Stop paying marketplace commissions on your repeat orders.
Delivery marketplaces charge commissions on the orders they carry, including orders from regulars who already know you. Keep marketplaces for discovery, and give returning customers a direct channel under your brand where you set the prices and keep the relationship.
Marketplace order
A marketplace can remain one way to reach new diners. Its ordering rules, fees and fulfillment model are set by that channel.
- Confirm the marketplace's commercial terms.
- Map what the customer sees after the first order.
- Decide where repeat-order messaging belongs.
Direct-ordering channel
A direct storefront gives your team a place to present its own menu, service choices and brand experience alongside other channels.
- Set the storefront, menu and order types.
- Connect the operations your direct channel needs.
- Review data, communication and commercial responsibilities.
Commercial terms, payment processing, third-party services and configuration are set with your team when you plan the channel.
Plan the channel before you promote it.
- Storefront
- Menu
- Fulfillment
- Customer journey
Marketplace fees
Know what a marketplace order really carries.
“Marketplace fees” covers several different charges. Some come out of your payout, some are added to the customer’s total, and the mix depends on the provider, plan, fulfillment method and market.
| Charge | What it is |
|---|---|
| Taken from your payout | |
| Commission or marketplace fee | A percentage of each order’s value, charged for access to the marketplace’s audience and, on some plans, its couriers. |
| Promotions and sponsored placement | Optional spend to rank higher or run offers inside the marketplace app, which raises the cost of every order won that way. |
| Added to the customer’s total | |
| Delivery fee | Charged to the customer for delivery. It can change with distance, demand or a marketplace membership. |
| Service fee | An additional fee on the order subtotal that the marketplace charges the customer. |
| Small-order fee | A surcharge when an order falls below the marketplace’s minimum subtotal. |
| Depends on the agreement | |
| Payment processing | Card-processing costs, sometimes bundled into the commission and sometimes charged separately — usually to the restaurant. |
Pricing models
Commission-based and direct ordering are paid for differently.
A marketplace charges a share of each order it carries. A direct channel is paid for through a platform plan and the services you select, and you take on the operating work a marketplace would otherwise bundle.
| What matters | Marketplace commission | Direct channel on Ordering.co |
|---|---|---|
| How the channel is paid | A percentage of each order’s value, plus any separate charges in the agreement. | A platform plan plus any usage, add-on, payment-processing, tax and third-party charges that apply. |
| As order volume grows | Percentage-based fees grow with every order. | Costs follow the plan structure. Check what is included and what is charged per use. |
| Customer-facing fees | Set by the marketplace. | Set by your team, store by store. |
| Customer relationship | Held inside the marketplace’s app. | Built on your storefront, subject to your configuration, customer consent and privacy obligations. |
| Brand | Your menu is listed next to competitors. | Your brand, menu and domain. |
| Discovery | A built-in audience already browsing. | You bring the traffic: your site, QR codes, social and returning customers. |
| Best at | Reaching diners who don’t know you yet. | Keeping repeat orders on terms you set. |
Many operators use both: marketplaces for discovery, a direct channel for customers who come back. Marketplace terms vary by provider, plan, fulfillment method and market; your current agreement controls.
Worked example
Run the comparison with your own numbers.
Calculate each marketplace and plan separately, then put the full cost of a direct channel next to it. The figures below are hypothetical inputs chosen to show the arithmetic.
How to calculate marketplace fees
- Multiply the applicable order value by the marketplace percentage in your agreement.
- Add fixed, delivery, payment-processing, promotional, placement and refund charges separately.
- Repeat for each provider and plan. Don’t apply one provider’s rate to another market.
- Run more than one scenario for volume, average ticket, fulfillment mix and promotions.
Example with hypothetical inputs
One restaurant, one month of marketplace delivery
- Delivery orders
- 400
- Average order value
- $25
- Applicable order value
- $10,000
- Example marketplace rate
- 20%
Percentage-based fee
$2,000
What to put on the direct side
- Platform plan and any activation or implementation work
- Payment processing and applicable transaction charges
- POS, delivery, marketing and analytics integrations
- Drivers, dispatch and customer support you take on
- Marketing that brings repeat customers to your channel
What a direct order carries
Decide what a direct order carries.
On a marketplace, the channel sets the customer experience, the fees and who hears from the diner next. On a direct order, those decisions come back to your business.
New to online ordering? See how restaurants set up branded ordering, menu operations and deliveryOperations
Map the store, fulfillment method and systems that need to receive the order before the channel is launched.Prices you set
Set the menu prices and delivery fees for the direct channel, then review platform, payment, usage, add-on, tax and third-party costs against the scope selected for your business.Launch map
Connect the direct channel to the work behind an order.
- 01Choose the storefront journey
Identify the menu, order types and branded touchpoints that the customer should use.
- 02Map the operation
Align store routing, fulfillment and the systems that need to receive each order.
- 03Confirm the project scope
Review commercial terms, selected integrations, responsibilities and launch requirements with the team.
Useful next step
Bring the current ordering flow to the conversation.
A demo can make the storefront journey concrete and identify which operational connections need to be verified for your project.
Direct ordering
Give regulars a direct route back to your menu.
Branded storefront
Use Ordering Web for a website journey, branding and domain that fit your business.More customer touchpoints
Evaluate the customer surfaces that matter to your operation, including web, apps, kiosk, call center or assisted ordering.Repeat-order journey
Decide how returning customers should find the menu, service choices and relevant messages after a first order.In-store touchpoints
Use QR, counter or table moments only when they support a clear route to the menu and the order experience you configured.Public discovery
Plan the storefront pages and local information customers need before they begin an order.Fulfillment choices
Review pickup, delivery and partner requirements with the project team before they appear in the customer journey.Customer fees
Turn customer fees into a pricing lever you control.
On a marketplace, delivery and service fees are decided for you. On your own channel, customer fees are rules your team sets for each store: what the fee is called, how it is calculated and which orders it applies to.
Decide which orders a fee applies to
Order type
Apply a fee to delivery, pickup or both, depending on which costs more to fulfil.
Payment method
Offset cash handling or card processing on the payment methods that carry that cost.
Ordering channel
Give web, app and kiosk orders their own fee rules.
Date range
Schedule a fee for busy periods. It stops applying when the range ends.
What a fee rule sets
- Name
- The label the customer sees as a line at checkout.
- Amount
- A fixed amount or a percentage of the order.
- Minimum
- A floor for percentage fees, so small orders still cover the cost.
- Store
- Each store keeps its own fees, separate from taxes.
Three habits of well-set fees
Name it for what it covers
“Cash handling fee” tells the customer why it exists. A vague “service fee” invites doubt at checkout.
Start small, then add
Begin with one fee on one kind of order, watch conversion for a few weeks, and only then add the next.
Put a floor under percentages
2% of a $4 order is 8 cents. A minimum keeps low-value orders from quietly costing you.
Available fee options depend on your plan and configuration. Confirm the rules you need during the demo.
Living with marketplaces
Keep marketplaces for discovery. Bring repeat orders direct.
Marketplaces and a direct channel do different jobs. On a marketplace, guests discover you in a shared catalog, and the marketplace defines its own customer experience and the commercial terms of that relationship. Instead of sending regulars straight to a marketplace listing, your direct channel presents your menu and order flow for your restaurant, your team chooses the channels to connect, and the operating setup is planned around your locations and delivery model. Use the operating map to confirm the menu, order-handling and fulfillment connections for each channel.
- Your web
- Your apps
- AI agents
- Marketplace channel
- Partner channel
Ordering.coPlanning across selected channels- Merchant App
- POS
- Drivers
Customer data
Make data and communications part of the launch plan.
Before launch, agree on the customer information, communication tools, permissions and retention responsibilities that apply to the selected direct-ordering flow.
- Customer information
- Define the information required to fulfil an order and the responsibilities for handling it.
- Customer communication
- Confirm which messages and channels are part of the selected customer journey.
- Service feedback
- Decide whether and how feedback belongs in the operating flow.
- Connected tools
- Identify the systems whose integration or data exchange must be validated for the project.
Questions about marketplace fees and direct ordering.
What fees do food delivery marketplaces charge?
Usually a commission or marketplace fee on the restaurant’s order value, delivery, service and small-order fees charged to the customer, optional promotion or sponsored-placement spend, and payment processing that may be bundled or charged separately. The exact mix depends on the provider, plan, fulfillment method and market.
How much commission do marketplaces take from restaurants?
It is a percentage of order value that varies by provider, plan and whether the marketplace or your own team delivers the order. Published plans differ by country and change over time, so use the rate in your current agreement. Our fee comparison guide lists published US examples with their sources.
Who pays marketplace fees, the restaurant or the customer?
Both. The restaurant pays the commission and any promotion or placement spend; the customer pays delivery, service and small-order fees. On a direct channel you run yourself, your team decides which customer fees to charge.
What is the difference between commission-based and direct-ordering pricing?
Commission-based pricing takes a percentage of every order, and the marketplace keeps the customer relationship inside its app. A direct channel is paid for through a platform plan and the services you select, you set the customer fees, and you take on operating work such as marketing and, if you deliver yourself, drivers.
Can I set my own delivery and service fees?
On your own channel, yes. With Ordering.co, customer fees are rules set per store: a fixed amount or a percentage with a minimum, applied by order type, payment method, ordering channel or date range, and shown to the customer as a named line at checkout. Available options depend on your plan and configuration.
Does Ordering.co take a commission on orders?
For approved Startup scope, direct orders carry 0% revenue commission. Platform, usage, add-on, tax, payment-processing and third-party charges may apply. Review current plans on the pricing page for the terms that apply to your business.
Is a direct channel always cheaper than a marketplace?
Not automatically. The answer depends on your order volume, average ticket, the marketplace terms you are on, and the full cost of running a direct channel, including the platform plan, payment processing, delivery and marketing. Calculate both from current, scoped inputs before deciding how to use each channel.
Should I stop using marketplaces?
Not necessarily. Many operators keep marketplaces for discovery and move returning customers to a direct channel they run. The useful decision is which orders belong on which channel.
Bring your repeat orders to a direct channel.
Use a demo to review the customer journey and confirm the scope, commercial terms and operational connections relevant to your business.