How to cut delivery-app commission (Grab, LINE MAN, Foodpanda)
Updated 2026-07-24
The delivery apps are the restaurant version of the OTA problem. They are genuinely useful for reaching someone who has never eaten with you, and for that they are worth what they cost. The problem is the regular: the customer who already loves your food, orders every Friday, and orders through the app because that is the button in front of them. On that order you pay a commission to reach a customer who was already yours.
Where the cut goes
Once delivery and promotion are added in, the apps commonly take somewhere around 30 percent of an order. It varies by app and by whatever deal you signed, but on a busy month it is a large number, and a large share of it is paid on regulars who would happily order from you directly if there were an easy way.
Like the room booked through an OTA, the app also keeps the customer. You do not get their number, so you cannot tell them about next week's special without paying the app to reach them again.
The customer you are paying to keep
Not every app order is worth chasing. The person who found you by browsing Grab and may never come back is exactly who the app is for; let it do that job. The one worth moving is the regular, the office that orders lunch every day, the family down the road. They already know you. Paying a third of their order for delivery you could arrange yourself is the leak.
How to move them to ordering direct
Three simple things, in order:
- Give them somewhere to order that is not the app. For many places this is not an expensive system. A clear menu they can see, an order taken on LINE, or a simple online form with a payment link, is enough to start. A full ordering system is worth it later, once the direct volume is there.
- Give them a small reason to prefer it. A little more food, a free drink, a faster pickup, points towards a free meal. It does not have to be much; it has to be a reason.
- Put a note in the bag. Every app delivery is a chance to tell that customer how to order direct next time. A small card in the bag, with your LINE and a line about ordering straight from you, reaches exactly the people most likely to switch.
What this does not mean
It does not mean leaving the apps. They still put you in front of new customers who will never find you otherwise, and that is real work you would struggle to do yourself. The goal is not zero app orders. The goal is to stop paying commission on the regulars who were always coming back.
Where to start
Look at last month's app orders and pick out the names you recognise, the ones who order again and again. Those are the ones to move first, and moving even some of them pays for the effort many times over. We build restaurant sites with ordering and a LINE button built in for exactly this, and we also build the ordering systems when a place is ready for one.
If you want a straight look at where your delivery money is going, tell us what you are working with.
Common questions
Should I leave the delivery apps?
No, not while they bring you orders you would not otherwise get. The goal is to move your regulars to a channel you do not pay commission on, and let the apps reach new customers.
How much do the delivery apps actually take?
Commonly around 30 percent of each order once delivery and promotion are included, though it varies by app and deal. On a regular who already knows you, that is a large amount to pay for delivery you could arrange yourself.
How do I get customers to order direct instead?
Give them somewhere to do it (your own ordering or a LINE order), a small reason to prefer it, and a note in the delivery bag. The people already ordering from you are the easiest to move.
Do I need an expensive ordering system?
Not to start. A clear menu, a way to order on LINE or a simple online form, and a payment link is often enough. A full ordering system is worth it once the direct volume justifies it.