What is commission-free online ordering for restaurants?

Published July 2026 · Updated October 4, 2026

Commission-free online ordering means a restaurant takes orders on its own website and pays no percentage of each order to a marketplace. The restaurant pays a flat monthly fee for the software instead. Card processing still applies and delivery still costs money, but the food revenue stays with the restaurant.

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Where does the money go on a $40 order, with and without commission?

One $40 delivery order, placed two ways. The marketplace column uses a 30% base commission, the top of the 15% to 30% base range. The direct column uses Zayos.

Marketplace orderCommission-free direct order
Commission paid by the restaurant$12.00 at a 30% base commission$0
Monthly feeUsually none$399, $499 or $599 per location
Fee the diner paysSet by the appA flat $0.99 on pickup and delivery, $0 dine-in
Card processingCharged inside or on top of the commission, by appApplies, as on any card payment
Who owns the customerThe marketplaceThe restaurant

Is commission-free online ordering really free?

No. Commission-free means no percentage of the ticket. It does not mean no cost. You pay a monthly subscription, card processing on each payment, and delivery has to be paid for by someone, usually the diner through a delivery fee.

The honest test is the yearly total at your own order volume. A flat fee costs the same in a busy month and a slow one. A commission grows with every order.

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How many orders does commission-free online ordering need to pay for itself?

At a $40 average order and a 30% commission, each order moved to your own site keeps about $12 that would have gone to the app, before card processing. A $499 Operator + Tablet plan is covered by about 42 such orders a month.

Your numbers will differ. Use the rate on your own payout statement. The blended real cost of a marketplace is 25% to 35% once delivery, marketing and processing fees stack.

What blended delivery commission means

What do commission-free online ordering platforms charge instead?

Each one picks a different mix. Owner.com is $249 a month plus 5% per order, or $499 a month flat, and guests pay a 5% order support fee (Source: Owner.com pricing, https://www.owner.com/pricing, read 4 Oct 2026). ChowNow is $229 to $449 a month plus a $119 to $499 setup fee and 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction (Source: ChowNow pricing, https://get.chownow.com/pricing/, read 4 Oct 2026). DoorDash says direct orders on its own online ordering product are commission-free with payment processing (Source: DoorDash Online Ordering, https://merchants.doordash.com/en-us/products/storefront, read 4 Oct 2026).

Zayos is $399, $499 or $599 per location per month with no setup fee and no contract. Zayos takes no cut of food revenue and no cut of tips. The diner pays a flat $0.99 service fee on pickup and delivery, $0 dine-in, and 10% on catering.

Best online ordering systems for restaurants, compared

Who delivers a commission-free order, and who keeps the tip?

The system books a courier for that one order. Zayos books one. The diner pays the delivery fee at checkout.

The restaurant keeps 100% of food revenue, and 100% of tips on pickup and dine-in. On delivery the tip goes to the driver.

What delivery dispatch is

Should a restaurant drop the delivery apps for commission-free ordering?

No. Keep the apps for diners who do not know you yet. Move the regulars, who already search for you by name, to your own site. Restaurants are live on Zayos and taking direct orders today, including Farooj Abo Alabed and Socotra Yemeni Coffee & Co.

We get you live in under a week. Most restaurants take their first direct order within two weeks.

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What else do owners ask about commission-free online ordering?

What does commission-free online ordering mean?
It means the ordering platform does not take a percentage of each order. The restaurant pays a flat subscription and keeps the food revenue. Diners order on the restaurant's own website instead of a marketplace app.

Is commission-free the same as free?
No. There is still a monthly fee, card processing and the cost of delivery. Commission-free only means no percentage of the ticket goes to the platform.

How much commission do delivery apps charge?
A 15% to 30% base commission per order. The blended real cost is 25% to 35% once delivery, marketing and processing fees stack. DoorDash lists 15%, 25% or 30% on delivery orders by plan (Source: DoorDash for Merchants pricing, https://merchants.doordash.com/en-us/pricing, read 4 Oct 2026).

Who pays the service fee on a commission-free order?
On Zayos the diner pays a flat $0.99 service fee on pickup and delivery, $0 dine-in and 10% on catering. The restaurant never pays it.

Does commission-free online ordering for restaurants work with a POS?
On Zayos, direct orders inject into Clover, Square or Shift4 at no extra cost. Toast works too; Toast bills the restaurant its own $50 a month integration fee.

What is the catch with commission-free online ordering?
You have to bring the diners. A marketplace sends you strangers. Your own site serves the people who already know you, so it works when you tell regulars it exists: bag inserts, a QR code, your Google listing and email.

Where do the competitor figures on this page come from?

Related: the commission-free online ordering guide, what a direct ordering channel is, first-party ordering, online ordering system for restaurants.

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