Restaurant Online Ordering in Australia: Own Site vs Apps

Quick answer: Use Uber Eats and DoorDash to reach people who have never eaten with you, and take orders from your regulars on your own website. With Menulog gone since November 2025, the two remaining apps hold more pricing power, so each repeat order you move to a direct channel keeps the commission in your business.

Put a $40 delivery order through a 30% commission and $12 has gone before you've paid for a single ingredient. That arithmetic is why so many Australian owners are asking whether their own website could take orders instead. It can, for some of your customers. This guide works out which ones, what the direct options look like and how delivery works without the apps. If you trade in India rather than Australia, read the India version of this decision, because the platforms and fees there are different.

What do Uber Eats and DoorDash really cost an Australian restaurant?

Expect up to about 30% of the order on delivery, much less on pickup, and extra costs on top if you buy visibility or fund promotions. Exact rates depend on the plan you sign and change over time, so treat the figures below as a starting point and check your own merchant agreement.

The headline commission is only part of the bill. Your payout statements will also show some or all of these:

• Sponsored listings or in-app advertising you've opted into
• Discounts and "spend $X, get $Y off" promotions you fund
• Refunds for missing or wrong items, which can come out of your payout
• GST on the platform's fees
• Card processing, if it's charged separately on your plan

Work out your effective rate: add up every deduction on a month of statements and divide by gross sales. That single percentage is the number to compare against any direct ordering option, not the commission on the sign-up page.

What changed after Menulog left the Australian market?

Menulog stopped taking orders on 26 November 2025, leaving Uber Eats and DoorDash as the two major delivery marketplaces. Its owner, Just Eat Takeaway.com, announced the exit after roughly two decades of Menulog trading in Australia. Deliveroo had already left in 2022.

For a restaurant, that has three practical effects:

1. Less leverage. With two big marketplaces instead of three, there are fewer places to walk to if terms get worse. Reports of commission rises in 2026 should be read in that light.
2. Displaced customers. People who ordered through Menulog didn't stop eating. Many will search your venue's name on Google instead, which is a moment your own website can catch, provided it has a clear "Order online" button.
3. Concentration risk. If most of your takeaway revenue now flows through one app, a ranking change or a policy update can hit your week overnight. A direct channel is partly insurance.

What are the options for taking orders on your own website?

There are four broad routes, ranging from a hosted page you can launch this week to an ordering flow built into your own site. They differ mainly in what you pay per order and how much of the customer relationship you keep.

A custom flow lets you design the menu around your kitchen: modifiers, combos, prep times, delivery zones and cut-offs that match how service actually runs. As a guide, an ordering-enabled site usually sits in the A$15,000–A$25,000+ band for e-commerce and web app builds; our breakdown of website prices in Australia explains what moves a quote within that range. Budget roughly 15–25% of the build each year for maintenance.

Whichever route you take, the ordering button belongs on a fast, mobile-first website that also handles bookings, menus and opening hours. That's the work behind our websites for restaurants and retail.

How does delivery work if you take orders directly?

You have three choices: your own drivers, an on-demand courier service, or pickup only. Many venues start with pickup plus a courier service, then add their own drivers once volume justifies the wages.

• Your own drivers. Full control over service and packaging, and no per-delivery fee. In return you carry wages, insurance, vehicle costs and the quiet Tuesday nights when a driver sits idle.
• On-demand couriers. Services such as Uber Direct and DoorDash Drive let you send couriers to orders placed through your own channels. Uber's merchant pages say Uber Direct generally covers deliveries within about 15 km in serviceable areas. You pay a fee per delivery rather than a commission on the food, and you can pass some or all of it to the customer as a delivery fee.
• Pickup only. The cheapest option and often the easiest win. Plenty of regulars live close enough to collect, especially if you reward them for it.

Set a minimum order and a delivery radius before launch, and decide whether delivery is priced to cover its cost or subsidised to win orders. Both are valid; just choose deliberately.

How do you move regulars to direct ordering without losing app visibility?

Stay listed on the apps, and give people who already know you a reason to order direct next time. The goal is to shift repeat orders, not to vanish from the place new customers browse.

1. Packaging inserts. A card in the bag with a QR code to your ordering page and a small reward for the next direct order. Check your marketplace agreement first, as some terms restrict marketing to customers who came through the app.
2. In-store QR codes. On the counter, on tables and on the takeaway menu. Dine-in guests are your warmest audience.
3. A direct-order reward. A free side, points towards a meal or a slightly better price. Keep it simple enough to explain in one line.
4. Google Business Profile links. Add your own ordering link to your profile so people searching your name see it alongside the app options.
5. Your own customer list. Collect emails or mobile numbers with clear consent at checkout, then tell people about new dishes and specials. Australian rules on commercial messages require consent and an easy unsubscribe.

Track the share of orders that come direct each month. That one number tells you whether the channel is growing.

When should a restaurant stay on the apps?

Stay heavily on the apps when they are your main source of new customers and you don't yet have regulars to move. A direct channel needs people who already know your name.

The apps are probably still your best route if you:

• Opened recently and have little repeat trade
• Run a delivery-only or dark-kitchen concept with no shopfront
• Trade in an area where people browse the apps rather than search for venues
• Don't have staff time to answer ordering questions and manage a second channel

For most established venues, the answer is a hybrid: apps for discovery, your own channel for repeat customers. Revisit the split every few months using your effective commission rate and your direct-order share.

Frequently asked questions

Can I charge lower prices on my own ordering site than on Uber Eats?

Many venues price their app menu higher than in-store or direct to cover commission, and tell customers they get the best price by ordering direct. Before you do, read your marketplace agreement for any clause about price parity. If you're unsure, a direct-order reward rather than a lower menu price is a simpler way to make the same point.

Who delivers orders placed on my own website?

Either your own drivers, an on-demand courier service such as Uber Direct or DoorDash Drive, or nobody, if you offer pickup only. Most ordering software and custom builds can connect to a courier service so a driver is booked automatically when an order comes in.

Is a commission-free ordering system really free?

No commission isn't the same as no cost. You'll still pay a subscription or build fee, card processing on each order, delivery costs if you deliver, and the time and marketing it takes to send customers there. It's usually cheaper per order than an app, but only once enough orders flow through it.

Do I need an app or is a website enough for direct orders?

A fast mobile website is enough for most restaurants. People rarely install an app for a venue they order from a couple of times a month. A branded app starts to make sense for multi-venue groups with frequent repeat customers and a loyalty programme.

How do I get customers to order direct?

Ask the people who already like you. Packaging inserts, QR codes in the venue, a small reward for direct orders and an ordering link on your Google Business Profile do most of the work. Then make the direct experience at least as quick as the apps, or they'll drift back.

Want an ordering page that keeps the margin?

We build restaurant ordering websites that connect to your menu, payments and courier service, with the customer data in your name. See how we work with venues as GRWW in Australia, then tell us how your orders flow today and we'll send a fixed quote in AUD. Prefer a conversation first? Book a free call.