Delivery apps bring new customers but take a share of every order. How a direct ordering website pays for itself — with a worked example you can redo with your own numbers.
Food delivery apps are a great way for a restaurant to be discovered. The catch is the commission on every order, plus the fact that the app — not the restaurant — owns the relationship with the customer. A direct ordering website does not replace the apps overnight, but it lets your regular customers order from you directly. This article shows how to think about the numbers.
Where the money goes on an app order
Every platform has its own contract, so check yours. Typically you pay a commission as a percentage of the order value, plus payment processing and sometimes charges for ads or promotions inside the app. Together these can take a large slice of each order.
A worked example
The numbers below are an example only — replace them with your own.
| Assumption | Example value |
|---|---|
| Average order value | ₹600 |
| Orders per month through apps | 1,500 |
| Total commission and fees on app orders | 25% |
| Payment gateway fee on your own website | 2% |
With these numbers, apps cost ₹150 per order (25% of ₹600). The same order on your own website costs about ₹12 in gateway fees. That is roughly ₹138 kept per order.
If only one in five of those 1,500 orders moves to your website — 300 orders a month — you keep about ₹41,400 a month. Even after delivery costs for your own riders or a delivery partner, the difference usually pays for the website within months.
What a good ordering website needs
- A clear menu by category, with veg / non-veg marks, photos, variants and add-ons.
- Cart and checkout with online payment and cash on delivery.
- Delivery zones, a minimum order and delivery charges for each outlet.
- Order tracking for the customer and re-ordering from their history.
- Table booking with time slots, so the same website brings in dine-in guests.
And for the kitchen and manager
- A live order board for delivery, takeaway and dine-in orders, with sound alerts.
- A kitchen display showing what to prepare next and how long each order has waited.
- Menu management with availability switches — sold out in one tap.
- Offers and coupons for direct customers, and sales reports by outlet, hour and dish.
We built exactly this for a multi-outlet brand — see the restaurant ordering website and admin panel case study.
How to move customers from apps to your website
- Put the website on everything: menus, bills, bags, table tents and your Google Business profile.
- Give a reason to switch: a first-order coupon or free delivery above a set amount for direct orders.
- Make re-ordering effortless: saved addresses and "order again" in one tap.
- Keep both channels: apps for discovery, your website for regulars.
What it costs
An ordering website with an admin panel is an e-commerce build. As a guide, e-commerce projects start around ₹80,000–₹1.5 lakh; multi-outlet set-ups with a kitchen display and table booking sit higher. Use the cost calculator for a first estimate, or read more about our e-commerce development.
