Third party delivery apps have become a lifeline for many restaurants, but the cost is steep: commission fees often run 15 to 30% per order, and you don't own the customer relationship or the data.
When a custom app makes sense
A custom ordering app gives you a direct channel. Customers order from your brand, you keep the margin, and you get their contact info for loyalty and remarketing. You can still list on DoorDash or Uber Eats for discovery, but drive repeat orders through your own app with incentives that don't rely on platform algorithms.
What to prioritize in an MVP
In this post we'll walk through when a custom app makes sense, how it fits alongside aggregators, and what to prioritize in an MVP so you launch fast without overbuilding.