Key Takeaways
- Convert repeat customers to direct ordering: Reduce commissions for online orders by shifting marketplace customers to your own ordering channel using QR prompts, incentives, and accessible ordering links.
- Adjust delivery menus to protect margins: Improve eCommerce cost optimization by repricing, bundling, or removing items that cannot sustain platform commission deductions.
- Promote pickup in your direct online ordering flow: Improve fulfillment efficiency and margin control by making pickup easy to choose and fast to collect.
- Compare platform performance using retained revenue: Identify which delivery platforms justify their cost by measuring commission percentage, order value, and revenue retained per channel.
- Improve delivery margin predictability: When direct demand becomes steady, reassess your fulfillment mix and route a portion of those orders through lower-cost delivery options where operationally viable.
- Review commission percentage on a fixed schedule: Maintain cost control by monitoring platform fees alongside food and labor and responding to changes early.
- Use Restolabs to establish commission-free ordering channels: Deploy commission-free solutions through branded ordering, delivery zone control, and customer ownership tools that reduce reliance on third-party platforms and avoid the need to negotiate delivery fees.
Have you ever wondered why online orders can sometimes feel like they barely move the needle in your month-end profit statement? You bring in deliveries night after night, but when the bills are paid and you look at your balance sheet, the impact feels smaller than expected.
The reason is straightforward. Every third-party delivery order includes a commission that removes a percentage of revenue before it reaches your business. That portion never contributes to wages, rent, ingredients, or retained profit.
So, how do you reduce commissions for your online restaurant orders? This blog post explores six actionable strategies.