Should your restaurant build its own ordering website on WooCommerce, or list on Uber Eats, Just Eat, or Deliveroo? The answer is not as obvious as the platforms want you to believe — and for most restaurants, getting it right can mean the difference between a profitable delivery operation and one that slowly bleeds margin.
The Core Trade-Off: Reach vs. Margin
Third-party platforms give you instant exposure to millions of potential customers who are already browsing for food. Your own WooCommerce store starts with zero organic traffic and requires marketing effort to build an audience. That is the honest trade-off.
But the commission structure changes the equation quickly. Most major platforms charge between 15% and 35% per order. On a £25 average order, that is £3.75 to £8.75 gone before a single ingredient is paid for. At volume, this is devastating to profitability.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | WooCommerce + FoodMaster | Dedicated Apps (Uber Eats, etc.) |
|---|---|---|
| Commission per order | 0% — you keep everything | 15–35% of every order |
| Monthly fees | Hosting + plugin licence (one-time or annual) | Monthly subscription + setup fees |
| Customer data ownership | Full — you own the email list and order history | None — platform owns the relationship |
| Branding | Fully branded, your domain, your design | Listed alongside competitors on a third-party site |
| Menu control | Complete — update instantly, no approval needed | Changes submitted via platform, may take days |
| Promotion control | Full — discounts, loyalty, bundles, flash sales | Limited to platform’s promotion tools |
| Integration | WooCommerce ecosystem — thousands of plugins | Limited to platform’s integrations |
| Delivery logistics | Self-managed or via a third-party driver partner | Platform provides drivers (at a cost) |
| Initial audience | You must build it via marketing | Millions of existing platform users |
| Repeat customer marketing | Email, SMS, push — full access to your customer list | Customers belong to the platform, not you |
The Commission Problem at Scale
Consider a restaurant doing $10,000 per month in delivery orders:
- At 25% commission: $2,500 per month to the platform — $30,000 per year
- WooCommerce + FoodMaster: $499/year + ~$30/month hosting = under $1000 in year one
The maths are stark. Even accounting for the marketing investment needed to bring customers to your direct channel, most restaurants break even within the first three to four months and profit heavily from year two onward.
What You Lose Without a Third-Party Platform
Being honest here is important. When you build your own ordering system, you give up:
- Discovery traffic — Customers browsing “pizza near me” on Uber Eats will not find you unless you are listed
- Driver logistics — You need your own delivery staff or to partner with a driver platform separately
- Instant credibility — New restaurants benefit from the trust customers place in established platforms
The Best Strategy: Both Channels
The most successful restaurants use a hybrid approach: list on third-party platforms for discovery, then convert those customers to your direct channel. A simple card in every delivery bag — “Order directly at [your website] and save 10%” — can shift regulars to your direct channel within weeks.
Once a customer orders directly from your WooCommerce store, you have their email address. From there, retention through email marketing campaigns costs almost nothing, and the lifetime value of that customer is entirely yours.
When Third-Party Platforms Make Sense
- You are a brand-new restaurant with no existing audience and need orders on day one
- You have no budget or resource for website management
- Your average order value is very high (so the commission is a smaller percentage of profit)
- You can use the platform purely for driver logistics while directing customers there via your own marketing
When WooCommerce + FoodMaster Wins
- You have an existing customer base you want to move to a direct channel
- Your margins are tight and commissions are eating into profitability
- You want full control over branding, menu, and promotions
- You operate multiple locations (FoodMaster’s multistore feature handles this elegantly)
- You want to offer dine-in QR ordering, table management, and KDS alongside delivery
- You want to run your own loyalty programme
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I list on a third-party platform and run my own site at the same time?
Absolutely. There is no conflict. Many restaurants run both and actively work to shift repeat customers to their direct channel, where they keep the full order value.
Is it difficult to set up WooCommerce for food ordering?
Not at all. FoodMaster includes a setup wizard that guides you through the key settings. A basic delivery and pickup ordering system can be live in a few hours. See our step-by-step setup guide for the full walkthrough.
What about drivers? Can WooCommerce handle driver dispatch?
WooCommerce does not include driver dispatch natively. Most self-hosted restaurants either employ their own delivery staff or use a driver platform (such as Stuart or Bopple) for logistics, while still taking orders through their own site.
Wrapping Up
Third-party platforms are a useful tool for discovery and new customer acquisition — but keeping 100% of your order revenue and owning your customer relationships is a much better long-term position. Most growing restaurants end up running both, using platforms for exposure and their direct WooCommerce site for profitability.
Ready to go direct? Get FoodMaster →