Losing 20-30% of every order to third-party delivery platform commission with no direct channel for customers who would order direct if the option existed?
Online ordering on a third-party platform that can't support your menu structure, modifier logic, or multi-location routing?
Custom Online Ordering System for Restaurants
Custom online ordering for restaurants, restaurant groups, and dark kitchens -- a direct ordering channel that replaces the 20--30% commission going to Uber Eats and DoorDash, with a menu structure that actually supports your modifier logic and multi-location routing.
We build systems that give customers a fast direct ordering experience on web and app, route orders to the right kitchen, and earn loyalty points -- while still accepting orders from third-party platforms when you choose to run them alongside.
Branded direct ordering on web and app with your full menu, modifiers, and upsell flows
Kitchen display integration routing orders to the correct station on receipt
Third-party platform integration accepting Uber Eats and DoorDash orders into the same kitchen workflow
Loyalty points earning on direct orders with discount codes and marketing integration
RaftLabs builds custom online ordering systems for restaurants, restaurant groups, and dark kitchens. A custom direct ordering system removes the 20--30% commission paid to Uber Eats and DoorDash on every order and gives the restaurant full control over menu structure, modifier logic, upsells, and loyalty integration. Most restaurant online ordering projects ship in 10--14 weeks at a fixed cost.
100+Products shipped
·24+Industries served
·FixedCost delivery
·12-14Week delivery cycles
The third-party platform problem is a margin problem
A restaurant doing $500,000 in annual revenue through Uber Eats at 25% commission is paying $125,000 per year for a customer acquisition channel. That is a number most restaurant owners have not calculated explicitly because the commission is deducted before payout -- it never appears as a cost in the profit and loss account.
A direct ordering channel costs a fraction of that to build and operate. Customers who already know the restaurant -- the ones who have ordered three times through Uber Eats -- will order direct when given a fast, easy way to do it. The customers acquired through third-party platforms still arrive through those channels. The economics of the business change because regulars shift to the direct channel and the third-party commission is paid only on new customer acquisition.
The second problem is menu control. Third-party platforms have menu structures built for the median restaurant. Complex modifier logic -- build-your-own bowls, substitution rules, dietary filter interactions -- either doesn't map correctly or requires workarounds that confuse customers. A custom ordering system is built around your actual menu, not constrained by what a third-party platform can model.
What we build
Direct ordering web and app
Branded ordering experience on mobile web, desktop, and native iOS and Android apps. Menu displayed with item photography, descriptions, allergen information, and dietary filters. Delivery and collection toggle so customers choose at the start of the order and the flow adapts accordingly. Delivery address entry with postcode-based zone validation so customers outside your delivery area are told at the start, not at checkout. Modifier and extras selection inline with each item. Basket management with quantity adjustments and notes. Checkout with card payment, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Order confirmation by SMS and email. The direct channel that is fast enough to compete with a third-party app.
Menu management
Item availability by time of day and by location so breakfast items disappear at 11am and location-specific specials appear automatically. Modifier groups with min and max selection rules: choose one sauce, choose up to three toppings, choose a required base. Combo meal management where a combo contains a main, a side, and a drink with their own modifier trees. Item 86 -- mark an item as unavailable for the rest of service from the manager tablet when stock runs out, with automatic restoration for the next service period. Menu change workflow where the kitchen team or manager marks items unavailable without needing system access. The menu engine that keeps what the customer sees aligned with what the kitchen can deliver.
Kitchen display integration
Orders routed to kitchen display screens by station immediately on receipt -- no paper ticket printing, no verbal relay. Configurable routing rules: cold starters to the cold section, grilled items to the grill, desserts to the pastry section. Timing display showing how long each order has been waiting so the team manages pace rather than reacting to complaints. Order consolidation for multi-item orders: all items for a table or delivery order displayed together so the expediter can hold and check before dispatch. Bump screen confirmation when a station completes their items so the expediter knows what is ready. The kitchen workflow that means orders arrive at the right station the moment they are placed.
Third-party delivery platform integration
Integration with Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Deliveroo so orders from those platforms arrive in the same kitchen workflow as direct orders -- one screen, one process. Menu sync keeping item names, prices, and availability consistent between your direct system and third-party menus. Order status updates sent back to the platform so the delivery driver's app shows accurate preparation and ready times. Commission reporting showing what is paid to each platform per month against direct order revenue so the true cost of each channel is visible. The integration that lets you run third-party platforms without running a separate system for them.
Loyalty and marketing integration
Points earning on every direct order -- a specific reason for customers to order direct rather than through a commission-charging platform. Discount codes and promotional pricing applied at checkout with single-use or multi-use rules. Birthday offer automation sending a discount code timed to arrive before a customer's birthday. Triggered campaigns based on order behaviour: a reactivation offer to customers who haven't ordered in 30 days. Integration with email marketing platforms so customer order data drives segmentation without manual export. The loyalty layer that gives customers a reason to choose your direct channel over the platform they already have installed.
Multi-location routing
Customer selects collection from a specific location or enters a delivery address and the system routes the order to the nearest kitchen covering that postcode. Delivery zone configuration per location: draw the zone on a map, set minimum order value, set delivery fee by zone tier. Collection time slots by location so customers pick a time that matches kitchen capacity. Order sent to the correct kitchen POS or KDS automatically with no manual routing step. Consolidated management view showing orders across all locations for the operations manager. The routing logic that means the customer always sees the right menu, the right delivery time, and the right price for their location.
Frequently asked questions
Third-party platforms are good for customer acquisition -- they put your restaurant in front of people who don't know you. They are expensive for retaining customers who already know you. The right answer for most restaurants with meaningful delivery volume is to run both: third-party platforms for new customer acquisition, a direct channel for repeat customers. The investment in a direct ordering system typically pays back within 12 to 18 months if you convert a meaningful share of your repeat third-party customers to direct orders. We can model that payback for your specific order volumes before you commit.
Third-party platforms typically charge 15% to 30% commission per order depending on your agreement and the platform. A custom direct ordering system has a one-time build cost and ongoing hosting and payment processing fees -- typically 1.5% to 2.9% for card processing. For a restaurant doing $30,000 per month in delivery revenue, the difference between 25% platform commission and 2% direct processing is $6,900 per month. The build cost pays back in under a year at that volume if you move even 40% of orders to direct. The specific numbers depend on your order volume, current commission rate, and average order value.
Yes. Direct orders can be routed to your existing POS as a new order type, or to a dedicated kitchen display system alongside your existing POS flow. The integration approach depends on your current POS -- cloud-based POS systems with open APIs integrate directly; legacy systems may require a middleware layer. We confirm the POS integration approach during project scoping. If you are considering replacing your POS at the same time as adding online ordering, we can scope both together so the systems are designed to work as a unit.
A direct ordering system covering web ordering, menu management, kitchen display routing, and payment processing typically takes 10 to 14 weeks. Adding a native iOS and Android app adds four to six weeks. Third-party platform integration adds two to four weeks per platform. Loyalty and marketing integrations depend on your existing loyalty setup. We scope precisely before committing -- timeline and fixed cost are confirmed after a discovery session where we understand your menu structure, location count, POS setup, and loyalty requirements.
Tell us your location count, current delivery volume, which third-party platforms you run, and your POS setup. We'll scope a direct ordering system and model the commission payback.
