Direct Ordering vs Deliveroo: Which Is Better for Restaurants?
Which is better: direct ordering or Deliveroo?
For most established restaurants, direct ordering. You keep the margin and you know who your customers are. Deliveroo is good at putting you in front of people who've never heard of you, but at 30–35% of every order it's an expensive way to take orders from regulars.
Most restaurants end up using both. Direct is where the main business should sit. Deliveroo is how you find new customers.
What direct ordering means
Customers order from your own website or app instead of a marketplace. You set up an online ordering system, usually through a platform like Flipdish, and it handles the menu, payment, sending orders to the kitchen and delivery.
The customer pays you. Nobody takes a cut of the order.
What Deliveroo takes
Deliveroo charges commission on every order. Rough UK figures for restaurants:
| Channel | Commission per order |
|---|---|
| Deliveroo | 30–35% |
| Just Eat | 14–30% (variable) |
| Uber Eats | 30–35% |
| Direct ordering (Flipdish) | Low fixed monthly fee |
Take a £30 order at 32%. Deliveroo keeps £9.60, and you still have to pay for the food, the staff and the packaging out of what's left.
The customer data problem
If someone orders through Deliveroo, Deliveroo has their details. You get the order. You don't get to:
- email or text them
- give them a loyalty reward
- see what they order and how often
- send them a promotion
If the same person orders on your own website or app, the data is yours. You can send them an offer when they haven't ordered in a month, or give them points for coming back.
Unit economics compared
Say a restaurant does £50,000 a month through Deliveroo at 32% commission:
- Commission paid: £16,000
- Revenue kept: £34,000
Put the same orders through a direct ordering platform and the fees might be £500–£1,000 a month. That's around £15,000 a month you keep instead of handing over.
Yes, Deliveroo brings in customers you wouldn't reach otherwise, and for a new restaurant that matters a lot. The trouble starts when you never move those customers over and keep paying 32% on someone's tenth order.
What Deliveroo does well
Discovery is the big one. People browse Deliveroo by cuisine or by area, and your restaurant shows up.
Some customers won't order from a restaurant they don't know unless it's through an app they already trust.
And if you don't have your own drivers, Deliveroo has them.
For new or small restaurants these are real reasons to stay on the platform.
How restaurants shift from Deliveroo to direct
- Put your website on your packaging and receipts, with a reason to use it next time - a discount or loyalty points
- Run a loyalty programme. Points on direct orders give people a reason to come back to you and not the app
- Use email and SMS. Once you have someone's contact details you can bring them back without paying Deliveroo anything
- Tell your social media followers they can order direct
Nobody's saying switch Deliveroo off tomorrow. The aim is to get more of your orders coming in direct, so less of your revenue depends on Deliveroo.
Which platform to use for direct ordering
Flipdish runs direct ordering for restaurants across the UK and Ireland. You get a branded website, a branded mobile app, self-service kiosks, and POS integration, so online and in-person orders land in the same kitchen queue. Loyalty and marketing are built in.
Flipdish's AI marketing tools send messages to customers who've stopped ordering, so nobody on your team has to chase them.
The honest answer
Use both. But grow the direct side, because that's where the money is.
Deliveroo gets you new customers. Direct ordering is where you keep the margin and build up regulars.
If more than 20–25% of your online order revenue is going on marketplace commission, look at whether a direct ordering platform could bring that down without losing orders.