Which is better: Talabat or my own ordering website?
By the Menuthere editorial team · Updated
Both, usually. Talabat brings you new customers from its marketplace, but takes a commission on every order — its contracts set the rate, and where the law caps it, the ceiling is up to 19% in Qatar and up to 17% in Kuwait. Your own website brings no new customers on its own, but keeps 0% commission on repeat orders. The winning move is to use Talabat for discovery and move your regulars to your own commission-free link.
- Talabat's strength is discovery: new diners find you on its app. That reach is what the commission pays for.
- Talabat does not publish a single commission rate; it is set in each contract. Where the law caps it, the ceiling is up to 19% in Qatar and up to 17% in Kuwait.
- Your own ordering website keeps 0% commission, so repeat customers cost you nothing per order.
- Most restaurants keep both: the app for new customers, their own link for the ones who come back.
- With Menuthere your own website, QR codes and WhatsApp ordering are all 0% commission.
Move your regulars off commission
Menuthere gives you an ordering website, QR codes and WhatsApp ordering on your own number, at 0% commission on every order. Keep the delivery apps for discovery, and bring the customers who come back to your own link.
What does Talabat charge restaurants?
Talabat does not publish a single commission rate. Its IPO prospectus says each restaurant's commission is agreed in its contract as a percentage of order value and/or a fixed amount, and varies with who delivers. In the two Gulf markets with a legal cap, the maximum is set by law: Qatar caps it at up to 19% when the app delivers and 10% when it does not, and Kuwait at up to 17% (10% for self-delivery).
| Market | Talabat (legal cap) | Your own website |
|---|---|---|
| Qatar | Up to 19% (10% pickup) | 0% |
| Kuwait | Up to 17% (10% self-delivery) | 0% |
| UAE and others | Set in your contract, not published | 0% |
Note: The caps are legal maximums, not what every restaurant pays. Your own contract can be lower. Check your agreement for the exact rate.
How do I use both without losing money?
Treat the app as paid advertising. Let it bring new diners, then give every order a reason to come back to your own link: a QR code and a flyer in the bag, a WhatsApp follow-up, a loyalty stamp that only works on direct orders. Each repeat order that moves to your own website keeps its full value instead of paying commission.
When should I rely on my own website alone?
Once you have a steady base of regulars who already know you, your own website can carry most orders, with the app kept only for new-customer discovery or dropped. The more of your orders are repeat business, the more the 0% commission of a direct channel outweighs the reach of the app.
Who this is a good fit for
- Gulf restaurants that get real discovery from Talabat but lose margin on loyal, repeat customers.
- Owners who can nudge regulars to a QR code or WhatsApp link after the first app order.
- Places that want the reach of the app and the margin of direct orders at the same time.
Who this is not for
- A new restaurant with no following yet, where the app's marketplace is the main way to be found at first.
- Owners who want the app to handle delivery drivers and prefer not to arrange their own delivery.
Common follow-up questions
Does Talabat charge a payment fee on top of commission?
In capped markets the cap is meant to cover everything the app charges. Qatar's cap bars any other percentage or sum under any name, and talabat's Qatar partner page says its commission covers cashless payment costs. Check your own contract for what it includes.
Is it against the rules to send app customers to my own link?
Putting your own QR code and ordering link on your tables, packaging and receipts is your own marketing. Read your delivery-app contract for any exclusivity terms, which have been challenged by regulators in several markets.
What does my own website actually cost?
With Menuthere you can start on the Free plan at $0 with 0% commission, and pay only when you want paid features. See taking orders without commission.
Read next
Sources (3)
- Talabat Holding plc IPO prospectus (commission set in contract), talabat, 11 November 2024
- Qatar delivery-app commission cap (Committee Decision 3 of 2020), Menuthere (sourced dataset), read 25 October 2026
- Kuwait delivery-app commission cap (Ministerial Decision 109 of 2026), Kuwait Times, 14 July 2026