Online food ordering has become increasingly popular, and restaurants have been compelled to adopt some of the latest technology to stay relevant and competitive. For this reason, many businesses have turned to third-party Delivery Service Providers (DSPs), such as UberEats, DoorDash, Postmates, or GrubHub. While outsourcing delivery can have some advantages, doing so also comes with a fair share of challenges.
Below are some of the top 5 reasons restaurants should highly consider setting up their own dedicated online food ordering system, as opposed to relying on Third-party DSPs alone.
1) High Fees
DSPs have been known to charge steep commission-based fees plus other service costs, which restaurants are finding unsustainable for the long-term. Many restaurants are struggling to keep up with the fees, especially those climbing upwards of 30%.
2) Customer Trust
In the US alone, about 80% of last year’s food orders have been placed directly through restaurants as opposed to third-party providers. According to recent surveys, customers prefer to entrust the restaurant with the full process and place orders directly with their favorite food establishments.
3) Greater Control Over Guest Experiences
Having your very own enterprise digital ordering platform allows restaurants to control, customize and personalize each guest’s experience. This way, restaurants can ensure that guests receive the quality digital experience they expect and deserve, whether they are shopping in-store or online.
4) More Flexibility
Having an online ordering system of your own, restaurants can set their own system terms and configurations. Is there a fee for delivery? What is the furthest mile radius delivery offered? Is the order for pickup, curbside, drive-thru or delivery? What is the minimum check total required for free delivery? All these details are up to the restaurant to decide, rather than dictated by the third-party vendor.
5) Money-Back In The Restaurant’s Pockets
Orders placed on your restaurant’s digital ordering site will immediately translate into more money back in your restaurant’s pockets since you no longer need to pay high delivery fees that munch away at your bottom line.