Restaurant Ordering System Comparison (2025)
An honest side-by-side comparison of restaurant ordering platforms — fees, features, and setup — so you can choose the right system for your business.
Choosing an ordering system is one of the most impactful decisions a restaurant owner can make. The wrong choice means bleeding money in commissions every month. The right one means more revenue, better customer relationships, and a streamlined operation.
This comparison covers the major categories of ordering platforms: third-party marketplaces, full-service POS systems with online ordering, and dedicated direct-ordering platforms. We'll look at real costs, features, and tradeoffs.
The Three Types of Ordering Systems
Before comparing specific platforms, understand the three categories:
1. Third-Party Marketplaces
Platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. They bring customers to you but charge 15-30% per order. You don't own the customer relationship.
2. POS-Based Ordering
Systems like Square Online and Toast. They bundle online ordering with their POS hardware. Good integration, but often come with processing fees and hardware commitments.
3. Direct Ordering Platforms
Dedicated platforms like Restos, ChowNow, and Owner.com. These give you your own branded ordering channel with no per-order commissions. You own the customer data and the experience.
Platform-by-Platform Comparison
DoorDash
| Type | Third-party marketplace |
| Commission | 15-30% per order |
| Delivery | Handled by DoorDash drivers |
| Setup | Application + approval process (1-2 weeks) |
| Customer data | Owned by DoorDash |
| Best for | Customer discovery and acquisition |
Pros: Massive customer base, handles delivery logistics, strong brand recognition.
Cons: High fees eat into margins, no customer data ownership, price competition with other restaurants, frequent menu scraping issues.
Uber Eats
| Type | Third-party marketplace |
| Commission | 15-30% per order |
| Delivery | Handled by Uber drivers |
| Setup | Application + approval (1-2 weeks) |
| Customer data | Owned by Uber |
| Best for | Restaurants already using Uber's ecosystem |
Pros: Large customer base, integration with Uber's ride-hailing network, global presence.
Cons: Same commission structure as DoorDash, restaurant promotion costs extra, limited brand customization.
Grubhub
| Type | Third-party marketplace |
| Commission | 15-25% per order |
| Delivery | Restaurant's own drivers or Grubhub drivers |
| Setup | Application-based |
| Customer data | Owned by Grubhub |
| Best for | Restaurants in Grubhub-dominant markets (Northeast US) |
Pros: Slightly lower commission tiers available, option to use own delivery drivers, strong in some US regions.
Cons: Declining market share, same fundamental commission model, customer loyalty is to the platform.
Square Online
| Type | POS + online ordering |
| Commission | 0% commission, 2.9% + $0.30 processing |
| Delivery | Integration with third-party delivery |
| Setup | Self-service (requires Square POS) |
| Customer data | You own it |
| Best for | Restaurants already using Square POS |
Pros: No commission fees, integrates with Square POS ecosystem, free basic tier.
Cons: Tied to Square's ecosystem, limited customization on free plan, premium features require paid plans ($29-79/month).
Toast
| Type | POS + online ordering |
| Commission | 0% (included with POS subscription) |
| Delivery | Toast Delivery Services or own drivers |
| Setup | Requires Toast hardware installation |
| Customer data | You own it |
| Best for | Medium to large restaurants wanting an all-in-one POS |
Pros: Purpose-built for restaurants, strong POS integration, customer loyalty features.
Cons: Hardware commitment and contracts, higher upfront cost, can be overkill for small restaurants. Starting at $0/month but hardware lease and processing fees add up.
Restos
| Type | Direct ordering platform |
| Commission | 0% — completely commission-free |
| Delivery | Restaurant handles own delivery |
| Setup | Self-service, under 5 minutes |
| Customer data | You own it |
| Best for | Small to medium restaurants wanting quick, affordable direct ordering |
Pros: Zero commission, fastest setup, free tier includes full ordering functionality, QR code dine-in ordering, custom branding, no contracts, SSL and hosting included.
Cons: No built-in delivery driver network (you manage delivery yourself), smaller platform compared to Toast/Square ecosystems.
Cost Comparison at Scale
Here's what each platform costs a restaurant doing $15,000/month in online orders (approximately 300 orders at $50 average):
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| DoorDash (25%) | $3,750 | $45,000 |
| Uber Eats (25%) | $3,750 | $45,000 |
| Grubhub (20%) | $3,000 | $36,000 |
| Square Online | ~$465* | ~$5,580 |
| Toast | ~$500* | ~$6,000 |
| Restos | ~$435* | ~$5,220 |
* Square, Toast, and Restos costs include only payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30). Actual costs may vary with plan selection.
The difference between commission-based and flat-fee models becomes more dramatic as your volume grows. At $30,000/month, DoorDash costs $7,500/month while Restos still costs roughly $870 in processing fees.
Feature Comparison Matrix
| Feature | DoorDash | Square | Toast | Restos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commission-free | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customer data ownership | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom branding | Limited | Moderate | Good | Full |
| QR code ordering | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile optimized | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Setup time | 1-2 weeks | 1-2 hours | Days-weeks | 5 minutes |
| Free plan | No | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| Delivery drivers | Included | Third-party | Optional | Own drivers |
| Customer discovery | Yes | No | No | No |
| Multi-language | Limited | Limited | Limited | Yes |
How to Choose the Right System
The best platform depends on your situation:
- You need customer discovery → Use DoorDash/Uber Eats for acquisition, but pair with a direct ordering platform for retention. See our guide on commission-free ordering for a dual-channel strategy.
- You already have a POS system → Check if your POS (Square, Toast) includes online ordering. If it does, enable it. If not, add a dedicated platform like Restos.
- You want the fastest, cheapest setup → A dedicated direct ordering platform gets you live in minutes with no hardware commitment.
- You're a larger operation → Toast or Square may be worth the investment for their integrated POS features.
- You want to reduce delivery app fees → Start a direct ordering channel to shift orders away from commission-based platforms. Our guide on avoiding delivery app commissions has specific strategies.
For most small to medium restaurants, start with a free direct ordering platform to establish your own channel, then evaluate whether you need a full POS integration as you grow. The important thing is to stop relying solely on commission-based platforms.
Summary
Every month you rely exclusively on third-party marketplaces, you're paying thousands in commissions you could be keeping. The platforms compared here all have their place, but the trend is clear: restaurants that own their ordering channel are more profitable and more resilient.
If you haven't set up direct ordering yet, the cost of getting started is zero — and the cost of waiting is measured in lost revenue. See our setup guide to get started in under 5 minutes.