Third-party delivery apps changed how restaurants reach customers. In the early years, being on Uber Eats or DoorDash meant instant visibility and orders. Restaurants did not need a tech team, a branded app, or a direct digital presence. The aggregators handled all of it.

The trade-off was commission. Most platforms charge between 15% and 30% per order. On a $50 order, the restaurant may keep as little as $35 — before factoring in packaging, labor, and ingredient costs. Across hundreds of orders per month, that commission becomes one of the largest line items in the business.

Beyond the cost, there is the data problem. Every customer who orders through a third-party app belongs to that platform — not to your restaurant. You cannot email them. You cannot send them a push notification when you launch a new menu item. You cannot build a loyalty program around their ordering history. The aggregator holds all of that.

This is why thousands of restaurants globally are now investing in their own ordering platforms. The cost of the software is almost always lower than the commission they were paying. And the long-term business value — owned customers, direct data, branded experience — is significantly higher.

Before evaluating specific tools, it helps to know what features actually matter in 2026. The basics are non-negotiable: a customer-facing ordering interface, a driver dispatch and tracking system, a merchant or restaurant management panel, and reporting that tells you what is happening across your business.

Beyond the basics, the platforms that stand out offer multi-channel ordering — not just a website, but also mobile apps, QR codes for dine-in, and social ordering channels like WhatsApp or Instagram. Marketing tools like loyalty programs and promotional codes matter more than most new business owners expect. Retaining a customer is far cheaper than acquiring a new one, and your software should support that.

Pricing model also matters. Some platforms charge a flat monthly fee. Others take a percentage of revenue or charge per order. For fast-growing businesses, a flat monthly SaaS fee is almost always the better economic model.

Finally, look at onboarding speed. Custom development takes months. A good SaaS platform should have you live in days — not weeks.

Flipdish is an Irish food tech company that builds white-label ordering systems for restaurant chains and hospitality groups. The platform gives restaurants a fully branded web ordering page, a mobile app, and a self-service kiosk solution.

Flipdish works best for restaurant groups operating three or more locations. Its reporting tools are designed for multi-site operators — you get a consolidated view of performance across every branch from a single dashboard. Menu management can be done at the group level, with local overrides per branch.

The platform integrates with major POS systems including Oracle Simphony, Lightspeed, and several others. Integrations matter because they prevent manual re-entry of orders and reduce errors during service.

Flipdish is not the most accessible option for single-location independent restaurants. The commercial terms and implementation process are better suited to organized chains. But for restaurant groups looking for a structured, enterprise-grade direct ordering system, it delivers.

Olo is a publicly listed (NYSE: OLO) digital ordering and delivery platform focused on the United States market. Its core value proposition is order aggregation — it connects your direct ordering channels with third-party platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub, routing all orders into one system and then pushing them to your POS.

This solves a real operational problem for high-volume chains. Without aggregation, staff are managing multiple tablets, each tied to a different platform, manually entering orders into the POS system. At high volume, that process is error-prone and creates delays.

Olo also has a loyalty and marketing product called Olo Pay and Engage. These allow brands to run promotions, collect customer data, and manage guest relationships directly.

The platform is built for large-scale operations — national chains and regional brands with dozens or hundreds of locations. For independent restaurants or businesses under 15 locations, Olo is generally over-engineered and over-priced relative to the use case.

Deonde is a SaaS-based food delivery platform that covers the full ordering and delivery stack. The platform is designed for food businesses that want to run their own branded delivery operation — without relying on third-party aggregators and without commissioning custom software development.

The platform comes with a customer-facing ordering app, a driver app, a merchant management panel, and an admin dashboard. Multi-restaurant operators use the Express product to manage multiple vendors under one system. Single-restaurant setups use the Ressto product.

Ordering channels supported include a branded mobile app, website ordering, WhatsApp ordering, QR code menus for dine-in, Instagram ordering, and Google food ordering. Having multiple channels matters because customer behavior varies — some customers prefer apps, others order via social media or scan a QR code at the table.

The platform includes delivery zone management, driver settlement, coupon and promotion tools, a loyalty program, and analytics. Pricing operates on a monthly subscription model. There is no per-order commission on direct orders, which is the key economic differentiator versus staying on aggregator platforms.

Deonde is used across multiple countries and serves restaurant startups, established food brands, cloud kitchens, and multi-vendor marketplace operators. Setup time is measured in days rather than months.

Owner.com combines a restaurant website builder, a direct ordering system, and a built-in marketing suite in one platform. The product is designed for independent restaurant owners in the United States who want a single tool that handles their entire digital presence.

Beyond the website and ordering, Owner.com includes email marketing, automated SMS campaigns, and SEO tools aimed at improving a restaurant's ranking on Google. The idea is that traffic from Google search converts into direct orders — bypassing aggregators entirely for customers who discover the restaurant online.

The platform is built for single-location operators. Multi-location management is limited compared to enterprise tools. But for an independent restaurant owner who wants an affordable, all-in-one digital solution, Owner.com packages things well.

It is worth noting that Owner.com has focused heavily on the US market. International payment options and delivery integrations outside the United States are limited, which makes it a poor fit for restaurants in other geographies.

Lunchbox is a restaurant tech platform that serves mid-to-large restaurant chains. It provides a branded app, web ordering, catering management, and a loyalty and engagement product. The platform has positioned itself as a premium alternative to aggregator dependency for brands that have already achieved scale.

The platform is not self-serve. Implementation involves a sales process and an onboarding period. For established brands with IT resources, this is manageable. For startups or small teams that need to move quickly, the setup timeline is a barrier.

Lunchbox integrates with a wide range of POS systems and has invested in personalization features — using order history data to surface relevant recommendations and promotions to individual customers. This kind of personalization is hard to do at scale without a dedicated platform, and it has a measurable impact on average order value.

The pricing tier reflects its enterprise positioning. Lunchbox is not the right tool for a business in its early stages, but for a chain managing 20 or more locations and looking to build direct ordering equity, it competes well.

The shift away from aggregator dependency is no longer a niche strategy — it is a mainstream business decision for food and delivery operators in 2026. Owning your ordering channel means owning your customer data, your brand experience, and your margins.

Each platform reviewed here solves a real problem for a specific type of business. Flipdish and Lunchbox are built for organized chains and enterprise operations. Olo is the right tool for high-volume US brands that need aggregation infrastructure. Owner.com works well for single-location US independents who want an all-in-one digital solution. Deonde covers the widest range — from single-restaurant setups to multi-vendor marketplaces — on a flat subscription model that works economically at every growth stage.

Before committing to any platform, test the onboarding experience, verify which ordering channels are actually supported in your market, and calculate the cost against your current commission spend. In most cases, the numbers will make the decision obvious.