense for your business. You're not stuck with whatever territory the app decided to cover, and you're not subsidizing deliveries to the edge of town that lose you money on every order. You track drivers in real time, so you know exactly where orders are and can handle any issues directly. Customers get automatic updates, just like they would with an app, but they're coming from you.
Most importantly, you keep your margins intact. A $30 order isn't instantly reduced to $21 after commissions. You might pay $5 for delivery, but the rest is yours. Do that math across hundreds of orders per week, and the savings are staggering.
Final Thoughts: Independence Is the Real Growth
If there's one theme running through all of these strategies, it's this: control matters more than convenience.
Delivery apps are convenient. They promise instant access to customers, hassle-free technology, and marketing reach you could never achieve on your own. And for a while, that convenience feels worth the cost. But over time, you realize the price isn't just money — it's ownership. Ownership of your customers, your data, your brand, and ultimately, your business.
The restaurants that thrive in the next decade won't be the ones with the most app partnerships. They'll be the ones who own their customer relationships, build loyalty on their own terms, and keep their hard-earned revenue instead of paying rent to middlemen.
At PlateForm, we're on a mission to help restaurants reclaim that independence — one direct order at a time. Because every order you take directly isn't just more profitable. It's proof that your customers choose you, not because an algorithm put you in front of them, but because you've earned their business.
And that's growth that actually lasts.
Ready to Get Started?
Launch your commission-free ordering system today and start keeping 100% of your revenue. No setup fees, no long-term contracts, just your restaurant, your customers, and your profit.
