The restaurant business is going through an unsung revolution. Third-party delivery businesses have sounded convenient and reach out to a larger audience, but savvy proprietors of restaurants are slowly learning one inconvenient truth: it is not viable to relinquish 15-30% of each order to an aggregator. The solution? Assembling your own direct ordering system.
The Hidden Cost of Third-Party Dependency
Using delivery platforms only means that you are losing more than commission. You are giving up authority over:
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Customer relations - It is never owned by the data
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Brand experience - Your restaurant is turned into another listing
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Pricing power - Platforms determine expectation of discounts
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Profit margins - Already slim margins are killed by high commissions
An average-sized restaurant with a monthly payment of $50,000 with the help of third-party apps generates commissions of up to $7,500 to $15,000. In one year, it is $90,000-$180,000 that would not go to the growth of your business but rather to platform operators.
Why Restaurants Need Their Own Ordering Infrastructure
The pandemic was a catalyst in terms of digital adoption, yet it also exposed a major weakness, as restaurants which could not find a way to communicate with customers directly fared the most. Own ordering systems proved to be stable even when there were changes in the policies of the platform overnight.
The Power of Direct Customer Connection
Every interaction with the customers as they order with your platform provides strength to your brand. You gain useful information on preferences, order relationships, and customer feedback information that runs the menu optimization and marketing directions.
Recent technologies such as flutter food delivery app source code allow restaurants to create in-house-branded mobile apps without developing technology. These are already deployed systems that give the same convenience that you will find on large platforms, only with your brand in the limelight.
Key Features Your Restaurant Platform Needs
The development of your own ordering ecosystem needs a certain functionality:
Essential Customer-Facing Features
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iOS and Android mobile app presence
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GPS-based order tracking in real-time
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Several customer payment gateways
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Rewards programs to make repeat orders
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Promotion and update Push ads
The entire food delivery website script must be integrated with mobile apps so that the customers are able to order food with any device. This omnichannel strategy ensures that it is as accessible as possible as well as that the branding remains similar.
Backend Management Capabilities
Your platform needs to simplify things, not to complicate them:
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Order management dashboard in real-time
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Live menu updates, which are updated automatically on all channels.
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Tracking of delivery personnel and assignments.
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Data-driven decision analytics and reporting.
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Database management of customers.
The Game-Changing Role of Integrated POS Systems
This is where the majority of restaurants are failing in an important opportunity. Your ordering platform cannot be a stand-alone issue, it should integrate with your restaurant POS system.
Why POS Integration Matters
Once your online ordering is connected with POS systems, you will reach:
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Accuracy of inventory - Stock updated in real time, and prevents overselling
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Efficient reporting - Entire financial outlook in all mediums
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Efficient processes - A single system is used to operate dine-in and delivery
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Fewer errors - Automatic order routing does not have mistakes of manual entry
The most advanced restaurant management system products are a combination of ordering and delivery logistics with point-of-sale functionality in a single unit. This integration avoids the operational headaches of handling a number of systems that are disconnected.
Template Solutions: Your Fast Track to Independence
Development cost and time used to be the greatest hindrance to the ownership of your ordering infrastructure. The restaurant technology has now been democratized through food delivery app template solutions.
Advantages of Template-Based Approaches
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Quick deployment - Weeks not months
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Reduced initial expenditure - Share of bespoke development cost
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Trusted functionality - Characteristics tried in thousands of restaurants
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Flexibility in customization - Get used to your requirements
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Continuous upgrades - Take advantage of constant upgrades
Restaurant app source code is quality code that gives you the basis of this branded platform and the ability to customize it to your own identity. Scalable templates expand with your business whether you are running one store or several.
Breaking Down the Economics
Let us compare the financial aspect of third-party dependency and having your own platform:
Third-Party Platform Model
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Commission per order: 15-30%
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Marketing fee: 5-10% additional
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Data of the customers: Zero ownership
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Annual cost (on $600k revenue): $90k-$180k
Own Platform Model
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Initial investment: $2,000-$10,000
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Monthly maintenance: $100-$500
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Commission charges: 2-3% (payment processing)
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Customer data: 100% ownership
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Annual cost: $3,200-$16,000
The savings are a drama when you do lifetime value. The customer you will have purchased on your platform is much cheaper and the customer will provide recurrence revenue without making commission payments.
Implementation Roadmap
Switching to your own ordering system does not imply the immediate rejection of third-party platforms. Intelligent restaurants have a gradual strategy:
Phase 1: Foundation Building (Month 1-2)
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Launch your flutter food delivery app
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Create your food delivery website script with simple menu integration
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Settings of payment gateways and delivery zones
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Train staff on the new system
Phase 2: Customer Migration (Month 3-6)
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Introduce direct order only loyalty program
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Provide incentives on downloading apps (discount codes, free delivery)
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Gather information about the customers via dine-in
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Print QR codes on receipts and tables to motivate the use of the app.
Phase 3: Optimization (Month 7-12)
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Install unified operations of your restaurant POS system
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Data analysis to optimize menu and prices
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Grow delivery areas on the basis of demand
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Minimise dependency on third-party platforms to 30-40 orders
Phase 4: Full Control (Year 2+)
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Complete 60-70 direct ordering share
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Discovery Only strategic use of third-party platforms
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Establish a certain level of predictability in revenue streams by using subscription
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Scale activities that are found on owned customer insight
The Competitive Advantage of Data Ownership
Customer data ownership is perhaps the most underestimated of your own platform advantages. By knowing the patterns of ordering, you are able to:
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Get more accurate inventory requirements
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Individualize marketing messages along the lines of preferences
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Find out which customers are the most valuable to treat as VIP
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Innovate with test menu to certain customer groups
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Maximize price strategies based on behavioral data
This information is taken very seriously by third-party platforms since it is their competitive advantage. It is your own, and you have the free will to do it.
Technical Considerations Made Simple
Technical complexity is a concern to restaurant proprietors. The solutions to these concerns in modern restaurant management systems include:
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Full serverless cloud infrastructure
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Downtime-free automatic updates
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24/7 solutions provider technical support
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Non-technical interfaces which are intuitive
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Detailed training materials and documentations
The restaurant app source code that is available today is the result of years of diligence and feedback from thousands of restaurants across the world. This wisdom is shared to your benefit and you do not need to reinvent the wheel.
Making the Strategic Decision
It is not whether to create your own ordering platform or not but when and how. Each day you wait will become one more revenue and customer information you will never see again.
Begin by assessing the existing costs of your third party platform. Divide the yearly commission cost then compare the amount with the investment that is needed in your system. The ROI is positive in as short as 6-12 months in most restaurants that are processing delivery orders of more than $20,000 monthly.
The restaurants that have succeeded in the current competitive environment are not only offering good food but also seizing control of their online existence and customer relationships. Your own ordering platform, and POS capability built in is not just a cost saving tool, it is a strategic asset, which builds up over time.
Conclusion
The period when all depends on third-party delivery platforms is on its way to the end. Intelligent restaurants understand that to achieve sustainable growth you must have a direct relationship with your customers and the control of data and operations cannot be achieved when there is a middleman between you and your customers.
Such solutions as the comprehensive food delivery app templates have removed the technical and financial barriers that previously made this transition seem daunting. Nowadays, enterprising level ordering technology is available to restaurants of any size at a fraction of the traditional development fee.
The dilemma of all restaurant owners: Will you keep on paying high commissions on borrowed customers, or build your own direct ordering platform that also gains value every year?
Restaurants that undergo this transition in the present day will not only be able to survive the next disruption in the industry, but they will lead it.
Ready to launch your own branded ordering system? Get started with our complete flutter food delivery app source code solution today and keep 100% of your profits.