Direct Orders

Direct orders are takeout and delivery orders placed without a third-party platform in the middle. The customer goes through the restaurant's own ordering surface (website, app, or phone), the restaurant takes the full ticket, and the customer relationship — including the email and phone number — belongs to the restaurant.

The economics differ sharply from third-party delivery. A $40 ticket on DoorDash with a 30% commission nets the restaurant $28 before food cost. The same ticket placed direct nets $40 before food cost. Direct orders are 30-43% more profitable per dollar of revenue.

Beyond unit economics, direct orders create something third-party orders cannot: a customer database. The phone number, email, and order history feed loyalty programs, win-back campaigns, and LTV calculations. Third-party orders are anonymous to the restaurant — the platform owns that relationship.

Building direct order share is the multi-quarter project most independent restaurants underinvest in. The work: a website with a fast ordering flow, prominent on-page CTAs, GBP order link configured, in-bag inserts on every third-party order pointing to direct, and a small loyalty incentive (free dish on third direct order, etc.).

Direct orders are the highest-margin channel a restaurant has. Moving 20% of takeout volume from third-party to direct on a $1M takeout business adds roughly $50-60k of annual profit — nothing else in marketing has comparable single-lever leverage. And the customer database is a permanent asset.