Why Ordering Directly From Restaurants Saves You 15-30%

The Commission Problem

When you order through DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub, the platform charges the restaurant a commission on every order. These commissions range from 15% to 30% of the order total.

Restaurants operate on thin margins — typically 3-9% profit. A 30% commission would put most restaurants out of business. So what do they do? They raise menu prices on delivery apps to compensate.

That $12 burger at the restaurant becomes a $14-16 burger on DoorDash. The $8 pad thai becomes $10-11 on Uber Eats. You're paying the platform's commission without realizing it.

How Direct Ordering Works

Many restaurants have their own online ordering through platforms like Toast, Square, ChowNow, or their own website. These systems charge restaurants much less — typically 0-5% per order instead of 15-30%.

Because the restaurant keeps more of each dollar, they can afford to list in-store menu prices on their direct ordering page. That means:

• Same food, same restaurant, same delivery — lower price
• No service fee markup (or much smaller fees)
• Restaurant keeps more profit, making their business more sustainable
• Delivery is handled by the same drivers in many cases

Real Example: A $40 Order

That's $14.34 in savings on a single order — 23% less. Order twice a week and you're saving $115/month.

How to Find Direct Ordering Options

The challenge is that direct ordering options are fragmented. Unlike DoorDash where everything is in one app, direct ordering lives across dozens of different platforms:

• Toast — used by 100,000+ restaurants
• Square Online — popular with smaller restaurants
• ChowNow — commission-free ordering for restaurants
• Olo — used by larger chains
• Restaurant's own website — custom ordering pages

This is the main reason people stick with delivery apps — it's easier to use one app than to find each restaurant's direct ordering page. But the price difference is significant enough to be worth the effort.

Or Let Eddy Do It For You

Eddy solves the discovery problem. We've indexed direct ordering links for 19,000+ restaurants across 30 US cities. When you're browsing DoorDash or Uber Eats, Eddy automatically checks if that restaurant has a cheaper direct ordering option — and shows you the link.

No more Googling "[restaurant name] order online." No more wondering if Toast or Square has a better price. Eddy does the comparison instantly, for free.