30% commission to delivery platforms — that eats your margin. Why a custom ordering and delivery system is the better choice for restaurants in 2026.
30% Commission — on a 30% Margin
Let's do some quick math:
A pizza costs €12. Cost of goods: ~€3.60. Staff, rent, electricity: ~€4.80. That leaves: €3.60 margin — 30%.
Now a delivery platform comes along and takes 30% commission: €3.60.
Klingt nach deinem Problem?
Profit: €0.00.
No wonder more and more restaurant owners are saying: This can't go on.
The Delivery Platform Dilemma
Delivery platforms aren't inherently bad. They bring reach and visibility. But:
The Customers Don't Belong to You
A regular customer who orders from you every week — through a delivery platform. You have no email, no phone number, no direct connection. The customer belongs to the platform.
Price Pressure from All Sides
On the platform, you're listed right next to 50 other restaurants. Competition is brutal, and customers sort by price and rating. Your good food alone isn't enough.
Marketing on Someone Else's Turf
Promoted placement on the platform costs extra. You're paying to be visible on a platform that's already eating your margin.
No Control Over the Experience
Cold food delivered? That's your image problem, not the platform's. But you had no influence over the delivery driver.
The Alternative: Your Own System
What if customers order directly from you? Through your website, your app, your QR code in the restaurant?
The Math Looks Different Then
Pizza for €12. Cost of goods + operating costs: €8.40. Payment processing fee (Stripe/PayPal): ~€0.40.
Profit: €3.20 instead of €0.00.
With 100 orders a day, that's €320 in profit — instead of zero. Per month: nearly €10,000.
What a Custom Ordering System Needs
- Online menu with extras, sides, options
- Shopping cart & checkout with all common payment methods
- Order overview in the kitchen (tablet/screen)
- Pickup or delivery selection with time windows
- QR code ordering for dine-in
- Notifications via SMS/push when the order is ready
Sounds like an app that costs €50,000? That used to be the case.
Why Implementation Has Failed Before
Restaurant owners aren't IT experts. The options were:
- 1.Hire an agency: €15,000–60,000, 3–6 months. Unrealistic for a single kebab shop or pizzeria.
- 2.Use a SaaS solution: Loco, Orderbird, etc. Cheaper, but still €100–300/month + fees. And you're dependent again.
- 3.Do nothing: And keep paying 30% to delivery platforms.
nopex Changes This Equation
Imagine you simply describe: "I have a restaurant with 40 dishes, I offer pickup and delivery, I need online ordering with card payments and a kitchen display."
nopex builds a complete ordering system from that — custom for your restaurant, with your branding, your menu, your rules. No template, no website builder, no agency.
The cost? A fraction of traditional development. The timeline? Weeks instead of months.
The result: You keep your margin, your customer data, and control over your business.
Using delivery platforms for reach? Sure, that can make sense. But your core business — the regulars who order frequently — that runs through your own system. Commission-free.
