A commission-free food delivery app for your restaurant
Updated October 25, 2026
Most "food delivery apps" take 15–30% of every order because they do two jobs for you: they bring the customer and they bring the courier. A commission-free food delivery app is one you own, where you bring the customer (your link, your Google profile, your regulars) and you handle delivery (your own driver, or a courier you book). You keep 100% of the order minus the card fee. With Menuthere there's genuinely 0% commission, the money lands in your own Stripe account, and it's free to start. This page is honest about the trade: no commission means you do the discovery and the logistics yourself.
In short
- 0% commission, really. You pay a flat plan (from free) plus the card fee, not a cut of each order.
- You own the customer. Their details and repeat orders stay with you, not an app.
- Your drivers or a courier. Set a delivery radius and fee; dispatch your own rider or book a courier.
- The honest trade. The apps find new customers for their cut; a commission-free app leaves that to you.
What "commission-free" actually means
A delivery app's commission pays for two things: demand (hungry people browsing the app) and supply (a courier network). A commission-free app gives you the ordering and payment technology, and leaves those two jobs to you:
| A delivery app (DoorDash, Uber Eats) | A commission-free app (Menuthere) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who brings the customer | The app's marketplace | You (link, Google, regulars) |
| Who delivers | The app's couriers | Your own driver or a courier you book |
| What you pay per order | 15–30% commission (6–7% pickup) | Card fee only (about 2.9% + 30¢) |
| Who owns the customer | The app | You |
| Best at | Finding new customers | Keeping the margin on repeat orders |
Neither is "better" in the abstract. The apps are a marketing channel you rent. A commission-free app is the channel you own. Most restaurants should use both and shift repeat customers to the one they own.
The money, on a real month
A restaurant does $18,000 a month in delivery across 600 orders ($30 average):
| Channel | How it's charged | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery app, full service | 25% of $18,000 | $4,500 |
| Delivery app, lower tier | 15% of $18,000 | $2,700 |
| Menuthere Lite + Stripe | $17 + 2.9% + 30¢ per order | $17 + $522 + $180 = $719, plus your own delivery cost |
Even after your own delivery cost, moving orders off a 25% app to your own link keeps thousands a month. Those app rates are on our DoorDash and Uber Eats pages. The ordering side is covered on commission-free online ordering.
Running the delivery yourself
- Set a delivery radius on a map and a delivery fee (flat, or by distance).
- Dispatch your own driver from the order, which shows the customer's address.
- Or book a courier yourself if you don't run drivers; treat it like a collection from the kitchen's side.
- Set your hours so delivery orders only come in when a driver's available.
How own-delivery stacks up against the apps is covered on in-house delivery for restaurants.
Your own-branded app, if you want one
"App" can mean two things. Most restaurants just need the commission-free ordering link, which works like an app on any phone (customers can add it to their home screen). If you want a true branded app in the App Store and Google Play under your own name, that's the own food delivery app on the Branded App plan. Both are commission-free; the branded app adds your icon on the home screen and push notifications.
Honest limits
- No marketplace demand. A commission-free app doesn't bring you new customers the way a marketplace does. You market it, which is why many restaurants keep an app listing for discovery and convert those customers to direct orders; see move delivery-app customers to direct ordering.
- No built-in courier network. You run your own driver or book a courier; Menuthere doesn't dispatch couriers for you.
- You pay a card fee. 0% commission isn't 0% cost: a processor like Stripe takes about 2.9% + 30¢ per card order.
- No ready-made Square, Toast or Clover link. Orders arrive in the Menuthere dashboard and print from there.
Frequently asked questions
Is Menuthere really a commission-free food delivery app?
Yes. There's 0% commission on orders. You pay a flat plan (free to start, Lite $17 a month) plus the card processor's fee of about 2.9% + 30¢ per order. The order total, minus that card fee, lands in your own Stripe account.
If there's no commission, how is it free or cheap?
A commission-free app charges a flat subscription instead of a percentage of each order, and leaves two jobs to you: bringing the customer (your own marketing) and delivery (your own driver or a courier). That's the trade for keeping the margin.
Who delivers the food on a commission-free app?
You do. You set a delivery radius and fee and dispatch your own driver, or you book a third-party courier yourself. Menuthere provides the ordering and payment, not a courier network.
Will a commission-free app bring me new customers like DoorDash?
No. A marketplace app brings demand in exchange for its cut. A commission-free app is the channel you own, so you market it yourself. Many restaurants keep an app listing for discovery and move repeat customers to their own commission-free link.
Do I need a branded app in the app stores?
Not necessarily. The commission-free ordering link works like an app on any phone, and customers can add it to their home screen. A true branded app in the App Store and Google Play is available on the Branded App plan if you want your own icon and push notifications.
Sources (3)
- Stripe US standard pricing, 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card charge (Stripe pricing page), accessed 26 Oct 2026.
- Menuthere commission pages (platform rates, each citing the platform): DoorDash US, Uber Eats US: /en/delivery-app-commission/doordash-usa, /en/delivery-app-commission/uber-eats-usa (read 26 Oct 2026).
- Menuthere Docs and product facts (confirmed in code, 26 Oct 2026): 0% commission on all plans; own-delivery radius and fee by distance; no built-in courier dispatch; installable web app plus a true branded app on the Branded App plan; no Square/Toast/Clover POS; Free 50 orders/month; Lite $17.