A customer who orders delivery from a restaurant twice a month has already decided they like the food. The restaurant does not need to convince them of anything. It just needs to give them a reason to place that same order through its own channel instead of through an app that takes a large cut of the sale.
How do you get delivery app customers to order direct?
A restaurant gets delivery app customers to order direct by placing a branded insert inside every delivery bag that offers a discount for ordering through its own website, next to a QR code that leads straight to that ordering page.
The insert works because of timing. The customer is holding the bag, they are thinking about this restaurant specifically, and they are about to throw away a receipt or a card anyway. If that card tells them they could have paid less for the exact same order, some of them will remember next time.
This is not a plan to leave delivery platforms. Delivery apps are good at bringing in new customers who have never heard of the restaurant. The migration strategy keeps using apps for that job, while moving repeat customers, the ones who already know the menu, onto a channel where the restaurant keeps more of the sale.
Why do delivery apps cost more than direct orders?
Delivery platforms charge a commission of 25-30% on every order, while a restaurant's own website only costs 3-5% in payment processing, which is the entire reason the migration is worth doing.
That gap compounds fast. A restaurant running 200 delivery orders a month at a $28 average order value is paying a commission gap of over $1,100 a month compared to what the same volume would cost through direct ordering. None of that gap goes toward food, labor, or rent. It goes to the platform.
Does a 10% discount still leave the restaurant ahead?
Yes, because even after discounting a direct order by 10%, the restaurant keeps more money on that order than it would keep on the same order placed through a delivery app.
Swipe sideways for all 4 columns →
| Scenario | Customer Pays | Fees/Commission | Restaurant Keeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery App (25% commission) | $28.00 | $7.00 | $21.00 |
| Direct Order (10% discount + 3% processing) | $25.20 | $0.76 | $24.44 |
That is $3.44 more per order on direct, even though the customer paid less. Across 40 migrated orders a month, which is 20% of a 200-order base, that works out to $138 a month, or about $1,650 a year. A restaurant doing 500 or more delivery orders a month sees the savings scale up proportionally.
Results are not typical and will vary with your business, your market, your team and how much of the work you actually do. Client figures on this site come from recorded interviews and are dated. Nothing here is a guarantee of revenue, profit or growth.
What goes on a bag insert that actually gets used?
A bag insert that gets used leads with the discount in large type, includes a scannable QR code and a typed link, and is printed on thick branded cardstock so it does not read as an afterthought.
The front of the card should say something close to: SKIP THE APP. ORDER DIRECT. Save 10% on every order when you order from us directly, with a QR code and the order link underneath. The back can add the reasons to switch: save 10% with no app markup, earn rewards on every order, get direct contact with the kitchen, support a local restaurant, and a code like DIRECT10 for the first direct order.
- Use water-resistant cardstock, since the card goes inside a food bag
- Lead with the benefit, SAVE 10%, not the request, ORDER DIRECT
- Make the QR code large enough to scan on the first try
- Keep the card in every delivery bag for at least six months, since many customers need to see it two or three times before they switch
Delivery platform terms of service allow marketing materials inside bags. A card that says order direct next time and save is permitted and expected.
How fast can a direct ordering channel be set up?
A minimum viable direct ordering channel, a Google Business profile with an Order Online button linking to a website or a free ordering platform, costs nothing and takes about 30 minutes to set up.
Swipe sideways for all 4 columns →
| Platform | Cost | Delivery? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Online | Free (3% processing) | Pickup only unless drivers are hired | Restaurants already on Square POS |
| Toast Online Ordering | Included in Toast plans | Pickup + delivery | Restaurants already on Toast POS |
| ChowNow | $99-199/month | Pickup + delivery | Any POS, white-label branded |
| Google Business ordering | Free | Pickup | Minimum viable option |
Once the ordering link exists, it needs a short URL and a QR code, and the owner should place a test order to confirm it works on mobile and actually reaches the kitchen, since most delivery traffic comes from a phone.
What migration rate should a restaurant expect in the first few months?
The lesson sets a target of a 10-15% migration rate in the first month, growing toward 20-30% by month six, tracked through redemptions of a promo code like DIRECT10.
Tracking matters because the insert is not a one-time flyer, it is a system. Monitoring direct ordering volume weekly, and counting promo code redemptions monthly, is what tells a restaurant whether the insert is working or whether the design and offer need adjusting.
“The ones who deploy the bag insert see results within the first month because the customer they are targeting has already chosen their restaurant. They are not convincing someone new. They are giving an existing customer a better way to do what they already want to do.”
Three mistakes show up most often. Offering no incentive, since a customer who is comfortable on the app has no reason to switch without one. A forgettable insert, a plain white card with small text that gets thrown away instead of read. And stopping after a month, when many customers need to see the card two or three times before they act.
Restaurants weighing where this fits against other margin work, like forecasting or scheduling, can see how the pieces connect in the restaurant meeting rhythm post, and owners building a broader marketing plan can review the restaurant marketing budget breakdown.
This migration system is one lesson inside the Scaling Engine OS™, the operating system Founders Board members get a license to use across every part of the business. Restaurants that have applied structured systems like this one across pricing, staffing, and operations include the team behind Pizza Pizzazz, who installed KPIs on every P&L line before selling the business for over a million dollars.
Owners who want to see whether this kind of system fits their restaurant can look at the Founders Board program or start with an application.
