How do I take online orders without paying commission?
By the Menuthere editorial team · Updated
Take orders on your own ordering channels — a website, QR codes on the table, Google and WhatsApp — instead of a delivery app. Delivery apps charge 15% to 30% or more per order; your own ordering system charges a flat monthly fee and 0% commission. With Menuthere you can start on the Free plan at $0 and keep every cent of each order.
- Delivery apps take a cut of every order; your own ordering link takes none, so a flat monthly fee beats commission as soon as you have steady orders.
- Menuthere is 0% commission on every plan, including Free, which includes 50 orders a month at $0.
- Your customers order from a link, a QR code, your Google listing or WhatsApp, with no app to download.
- You still pay the payment gateway its card fee, but that goes to the gateway, not to Menuthere.
- Paid plans (Lite $17/month, Pro $39/month) add your own domain, online card payments and WhatsApp on your own number.
Keep 100% of every order
Menuthere gives you an ordering website, printable QR codes and WhatsApp ordering on your own number, with 0% commission on every order and a Free plan to start. Payments go straight to your own account.
Is a flat monthly fee really cheaper than commission?
It depends on your order volume. Commission scales with sales, so the more you sell on an app, the more you pay. A flat fee stays the same whether you take 10 orders or 1,000. Once your own orders cover the monthly fee, every order after that keeps its full value. On Menuthere's Free plan there is no monthly fee at all up to 50 orders a month.
| Delivery app | Your own ordering | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost model | 15–30%+ of each order | Flat monthly fee, 0% per order |
| Cost at 100 orders | Grows with every order | The same as at 10 orders |
| Who owns the customer | The app | You |
| Starting cost | Free to join, paid per order | $0 on the Free plan |
How do customers find my own ordering link?
You send them to it. Put a QR code on tables, receipts and packaging, add an order link to your Google Business Profile, pin it on Instagram and Facebook, and share it on WhatsApp. Each of these costs nothing and points straight at your own ordering page instead of a marketplace where you pay commission.
- A printable QR code on tables and takeaway bags.
- An order link on your Google Business Profile.
- Your WhatsApp number, so regulars reorder in a chat.
- The link in your Instagram and Facebook bio.
How do I take payment without a delivery app?
You can take cash or payment on pickup for free, or connect a card payment gateway so customers pay online. The money lands in your own account; the gateway charges its own card fee, which is separate from Menuthere and goes to the gateway. Menuthere never takes a commission on the order itself.
Who this is a good fit for
- Any restaurant, café, bakery or cloud kitchen that already gets repeat orders and wants to stop losing a cut to a delivery app.
- Owners who can send customers to their own link through QR codes, Google, Instagram and WhatsApp.
- Places that want to start free and move to a paid plan only when the extra features pay for themselves.
Who this is not for
- A brand-new place with no customer base yet: a delivery app's marketplace can bring the first orders while you build your own channel alongside it.
- Owners who want someone else to handle delivery drivers for them; your own ordering means your own or a courier's delivery.
Common follow-up questions
What does 0% commission actually mean?
Menuthere takes no percentage of your order value on any plan. You pay a flat plan fee (or nothing on Free), plus whatever your payment gateway charges to process a card. The gateway's fee is not Menuthere's.
Can I really start for free?
Yes. The Free plan is $0 and includes 50 orders a month, your menu, an ordering website and QR codes. Past 50 orders the menu turns view-only until the 1st, or you upgrade to an unlimited paid plan.
Should I leave delivery apps completely?
Not necessarily. Many restaurants keep the apps for discovery and push repeat customers to their own commission-free link. See Talabat or my own website.
Read next
Sources (3)
- Uber Eats US merchant pricing (15–30%), Uber Eats, read 25 September 2026
- DoorDash US merchant pricing (15–30%), DoorDash, read 25 September 2026
- Menuthere pricing — 0% commission on every plan, Menuthere, read 25 October 2026