Delivery platforms: what they cost a cafe

A delivery platform brings orders a cafe would not otherwise get, at a commission that changes the arithmetic of every one of them.

The decision is not whether the orders are real. It is whether they are profitable after everything the platform costs.

Four costs, and commission is only the first

• Commission, the headline figure, taken off every order.
• Packaging, which a counter sale does not need at all.
• Kitchen disruption, as delivery tickets interrupt the dine in flow.
• Promotions, where a discount to stay visible comes out of the venue's share.

A dish at forty per cent food cost on the counter can pass break even entirely once all four apply.

Cost the delivery menu separately

The same menu at the same prices on both channels guarantees one of them is wrong. The platform's economics are different, so the pricing should be.

Most venues price delivery higher, which customers accept because they are paying for convenience. Holding both prices identical simply donates the commission.

Not every dish should travel

Anything that goes soft, separates or arrives cold damages the brand in somebody's living room, where nobody can fix it.

A shorter delivery menu of items that survive twenty minutes in a box protects the reputation and simplifies the kitchen. Our guide to menu changes covers testing that properly.

Protect the dine in service

A tablet beeping through a Saturday rush steals the kitchen's attention from the people who came in person and pay full margin.

Pausing delivery during the peak is a legitimate decision. A venue losing its dine in service to delivery tickets has the priorities inverted.

Read the platform's own numbers carefully

A platform reports gross sales, which looks impressive. The venue's actual receipt is that figure minus commission, minus promotions, minus adjustments.

Reconciling the remittance against the orders is the only way to know the real rate. It frequently differs from the headline.

Refunds come out of the venue, not the platform

A customer complaint often results in a refund charged back to the kitchen, sometimes without any conversation.

Tracking refunds by cause shows whether they are packaging, travel time or a genuine kitchen error. Only one of those is the cafe's to fix.

Compare the channels once a quarter

Counter margin against delivery margin, on real numbers, settles the question for a given venue. No general answer exists.

Plenty of cafes find delivery worth keeping for quiet hours and worth pausing at the peak, which is a conclusion only the figures can support.

Packaging is a menu decision

A container that leaks or collapses turns a good dish into a complaint, and the venue wears the refund.

Testing packaging with a real dish, left for twenty minutes, costs an afternoon and settles most of it.

Own the customer where the platform allows

A delivery customer belongs to the platform, not the venue, and the platform will happily show them a competitor next time.

A card in the bag inviting a direct order next time is the only cheap way to convert that relationship.

Direct orders carry no commission, which makes even a modest conversion rate worth the printing.

Some platforms restrict what can go in the bag, so the rules are worth reading before printing anything. A breach can cost a listing, which is a far larger price than the cards.

What to change first

• All four costs enter the calculation, not commission alone
• The delivery menu carries its own prices
• Only dishes that survive the trip go on it
• Delivery pauses during the dine in peak
• Remittances reconcile against orders, so the real rate is known
• Counter margin meets delivery margin once a quarter