Get discovered. Get direct orders. Keep more of what you earn.
Use marketplaces where they make sense for your business, then give customers an easy way to order directly next time. Follow these three steps to grow your direct ordering channel and reduce commission costs as more customers choose it.
By The Food Ordering Co · Published 11 October 2026 · Last updated: 11 October 2026 · 10 min read
Marketplaces for discovery. Direct for the habit.
Use marketplaces to get discovered. Make direct ordering easy. Promote it consistently. The aim is to help satisfied customers build a new habit: ordering directly from their favourite takeaway.
A website alone does not create that habit. Our platform provides the direct ordering destination. This blueprint shows you how to put it to work.
For the habit to form:
Customers need to know it exists.
They need a reason to use it.
They need an ordering experience worth repeating.
1
STEP 1 OF 3
Get discovered
Help new customers find your takeaway.
Just Eat, Uber Eats and other marketplaces are ordering platforms that can also provide discovery and delivery services. They can introduce your food to customers who have not tried it before, and they can be a useful part of your business alongside your own ordering website.
Use them where the orders make commercial sense. Review what you earn after commission, promotions and fulfilment costs rather than judging success by order volume alone. Not every business needs to join every marketplace.
Customers also discover takeaways through Google, social media, recommendations and your shopfront. Keep your own channels pointing towards direct ordering.
What to do
Keep marketplace menus, opening hours and availability accurate.
Use appealing photos of your actual food.
Set realistic preparation and delivery estimates.
Make every first order an experience customers want to repeat.
Understand the costs and margins of each ordering channel.
Get customers through the door—and give them a reason to come back.
2
STEP 2 OF 3
Make ordering direct easy
Give customers a convenient way to choose you again.
Your direct ordering website should make it straightforward to find a favourite meal, understand the total price and place an order on a phone. Customers are unlikely to change their habits if ordering directly feels confusing or unreliable.
The Food Ordering Co is the direct ordering destination. You get a branded web app with your takeaway’s name, logo and menu, which customers open from a link or QR code on any phone. Card payments are taken online through Stripe, and orders can print straight to your kitchen.
You can update your menu, opening hours and offers from your web dashboard.
Using marketplace couriers today? Those couriers belong to the marketplace. Direct delivery needs a suitable fulfilment arrangement of your own, so ask us to confirm delivery arrangements for your business before you promote delivery.
What to do
Use one clear, memorable ordering address.
Keep the menu, prices and availability up to date.
Make delivery areas, charges, minimum orders and collection options clear.
Set realistic preparation and delivery times.
Place a complete test order on a phone before promoting the website.
Make sure staff know how to receive, prepare and fulfil direct orders.
What the platform costs
£29.95 a month with no commission on your direct orders and no fixed-term contract. Stripe’s processing fees apply on top, and customers pay a separate 50p platform fee per order at checkout. A kitchen printer is optional at a one-off £294.99. See the pricing page for what’s included and what isn’t.
Make ordering direct a choice customers are happy to repeat.
3
STEP 3 OF 3
Promote direct ordering consistently
Make sure customers know where to order next time.
Putting a website live is the start. Build awareness by promoting the same direct ordering address wherever customers encounter your takeaway. Work through each channel below.
Google Business Profile
Link the website field to your own website with an obvious ordering route.
Add your direct ordering URL under the relevant food ordering options.
Set it as the “Business preferred” ordering link where available.
Check what customers actually see on Google Search and Maps.
Google describes the steps in its guide to ordering links (opens in a new tab). The preferred option applies when a profile has more than one ordering link, and Google may also show links from other providers, so check your profile regularly.
Social media
Put the direct ordering link in your bios.
Pin a post explaining how to order direct and why.
Include a direct ordering call to action in every food, menu and offer post.
Use clickable links or link stickers where supported; otherwise, direct people to the link in your bio.
Example post
“Tonight’s dinner sorted. Order direct at [ordering address].”
Order bags and QR flyers
Make a QR flyer part of the packing routine for eligible orders, especially orders arriving through other channels where the platform agreement permits it. Check your agreement before you start.
The flyer should:
Use the takeaway’s own branding.
Explain why the customer should order direct next time.
Link straight to the ordering page.
Include a readable website address alongside the QR code.
Make the next action obvious.
Make it a habit in the kitchen
Test the printed QR code on a phone.
Keep flyers beside the packing area.
Make someone responsible for restocking them.
Suggested wording
“Enjoyed your meal? Order direct next time. Scan to see our menu at [ordering address].”
Add a direct ordering benefit when the takeaway genuinely offers one. Our package includes flyer design and prints to get you started, plus free QR codes.
In the takeaway
Promote the ordering address on menus, counter signs, windows and suitable packaging.
Train staff to mention direct ordering to phone and walk-in customers.
Use the same address and message consistently.
Every customer touchpoint is a chance to build the direct ordering habit.
SUPPORTING PRINCIPLES
What makes the blueprint work
These support the three steps. They are not extra steps to add to your list.
Give customers a reason to switch
“Save us commission” explains your motivation. Give customers a clear benefit too. Where genuinely available:
An exclusive direct ordering meal deal.
A loyalty reward.
A small extra with a qualifying order.
Better value on selected items.
Choose one simple benefit and promote it consistently. State any minimum spend, expiry or exclusions. Check the margin: you do not need to give away all the commission you avoid through discounts.
Give customers a reason to return
Great food, accurate orders, reliable timing and helpful service turn promotion into repeat business. Make the ordering address easy to find again, and promote loyalty benefits if you offer them.
Where email or text marketing is supported, invite direct customers to opt in, keep messages useful and provide an easy unsubscribe. Do not use marketplace customers’ contact details for promotional messages.
Email and text marketing to individuals is covered by UK rules (PECR), which generally require consent or a qualifying soft opt-in, and a simple way to opt out of every message. Read the ICO’s guidance (opens in a new tab); this is a summary, not legal advice.
Measure profitable progress
Take a few minutes each week to ask:
How many online orders came direct?
What percentage of online orders was direct?
How many direct customers ordered again?
Which promotions led to orders, where tracking is available?
What did those orders cost after fees, promotions and delivery?
Commission avoided is not automatically additional profit. Your actual savings depend on direct ordering fees, payment processing, discounts and differences in delivery costs, and not every direct order would otherwise have been a marketplace order. To test your own numbers, try the commission calculator guide.
Start with an ordering website that works, make sure customers can find it, and give them a good reason to return. Keep doing the basics consistently—one order at a time.
New customers get their first 3 months free. See the offer.
