The Commission Problem
In the U.S., Uber Eats charges restaurants 20%, 25% or 30% commission on delivery orders, depending on the plan. DoorDash charges 15%, 25% or 30%. Grubhub also takes a percentage of every order. On a $1,000 day of delivery orders, you are sending $150-$300 to these platforms. Over a year, that is about $55,000-$110,000 in commissions. For restaurants operating on thin margins (the National Restaurant Association puts a typical restaurant's pre-tax profit at around 5%), these commissions are the difference between profitability and closure. The math simply does not work long-term.
You Don't Own the Customer
When a customer orders through Uber Eats, Uber controls that customer data. In general, you cannot email them promotions or see their full order history outside the app. If Uber decides to promote a competitor above you, there is nothing you can do. With your own ordering system, every customer is YOUR customer. You build a direct relationship, collect emails for marketing, and control the experience from start to finish.
Brand Dilution on Third-Party Platforms
On Uber Eats, your restaurant is one of hundreds in a feed. Your brand gets reduced to a small photo and a rating. Customers often do not remember which restaurant they ordered from — they remember they used Uber Eats. With your own Bite2u page, customers see YOUR brand, YOUR menu design, YOUR story. They bookmark YOUR page. Next time they are hungry, they come directly to you, not to an app that shows them 50 competitors first.
The Real Cost Comparison
Let us compare: A restaurant doing 40 delivery orders/day at $35 average. Uber Eats at 25% commission: $350/day = $10,500/month in fees. Bite2u at $49.95/month flat fee + 2 own drivers at $15/hour part-time (4 hours/day): $49.95 + $3,600 = $3,649.95/month total. That is a savings of $6,850/month, or about $82,200/year. Even with the cost of hiring your own drivers, you save massively and keep full control.
How to Make the Switch
You do not need to go cold turkey. Start by setting up your own ordering system on Bite2u (Get started today). Add your menu, enable delivery and takeaway, create a launch promo. Start directing your loyal customers to order directly. Put table cards with your QR code. Add your Bite2u link to Google Business, Instagram bio, and receipts. Over time, more and more of your orders come in directly, and you decide how much you still need the apps.