Own Online Ordering vs Just Eat & Deliveroo: A Cost Comparison

Running a restaurant today means balancing convenience, visibility, and profitability.

Platforms like Just Eat and Deliveroo help you reach more customers quickly, but their commission-based model can significantly affect your margins.

If you rely heavily on food delivery marketplaces, you may already feel the pressure of platform fees.

This is why many restaurants are now evaluating their own online ordering systems as an alternative or complement to aggregator platforms.

This guide provides a clear, data-driven cost comparison between aggregator platforms and direct ordering systems, helping you understand how each model affects your revenue, operations, and long-term growth.

Let’s get started with it!

Why Restaurants Use Platforms Like Just Eat and Deliveroo

Before comparing costs, it’s important to understand why so many restaurants join food delivery marketplaces in the first place.

Visibility and customer discovery

Platforms like Just Eat and Deliveroo already have millions of active users searching for food.

When you list your restaurant on these apps, you instantly gain access to a large customer base without needing to build traffic from scratch.

For new restaurants or businesses entering online food delivery, this visibility can help generate orders quickly.

Built-in delivery infrastructure

Many delivery platforms provide logistics support, including driver networks and delivery tracking.

This means you can start accepting online food delivery orders without hiring your own drivers.

For restaurants without delivery operations, this convenience reduces operational complexity.

Fast entry into online ordering

Setting up on an aggregator platform is usually quick. Once your menu is uploaded and your restaurant profile is approved, customers can start placing orders through the platform’s app.

This speed of entry makes delivery marketplaces attractive for restaurants that want to offer online ordering immediately.

Customer trust and brand recognition

Many customers already trust well-known apps such as Just Eat and Deliveroo. Because customers regularly use these platforms, they may feel comfortable ordering from restaurants listed there.

However, while these benefits drive orders, the commission structure of aggregator platforms can significantly affect restaurant profitability.

How Much Do Just Eat and Deliveroo Charge Restaurants?

Restaurants generally pay between 20% and 35% per order on major delivery marketplaces, depending on the services they use.

And to evaluate your delivery strategy, you first need to understand the typical commission fees restaurants pay on delivery platforms.

Here’s the breakdown:

Just Eat restaurant fees

Restaurants partnering with Just Eat may encounter several types of fees depending on their agreement.

Typical cost components include:

• Commission on each order

• Payment processing charges

• Optional marketing or promotional placement fees

Delivery services if the platform manages logistics

In many markets, the Just Eat commission rate ranges from 14% to 35% per order, depending on whether delivery is handled by the restaurant or the platform.

Deliveroo restaurant fees

Restaurants partnering with Deliveroo also pay a commission for access to the platform’s customer base and logistics infrastructure.

Typical cost components include:

• Commission per order

• Delivery logistics charges

• Payment processing costs

• Promotional placement fees within the platform

In most cases, Deliveroo restaurant commission rates fall between 20% and 35% per order, depending on service levels and region.

Because these costs apply to every order placed through the platform, understanding the full financial impact is essential when evaluating your restaurant delivery strategy.

The Real Cost of Aggregator Orders (Example Breakdown)

To understand how delivery commissions affect revenue, it helps to examine a typical order scenario.

Imagine your restaurant receives an order worth $25 through a delivery marketplace.

In this scenario, the restaurant keeps $13.75 from a $25 order after platform-related costs.

For restaurants operating with 10–15% profit margins, these fees can significantly reduce profitability.

This is one of the main reasons many businesses begin exploring direct online ordering systems.

What It Costs to Run Your Own Online Ordering System

If aggregator commissions reduce margins, the next question becomes: what does it cost to run your own online ordering platform?

Operating a restaurant's online ordering system typically involves several components.

In most cases, restaurants running direct ordering platforms spend 3% to 8% per order, depending on their delivery model.

Unlike aggregator platforms, these systems allow you to:

• Accept orders directly through your website or app

• Maintain full ownership of customer data

• Avoid marketplace commissions

For restaurants with consistent order volume, this difference in cost structure can significantly impact long-term profitability.

Revenue Impact: Aggregator vs Direct Ordering

To understand the financial difference between the two models, consider a realistic restaurant example.

Assume your restaurant receives:

300 orders per week

Average order value: $25

Your annual revenue from delivery orders would be approximately:

$390,000 per year

Aggregator model

If your restaurant pays an average 30% commission, the annual cost of platform fees would be:

$117,000 per year

Direct ordering model

If you operate your own restaurant ordering system with an estimated 6% operating cost, your annual cost would be:

**$23,400 per year

The difference between these two models would be your potential savings!

$93,600 annually

For many restaurants, this amount could support:**

• New kitchen equipment

• Marketing campaigns

• Staff hiring

• Business expansion, and more…

Hidden Costs Restaurants Often Overlook With Aggregators

Beyond commission fees, several less obvious factors can influence your long-term business growth. They are:

Limited access to customer data

When customers order through delivery marketplaces, the platform typically owns the customer relationship.

This means restaurants often have limited access to:

• Email addresses

• Order history

• Marketing permissions

Without this data, it becomes harder to build customer loyalty programs or targeted marketing campaigns.

Reduced brand visibility

Customers using aggregator apps interact primarily with the platform interface rather than your brand.

As a result, the customer may remember the delivery app instead of the restaurant itself.

Increased price competition

Delivery marketplaces often display many restaurants side by side. Customers can compare prices and ratings instantly, which increases competition and can pressure restaurants to offer discounts.

Dependence on platform marketing

Restaurants may need to purchase promotional placements within the platform to increase visibility, adding another layer of cost.

Why More Restaurants Are Investing in Direct Ordering Channels

Because of these challenges, many restaurants are investing in their own online ordering systems to build stronger customer relationships.

Direct ordering platforms provide several advantages.

**Higher profit margins: **Without marketplace commissions, restaurants retain a larger share of each order.

**Customer relationship ownership: **Direct ordering allows restaurants to build databases of customer emails, phone numbers, and preferences.

**Loyalty programs and promotions: **Restaurants can create personalized offers, loyalty rewards, and targeted campaigns to encourage repeat purchases.

Direct marketing opportunities: With access to customer data, restaurants can communicate through email marketing, SMS promotions, and push notifications

These tools help increase repeat order rates, which is critical for long-term profitability.

The Hybrid Strategy: Aggregators for Discovery, Direct Ordering for Profit

Rather than abandoning delivery platforms completely, many restaurants adopt a hybrid ordering strategy.

In this approach:

1. Aggregator platforms are used for customer discovery and new customer acquisition.

2. Direct ordering platforms are used to capture repeat customers and long-term revenue.

Restaurants often encourage direct ordering by offering:

• Loyalty rewards

• Exclusive menu items

• Discounts for website orders

• Faster pickup options

This approach allows you to maintain marketplace visibility while gradually building direct customer relationships.

Technology Restaurants Need for Their Own Ordering Platform

Launching a direct ordering channel requires several core technology components.

Modern restaurant ordering software typically includes:

• Online ordering website

• Branded customer mobile apps

• Delivery management tools

• Driver tracking and dispatch systems

• POS integration for menu and order synchronization

• Analytics dashboards for performance monitoring

These systems help restaurants manage orders efficiently while maintaining full control of their delivery operations.

Final Thoughts

Deciding between aggregator platforms and direct ordering systems ultimately depends on your restaurant’s long-term goals.

Delivery marketplaces like Just Eat and Deliveroo can help attract new customers and generate initial demand.

However, as order volumes increase, commission fees can begin to impact overall profitability and limit control over customer relationships.

This is why many restaurants gradually introduce their own online ordering channels alongside marketplace listings.

The good news is: YelowXpress helps restaurants launch branded online ordering and delivery management systems, thereby making it easier to manage orders, customer relationships, and delivery operations in one place.

If reducing marketplace dependency and improving order margins is part of your strategy, exploring a direct ordering platform like YelowXpress can be a practical step toward building a more sustainable delivery business.

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