--- title: "Lessons from iFood: how it won" description: "How iFood won, how to copy its best moves in your city, and where it is weak. A free, sourced playbook for local delivery founders." canonical: https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/ifood/ --- # What iFood can teach your delivery business. Brazil's dominant food delivery app, connecting hundreds of thousands of restaurants, couriers and shops with tens of millions of customers. [See how they won](#winning-moves)[Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book) - Region Americas - Headquarters Sao Paulo, Brazil - Founded 2011 - Owner Prosus (full ownership since buying the remaining 33.3% stake from Just Eat Takeaway in 2022) At a glance ## How iFood works iFood earns commissions and fees from restaurants and stores on orders it processes, with higher fees when it also supplies the courier. It adds revenue from advertising, a paid loyalty club, payments and credit for merchants, and newer categories such as groceries, pharmacy and pet supplies. Status as of October 2026 As of October 2026 iFood faces new well funded rivals in Brazil: Meituan's Keeta and Didi's 99Food both entered in 2025, and in May 2026 iFood sued Keeta for alleged unfair competition. - In August 2022 Prosus agreed to pay 1.5 billion euros in cash, plus up to 300 million euros in contingent payments, for the 33.3% of iFood it did not already own, taking full ownership. At the time iFood handled about 70 million orders a month. [Business Wire (Prosus announcement)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220818005814/en) - In August 2024 iFood passed 100 million orders in a single month, with more than 60 million customers, over 350,000 restaurant partners and about 300,000 delivery partners. [Prosus](https://www.prosus.com/news-insights/2024/ifood-hits-major-milestone-of-100-million-orders-per-month-in-august) - A Prosus investor presentation in 2025 described iFood as present in 1,581 Brazilian cities with more than 408,000 partner establishments and over 442,000 active delivery partners. [Prosus investor presentation](https://www.prosus.com/~/media/Files/P/prosus-corp-v2/investors/latam-investor-site-visit/ifoods-long-term-visio.pdf) - Prosus reported that iFood reached 175 million orders a month during 2025 and processed 592 million orders in its financial year ending March 2026. [Naspers FY26 results deep dive](https://www.naspers.com/~/media/Files/N/Naspers-Corp-V2/results-reports-and-events-archive/latest-results/fy-2026/fy26-results-deep-dive.pdf) - In May 2026 iFood filed a lawsuit against Meituan controlled Keeta in Brazil, alleging unfair competition, roughly a year after Keeta announced its Brazilian entry. [DealStreetAsia](https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/ifood-keeta-483020) How they won ## iFood's four winning moves What they did, why it worked, and how you can run the same move in one city on a small budget. 1. 01 ### Built its own courier network What they did iFood started as a marketplace where restaurants delivered their own food, then added its own logistics model so it could supply couriers to restaurants that had none. Prosus investor material lists hundreds of thousands of active delivery partners working through iFood across Brazil. Why it worked Offering delivery as a service opened the platform to the many restaurants that could not afford their own riders, which multiplied selection for customers. Copy it locally Start with a hybrid model: let restaurants that already have drivers deliver themselves, and offer a small pool of your own drivers to the ones that do not. Charge a higher fee only when you supply the driver, and grow the fleet as order density in each zone justifies it. [Source: Prosus investor presentation](https://www.prosus.com/~/media/Files/P/prosus-corp-v2/investors/ifood-building-the-ifood-ecosystem-highlighting-clube-presentation.pdf) 2. 02 ### A paid loyalty club that drives frequency What they did iFood built Clube, a monthly membership that gives members discounts and delivery benefits across food, groceries and pharmacy. Prosus reports Clube members order more often and stay longer than non members, with frequency of 5.2 orders versus 3.5 and retention of 75% versus 65%. Why it worked A membership turns occasional users into habitual ones, and the benefits push members into new categories like groceries and pharmacy. Copy it locally Launch a simple paid tier in your city, for example free delivery above a minimum basket plus one member only deal per week. Fund the perks with restaurant co-marketing instead of your own margin, and track whether members order more often than everyone else. [Source: Naspers FY26 results deep dive](https://www.naspers.com/~/media/Files/N/Naspers-Corp-V2/results-reports-and-events-archive/latest-results/fy-2026/fy26-results-deep-dive.pdf) 3. 03 ### Financial services for restaurants What they did Through iFood Pago, the company offers merchants digital accounts, receivables advances and loans, and it reported extending around 1 billion US dollars in credit to restaurants in 2024. It also sells restaurant software for dine in, point of sale and kitchen management. Why it worked Restaurants that get paid, financed and managed through iFood have more reasons to stay and to concentrate their orders on the platform. Copy it locally You do not need a bank license to copy the idea. Pay restaurants fast and transparently, give them a clear dashboard of sales and payouts, and partner with a local payment provider for cash advances so merchants see you as their business partner, not just a sales channel. [Source: Prosus investor presentation](https://www.prosus.com/~/media/Files/P/prosus-corp-v2/investors/latam-investor-site-visit/ifoods-long-term-visio.pdf) 4. 04 ### Expanding beyond restaurants What they did iFood used its customer base and courier network to add groceries, pharmacy, pet and beverage delivery. Prosus reports its grocery business grew at about 50% a year between FY24 and FY26. Why it worked Each new category reuses the same customers and couriers, so it raises order frequency and fills idle courier time between meal peaks. Copy it locally Once restaurant delivery works in your city, sign two or three local grocers, pharmacies or liquor stores and list them in the same app. Use the same drivers in off peak hours, and promote the new stores to your existing customers first. [Source: Naspers FY26 results deep dive](https://www.naspers.com/~/media/Files/N/Naspers-Corp-V2/results-reports-and-events-archive/latest-results/fy-2026/fy26-results-deep-dive.pdf) Where they are weak ## Three gaps you can use against iFood Every giant has blind spots. These are the ones a focused local operator can turn into an advantage. - ### Restaurants push back on fees In May 2025 the Sao Paulo state hospitality federation Fhoresp called for a boycott over what it described as excessive iFood fees, while the national association Abrasel said it did not support a boycott. Rest of World reported iFood charges restaurants up to 27% per order, which leaves room for a local platform with clearer and lower pricing. [Source: IstoE Dinheiro](https://istoedinheiro.com.br/restaurantes-pressionam-ifood-boicote-taxas) - ### Most orders still happen off the big app Responding to the fee complaints, iFood itself said that about 65% of food orders in Brazil still happen through WhatsApp, phone calls or restaurants' own apps. That large off platform share is exactly the space where a local, restaurant friendly ordering channel can grow. [Source: IstoE Dinheiro](https://istoedinheiro.com.br/restaurantes-pressionam-ifood-boicote-taxas) - ### Competition is intensifying In 2025 Didi's 99Food returned to Brazil offering zero fees to new restaurants for two years, and Meituan announced a 1 billion US dollar investment to launch Keeta, according to Rest of World. Restaurants now have alternatives and more willingness to spread their orders across channels. [Source: Rest of World](https://restofworld.org/2025/meituan-brazil-launch-food-delivery/) Build it with Ordering.co ## The tools to run iFood's playbook in your city Each of these features is included in every Ordering.co plan. [See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/) - ### Driver teams Organize restaurants' own drivers and your own small pool into separate driver teams, the hybrid start of iFood's built its own courier network move. - ### Service fees Set service fees store by store so you charge more only where you supply the driver, as in iFood's built its own courier network move. - ### Loyalty levels Reward your most frequent customers with loyalty tiers and track whether they order more often, a loyalty take on iFood's paid loyalty club that drives frequency move. - ### Split payments Split each payment between your platform and the restaurant automatically with Stripe Connect so merchants get paid fast and transparently, the local version of iFood's financial services for restaurants move. - ### Business reports Give restaurants clear sales, product and store performance reports so they see you as a business partner, as in iFood's financial services for restaurants move. - ### Store categories and ribbons Add grocers, pharmacies and liquor stores as new store categories and highlight them with ribbons to existing customers, copying iFood's expanding beyond restaurants move. More lessons ## Learn from other giants [All giants](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/) - [AmericasDoorDashUS based local commerce platform that connects consumers with restaurants, grocers and retailers and delivers their orders through independent couriers called Dashers.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/doordash/) - [AmericasInstacartNorth American grocery delivery marketplace and technology provider that lets shoppers order from local grocers, fulfilled by personal shoppers, and sells e-commerce tools to retailers.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/instacart/) - [AmericasRappiColombian super app for Latin America that delivers restaurant food, groceries, pharmacy items and more, and bundles fintech, travel and subscription services in one app.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/rappi/) ## Sources 1. [Business Wire (Prosus announcement)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220818005814/en) 2. [Prosus](https://www.prosus.com/news-insights/2024/ifood-hits-major-milestone-of-100-million-orders-per-month-in-august) 3. [Prosus investor presentation](https://www.prosus.com/~/media/Files/P/prosus-corp-v2/investors/latam-investor-site-visit/ifoods-long-term-visio.pdf) 4. [Naspers FY26 results deep dive](https://www.naspers.com/~/media/Files/N/Naspers-Corp-V2/results-reports-and-events-archive/latest-results/fy-2026/fy26-results-deep-dive.pdf) 5. [DealStreetAsia](https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/ifood-keeta-483020) 6. [Prosus investor presentation](https://www.prosus.com/~/media/Files/P/prosus-corp-v2/investors/ifood-building-the-ifood-ecosystem-highlighting-clube-presentation.pdf) 7. [IstoE Dinheiro](https://istoedinheiro.com.br/restaurantes-pressionam-ifood-boicote-taxas) 8. [Rest of World](https://restofworld.org/2025/meituan-brazil-launch-food-delivery/) Ordering.co is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by iFood. Names and trademarks belong to their owners and are used here for commentary and education. Facts come from the public sources listed on this page, checked in October 2026. ## Build your own iFood, for your city. Tell us your market and what you want to launch. We will show you how Ordering.co runs the stores, orders, payments and delivery behind it. [Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book)[See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/)