Your own delivery drivers for a Saudi restaurant
Updated October 20, 2026
Running your own drivers means your restaurant takes the order, assigns a rider and delivers it yourself, so you pay no marketplace commission on it. In Saudi Arabia that keeps the full ticket instead of handing a double-digit cut to Jahez, HungerStation or Keeta. With Menuthere you switch delivery on free, and on the Pro plan you add your own riders, give each one the rider app, assign an order with one tap, and let the customer watch the rider on a live map. Keep the aggregators for discovery; move your regulars to your own number and your own drivers.
In short
- 0% commission on your own orders. Menuthere never takes a cut. You pay your drivers and your payment gateway, nothing else.
- A real rider app. Your drivers sign in on Android or iPhone, get a push when you assign an order, share their location and mark it delivered.
- One-tap assign. On any order press Assign rider; online riders come up first and the order is marked dispatched.
- Live tracking. The customer's order page shows the rider on a live map with an arrival estimate and a Call button. The position refreshes about every 3 seconds.
- WhatsApp updates. Switch on the order flows and a "dispatched" message with driver details and a Track Order button goes out from your own number (Pro).
- Cash or card at the door. The rider can show a QR code for card payment or collect cash.
- Own riders and live tracking are part of Pro (US$39 a month). Setting up delivery, your area and your charges works on every plan.
When own delivery beats an aggregator in Saudi Arabia
Aggregators are a shop window. They earn their keep for a first-time customer who found you by browsing Jahez or HungerStation. They are expensive for the regular who already knows your name, because you pay the same commission on an order they would have placed anyway.
A simple rule works in KSA:
- First-time, "surprise me" orders → keep them on Jahez, HungerStation and Keeta. You pay for the reach.
- Repeat orders from people who know you → take them on your own ordering page and deliver with your own drivers. You keep the whole ticket.
Use the delivery-app loss calculator to see what a year of aggregator commission costs you, then decide how many of those orders you could carry yourself.
A worked example (SAR)
Say your average delivery order is SAR 70 and you do 1,500 delivery orders a month.
| On an aggregator | On your own drivers | |
|---|---|---|
| Order value | SAR 70 | SAR 70 |
| Marketplace commission | a double-digit % of each order (see the Jahez commission page) | 0% |
| Who delivers | the aggregator's fleet | your own rider |
| What you pay instead | the commission | your driver's wage or per-drop fee + card processing |
| Customer data | kept by the aggregator | yours, so you can bring them back |
The maths swings on one number: the commission rate each app charges. We publish what each app takes, sourced, on its own page — Jahez, HungerStation and Keeta. Even a modest share of your repeat orders moved in-house usually clears the cost of paying your own drivers.
How own delivery works in Menuthere
- Switch delivery on (every plan). In
Settings → Ordering → Order typesturn on Delivery, then set your area and what you charge in Delivery settings — a flat fee, by distance or by zone. - Add your riders (Pro). In
Settings → Ordering → Delivery boy settingspress Add delivery boy and enter each rider's name, phone and password. The phone number is their username in the rider app. - Get the rider app to your drivers. Share the Download delivery boy app links for the App Store and Google Play, plus the login you set. Riders sign in on their own phones.
- Assign with one tap. On an order press Assign rider. Online riders appear first; assigning marks the order dispatched and pushes a New Delivery Assignment to the rider's phone.
- The customer tracks live. The order page switches to On the way, with the rider on a live map, an arrival estimate and a Call button.
- Collect at the door. The rider shows a QR code for card payment, or takes cash, and marks the order delivered.
The rider app
Your drivers use the Menuthere delivery app on Android or iPhone. They sign in with the phone number and password you set, get a push message when you assign an order, share their location while delivering, and mark the order delivered at the door. You can turn a rider's Taking orders off to pause them without deleting the account, and if no rider is free you can Dispatch without a rider so the order still goes out.
A note on drivers and licensing in Saudi Arabia
Who may drive a delivery vehicle, and under which permit, is set by Saudi regulators and changes over time. Before you hire or sub-contract riders, confirm the current rules for commercial delivery and for employing or contracting drivers with the relevant Saudi authority. This page covers how the Menuthere software works, not labour or transport licensing — treat licensing as a separate step and verify it from an official source.
Who it suits in Saudi Arabia
| Business | Why own delivery fits |
|---|---|
| Broast, grill and shawarma shops | High repeat ordering from the same district; your own rider beats commission on every regular. |
| Cloud kitchens | Delivery is the whole business, so the commission bill is the biggest line; owning the last mile protects the margin. |
| Cafés and dessert shops | Short, dense delivery radius where one or two riders cover most orders. |
| Multi-outlet groups | One dashboard, each outlet with its own riders and area. |
Frequently asked questions
Does Menuthere take a commission on my own delivery orders?
No. Menuthere takes 0% commission on your orders. You pay your own drivers and your card payment gateway's processing fee. Courier partners charge for their own service.
Can I keep using Jahez and HungerStation as well?
Yes. Most restaurants keep the aggregators for first-time customers and use their own drivers for regulars who order direct. See what each app charges on our Jahez and HungerStation commission pages.
What app do my drivers use?
The Menuthere delivery app, on Android or iPhone. Each rider signs in with the phone number and password you set, gets a push when you assign an order, shares their location and marks it delivered.
Can customers track the rider live?
Yes. Once an order is dispatched with your own rider, the customer's order page shows the rider on a live map with an arrival estimate and a Call button. The position refreshes about every 3 seconds. Live tracking of your own riders is part of the Pro plan.
How does the customer pay?
At the door the rider can show a QR code for a card payment or collect cash. Customers can also pay card online at checkout.
Which plan do I need for my own riders?
Setting up delivery, your delivery area and your charges works on every plan. Your own riders, the rider app with one-tap assign, and live tracking are part of Pro (US$39 a month). Saudi stores are billed in US dollars.
Do I need a special permit to deliver my own orders in Saudi Arabia?
Driver and commercial-delivery rules in Saudi Arabia are set by the authorities and change over time, so confirm the current requirements with the relevant Saudi body before you hire or contract riders. The Menuthere software does not set or handle those permits.
Sources (2)
- Menuthere product documentation, menuthere.com/docs (Delivery: "Set up delivery", "Your own delivery riders", "The rider app", "Customers track the rider live", "Collect payment at the door"; WhatsApp order flows), accessed 2026-10-21.
- Menuthere commission data pages: /en/delivery-app-commission/jahez-saudi-arabia, /hungerstation-saudi-arabia, /keeta-saudi-arabia (each rate sourced on its own page), accessed 2026-10-21.