Why Restaurants Are Leaving Third-Party Apps
Restaurants are ditching third-party ordering platforms across the country as they reevaluate long-standing partnerships with services like Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash. While these apps once offered convenience and new exposure, they’ve become increasingly difficult to justify in today’s razor-thin restaurant economy.
Mounting fees, limited control, and competition from within the same platform are forcing a shift. Restaurant professionals are seeking smarter systems—solutions that protect margins, preserve branding, and prioritize the customer relationship. Here’s why so many are walking away from traditional third-party platforms in favor of more sustainable alternatives.
Most restaurant owners are well aware of the hefty price tag attached to third-party ordering. Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash commonly charge 15% to 30% per order. At scale, that number is staggering. Margins in the restaurant industry are already slim. Add a 25% commission
to each sale, and you’re often making less than $1 on a $15 ticket. These platforms also charge extra for promotional visibility or to appear at the top of search results—fees that can erode even more of your hard-earned revenue.
When customers order through third-party apps, the restaurant loses oversight. Issues like incorrect orders, late deliveries, or poor service are often blamed on the restaurant—even when the problem originates with the platform or delivery partner.
The result is a fragmented experience where restaurants are responsible for outcomes they can’t control. Consistency suffers, and so does your brand. Reputational damage from just a few bad experiences can take months to repair, especially if the issue happened outside your four walls.
It’s common for platforms to showcase your restaurant alongside direct competitors, sometimes right on your own listing page. They may even advertise rival promotions funded by commissions taken from your sales.
This approach turns each order into a battlefield. You’re effectively paying to lure customers into an environment where you might lose them. Even worse, some platforms create unofficial listings using scraped menus—sometimes outdated or incorrect—without the restaurant’s input.
One of the most critical losses in the third-party model is access to customer data. These platforms retain valuable information like order history, contact details, and behavioral insights. Restaurants are left in the dark, with no way to follow up, build loyalty, or drive repeat business.
This lack of transparency makes it difficult to run targeted promotions, track high-value customers, or even measure success over time. Data is the new currency in restaurant marketing—and losing access means giving up long-term growth potential.
Most third-party apps offer limited customization. Your restaurant is reduced to a thumbnail image, a few menu items, and a list of reviews—all wrapped in the platform’s branding, not your own. Customers don’t interact with your voice, your story, or your brand—they engage with the app.
Let’s say you own a family-run Neapolitan pizza spot called Nonna’s Fire. Your restaurant has a cozy dining room, a wood-fired oven imported from Naples, and a loyal following built on quality ingredients and a welcoming atmosphere.
Now imagine someone ordering from Nonna’s Fire through a third-party platform. On the app, they see a generic product photo, a basic dish description, and no reference to the family heritage or special preparation methods that make your pizza unique. The food arrives in a DoorDash-branded bag, delivered by a driver who doesn’t know your story and has never set foot in your restaurant.
From the customer’s perspective, the experience began and ended with the delivery platform. You lost a golden opportunity to share what makes your business special. Worse, that customer might associate the entire interaction—good or bad—with the app, not with you.
That’s why restaurants are seeking systems that allow them to showcase their personality and tell their story. When your online ordering is hosted on a branded platform that reflects your menu design, logo, color scheme, and tone of voice, customers are more likely to remember who made the meal—and more likely to come back.
Third-party platforms are built to serve themselves first. Their incentives are aligned with increasing order volume and app usage—not your margins, not your loyalty rates, and not your long-term success.
They control the rules, raise the fees, and change the algorithm. Restaurants are left to adjust without recourse. That’s why many operators are seeking solutions that put them back in control—both operationally and financially.
Third-party platforms take 20–30% per order – but you don’t have to keep losing profits. With Constant Cuisine, you pay just 5% per order, keep full control of your customer data, and still use DoorDash for delivery – without the hefty fees.
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More restaurant operators are turning to platforms that act as a Grubhub alternative—letting them offer delivery through DoorDash without the high commissions or lost branding. These systems empower restaurants to own the customer relationship while still offering seamless delivery service.
Platforms like Constant Cuisine provide the infrastructure for a branded online ordering experience that protects profit margins and supports direct growth. Customers order through your website. You keep the data. You manage the marketing. And DoorDash handles the delivery.
| Feature | Grubhub | Uber Eats | DoorDash | Constant Cuisine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Commission | 20–30% | 15–30% | 15–30% | Low monthly fee |
| Your Brand Visibility | Low | Low | Low | High |
| Control Over Experience | Low | Low | Low | High |
| Access to Your Customer Data | No | No | No | Yes |
| Direct Marketing Options | No | No | No | Yes |
| Delivery Fulfillment | In-house | In-house | In-house | DoorDash |
This side-by-side comparison shows why a hybrid model like Constant Cuisine is gaining traction. Restaurants get professional delivery without sacrificing brand identity, future marketing opportunity, or profitability.
Third-party delivery apps helped many restaurants survive the early waves of online ordering. But as the industry matures, operators are demanding more. They want lower costs, greater control, and stronger relationships with their guests.
Restaurant owners are waking up to the true cost of relying on platforms like Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash. Hidden fees, lost data, and diminished brand control all add up to a model that’s hard to sustain. The issue isn’t delivery itself—it’s the terms of engagement.
With the right tools, you no longer have to choose between convenience and profitability. The smartest operators are moving toward systems that prioritize their business first. If you’re looking for the best restaurant online ordering system that keeps your brand front and center—while still offering best food online delivery through trusted services like DoorDash—a hybrid solution is the future.
Join the growing wave of restaurants reclaiming their profits, their data, and their customer relationships. Say goodbye to high-commission platforms, and say hello to a smarter, more sustainable way to serve your guests online.
As restaurants seek alternatives to third-party delivery apps, embracing technology becomes paramount. The National Restaurant Association highlights that adopting tech solutions can streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and improve profitability. For a deeper understanding of how technology is shaping the future of the restaurant industry, consider exploring the National Restaurant Association’s article: How Tech Helps Restaurants Prep for the Future.
