Third party delivery fees were eating into margins. We built a custom ordering app that let the restaurant take direct orders for pickup and delivery, with a simple admin to manage menus and hours.
We kept the UX minimal: browse menu, add to cart, choose pickup or delivery, pay. On the back end, the owner could update items and prices without a developer. We integrated with their existing payment processor and added optional SMS notifications for order status.
Within a few months, a significant share of repeat customers were ordering through the custom app. The restaurant promoted it on receipts and in store, and used first order discounts to shift behavior. The result: roughly 30% of delivery volume moved in house, with fees replaced by a fixed monthly cost and higher retention.