8 DoorDash Alternatives For Restaurants

If you own a restaurant, using third-party delivery service like DoorDash can bring in more customers. 

There’s just one big downside: the commissions. Most restaurants pay 20% to 30% of each order in delivery fees.

Also, depending too much on DoorDash can be risky. If you don't have your own website, or do your own marketing, you end up relying too much on the apps.

No wonder so many restaurant owners are looking for DoorDash alternatives. 

In this article, we’ll cover 8 alternatives to DoorDash. Whether you're looking to reduce service fees, or get more online orders, we've got you covered.

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The Best DoorDash alternatives for restaurants

Our recommendations depend on what you’re trying to achieve. There’s no one “best” alternative. Your best option depends on what your goals are for your restaurant.

For restaurants that just want to save on commission fees

If your restaurant already gets a lot of direct orders, you might just need a different food delivery service. These DoorDash alternatives are designed to help your current customers order food online, while you pay less on delivery fees and commissions.

Our pick: ChowNow

ChowNow is an online ordering system that sets up food delivery for restaurants through its platform. Instead of a delivery fee like DoorDash, the company charges a monthly fee. Zero commissions means restaurant owners can keep more of their profits. 

ChowNow also helps you establish your presence on sites like Google, Yelp, OpenTable, and others. If you want, there's an option to get a custom branded app too. 

While ChowNow isn’t the best option if you want to grow your direct orders, it’s suitable if your goal is to cut back on commissions.

Other options for reducing food delivery commissions

Sauce

Sauce is a commission-free pickup and food delivery network for restaurants.

They apply a fixed delivery fee per order and partner with multiple delivery providers. A key feature is that they handle disputes and issues with payment, delivery, billing, and others with customers on your behalf. [source]

Menufy

Menufy offers free setup so it's a good option for new restaurants that want to test online orders. 

Instead of a monthly fee, Menufy charges a flat order fee that can be paid by the customer. However, for online payments, your restaurant has to cover a 2.75% + $0.30 fee per order. [source]

If you want to use their delivery network, Menufy charges a 12.5% commission. [source] 

For restaurants that want a complete solution to increase sales

While ChowNow and Sauce are common alternatives to DoorDash, they aren’t great for restaurants who want to increase direct order volume.

What should you consider using instead? Here are our recommendations. 

Our pick: Owner.com

Owner.com is our top DoorDash alternative for restaurants that want to grow their direct order sales. It gives independent restaurants the same technology as big chains like Domino's and Chick Fil-A. 

Owner.com provides a complete online delivery and marketing system for restaurants. Restaurants get a website, a custom mobile app for customers, as well as automatic marketing tools designed to engage customers and grow your sales.

It’s the only DoorDash alternative designed to increase your total orders. Owner.com does this by getting you more traffic from Google, converting that traffic into customers, then getting those customers to become regulars.

Your Owner.com website is designed for SEO on Google, so your website turns up when someone searches for your cuisine in your area.

Owner.com restaurant websites are also optimized to get people to order. Compared to a normal restaurant website, people are three to five times more likely to become a customer on an Owner.com restaurant.

The platform also offers a loyalty program, just like Starbucks. This helps customers collect points and better rewards the more they order. Additionally, Owner.com gives restaurant owners their own custom branded app, making it easier for customers to order and get repeat orders. 

Get a demo of Owner.com here.

Other solutions for independent restaurants

While there are other alternatives to DoorDash, they often lack some of the key features we've just mentioned, or they require long term contracts. 

Popmenu

Popmenu is great for dine-in restaurants and provides a custom website but falls short without a mobile app or loyalty program, which are essential for a complete restaurant management system.  

Bentobox

Bentobox offers tiered pricing for different features like online orders, reservations, and a website. But it lacks a mobile app across its plans. 

Slice

Slice is an on demand delivery service that pizza shops get more orders and better reviews. But all orders take place on their site instead of yours – hurting your SEO and search visibility. This means less traffic from Google.

SpotHopper

SpotHopper offers tools for high end restaurants like a custom video and photoshoot. However, they don't provide a mobile app nor do they help with getting food delivered. 

To close, let's dive a little deeper into why Owner.com is our number one DoorDash alternative for restaurants that want to grow their sales. 

What restaurant owners say about Owner.com

Owner.com is the DoorDash alternative that gives you a complete solution that helps you move away from third party food delivery apps.

Your restaurant gets a custom mobile app when you work with Owner.com. Timirie Shibley, owner at Doo-Dah Diner, says: 

“We’ve more than doubled our direct online sales since starting. I didn’t think having our own app would work, but our regulars love it and use it constantly."

Many restaurant owners have come to rely on DoorDash because they can’t drive direct online orders on their own. To help with this, Owner.com turns your website into a powerful source for new customers. 

Just ask Mo and Omar, owners of Talkin' Tacos. After they switched to Owner.com, they started getting over 700 new customers every month from Google. 

Owner.com gives your customers a loyalty program, like the one used by Starbucks. Customers get points for every order, and they get better rewards they more they order. For Yuliana Vasquez, the owner of Samos Oaxaca, the loyalty program increased sales by $150,000.  

Get a demo of the best marketing system for restaurants today

Owner.com provides a variety of clear advantages over DoorDash and other solutions for independent restaurants, including: 

• Automatic email and text customers
• Zero commission food delivery service
• Optimizations to turn site visitors into customers 
• Getting you more traffic from Google with restaurant SEO
• A loyalty program for your customers
• Your own branded mobile app 
• Free marketing resources like flyers, posters, and table tents

Learn more about how Owner.com can help you move away from third party delivery services:

Book a 20 minute demo with our team here. 

FAQ From Restaurant Owners

What is the best DoorDash alternative for restaurants?

If you already get a lot of orders and just need a food delivery service, look into options like ChowNow, Sauce and Menufy. If you want to increase your total direct order volume, Owner.com is your best choice.

What are the best food delivery services for restaurant owners?

DoorDash, Uber Eats and other third party food delivery apps are useful for connecting you to new customers. The downside is that you'll get charged a delivery service fee that eats into your margins. Depending on your needs, you can choose some of the alternatives on this article. Also consider that every food delivery service has a different density of delivery drivers in each city, so consider asking other local restaurants about their experiences on the pickup times of each of the services.

How do I reduce my service fee on DoorDash?

Most local restaurants pay 20% to 30% in delivery fees for each order. Typically, the higher the service fee you pay, the more benefits you get. Paying a lower service fee can mean your restaurant might not get as much visibility as other local restaurants, which can mean fewer orders.

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