Shopify for cloud kitchens
Shopify for cloud kitchens: direct delivery, priced per order
A cloud kitchen can take direct delivery orders on Shopify. Native local delivery has up to 10 zones per location at a fixed price each. Restaurant apps that add menus and timing often charge per order, which matters at cloud-kitchen volume.
Free plan: 50 orders a month, 0% commission, no card needed.
Free plan, 50 orders a month, 0% commission. Paid plans from US$17 a month.
The short answer
The direct channel works. Volume pricing is the catch.
A cloud kitchen wants one thing from its own website: delivery orders that don't pay a delivery app's commission. Shopify takes no commission, and its local delivery lets you set areas by distance or postal code with a price and a minimum order for each.
Two things get expensive as you grow. Apps such as Zapiet Eats include 250 orders a month and then charge US$0.10 per order. Delivery priced by the kilometer needs an app that charges per quote. At 50 orders a day, both add up.
Then there are brands. Many cloud kitchens run two or three menus from one kitchen, each with its own name and link. Plan that before you choose a platform.
- Shopify: up to 10 delivery zones per location, fixed price each
- Per-km fees and order timing: apps, some priced per order
- Own drivers: Shopify's free Local Delivery app plans routes
- Menuthere: 0% commission, flat monthly price, no per-order fee
Delivery, side by side
How each one prices and runs delivery
Read on Shopify's Help Center, its App Store and Menuthere's docs on 20 October 2026.
| Delivery need | On Shopify | On Menuthere |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery area | By distance or postal codes, up to 10 zones per location, up to 160 km | A radius, or zones drawn on a map or added by area name, every plan |
| Price by distance | Not native: each zone has a fixed price. Zapiet Rates by Distance from US$14.99 a month for 100 quotes | Fees that grow with distance, from Lite |
| Price by area | A price per zone, plus up to 3 rules by order total | A charge per zone, every plan |
| Free delivery above an amount | A price rule per zone | Free and reduced delivery bands, from Lite |
| Your own riders | Shopify Local Delivery app: free route planning, up to 100 stops | Rider app with live tracking for customers, on Pro |
| Couriers | Through apps | Uber Direct on your own Uber account, every plan, outside India |
| Customer outside the area | Delivery isn't offered at that address | Told at checkout, and can switch to takeaway |
Cloud-kitchen gaps
What adds up at volume
Apps priced per order
Zapiet Eats is US$49.99 a month for 250 orders, then US$0.10 an order. Zapiet Rates by Distance is US$14.99 for 100 quotes, then US$0.05 a quote. Each customer who checks a delivery price uses a quote.
Combos and extras
Up to 3 options per product. Meal deals with a side, a drink and paid extras need an options app such as Globo (US$9.90) or Easify (US$9.99) a month.
Several brands
Each brand needs its own name, menu and link. On Menuthere each brand is its own store with its own plan, and a head office on Pro shows every brand's sales and orders in one place.
Tickets at the pass
Shopify's docs don't cover kitchen tickets, and Order Printer, for invoices and packing slips, is retired after 31 March 2027. Restaurant POS apps add kitchen printing.
A worked example
One brand, 1,500 delivery orders a month, priced by distance
About 50 orders a day, delivery only, combos with extras, delivery charged by distance. Monthly billing in US dollars, before card and courier fees.
| Cost line | Shopify setup | Menuthere Lite | Menuthere Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | Basic: US$39 | US$17 | US$39 |
| Menus, hours, scheduled orders | Zapiet Eats: US$49.99 + 1,250 extra orders × US$0.10 = US$174.99 | Included | Included |
| Delivery priced by distance | Zapiet Rates by Distance Growth: US$14.99 + 1,400 extra quotes × US$0.05 = US$84.99 (at one quote per order) | Included | Included |
| Combos and paid extras | Globo Product Options Premium: US$9.90 | Included | Included |
| Own riders with live tracking | Shopify Local Delivery app: route planning, free | Not included | Included |
| Monthly total before card fees | US$308.88 | US$17 | US$39 |
Shopify Basic is US$29 a month billed yearly; Menuthere's yearly billing charges 10 months for 12. Without Shopify Payments, Shopify adds 2% of sales on Basic. A second brand on Menuthere is a second store with its own plan.
Why a direct channel at all
Every direct order skips the app's cut
Delivery apps charge restaurants a commission on each order. Check what yours charges in your country: Uber Eats in the US, DoorDash in the US and Deliveroo in the UK are on our commission pages.
A direct channel doesn't replace the apps; it gives repeat customers a cheaper way to order you. Put your link on the bag sticker, the receipt and your Google Business Profile, and the orders that come through it pay no commission on Menuthere or Shopify.
- 0% commission on every Menuthere plan
- A flat monthly price: no per-order fee as you grow
- Uber Direct couriers billed to your own Uber account
- Your riders on Pro, with live tracking for customers
Regulars who order every week may prefer an app on their phone. The Branded App is everything in Pro plus your brand's own Android and iOS app, US$99 a month: Get your app.
When Shopify is the better choice
Selling packaged spin-offs? Shopify fits.
Frozen meals, sauces or meal kits shipped regionally are product sales with shipping rates, and Shopify is built for them. Menuthere doesn't ship parcels.
Low volume with few extras: if you take a few hundred orders a month with fixed-price zones and no extras, Shopify's native local delivery may be all you need.
Use both: Shopify for shipped products, Menuthere for hot food delivered today.
How to start
Your direct delivery channel, running this week
- 1
Create the free page
Go to get started and add your brand. No card on Free.
- 2
Import the menu
Upload the menu you use on the delivery apps as a photo or PDF, then add combos and extras.
- 3
Draw your delivery area
Draw zones on the map or set a radius, then choose a flat fee, a fee per zone, or by distance on Lite.
- 4
Put the link on every bag
Print the QR on bag stickers and receipts, and add the link to your Google Business Profile.
Questions owners ask
Answered, plainly.
Sources (9) · checked 2026-10-20
- Shopify pricing (US dollars) · Shopify, read 20 October 2026
- Setting up local delivery · Shopify Help Center, read 20 October 2026
- Adding variants · Shopify Help Center, read 20 October 2026
- Shopify Order Printer · Shopify Help Center, read 20 October 2026
- Shopify Local Delivery · Shopify App Store, read 20 October 2026
- Zapiet Eats ‑ Restaurants · Shopify App Store, read 20 October 2026
- Zapiet ‑ Rates by Distance · Shopify App Store, read 20 October 2026
- Globo Product Options, Variant · Shopify App Store, read 20 October 2026
- Easify Custom Product Options · Shopify App Store, read 20 October 2026
Direct delivery at a flat monthly price
Make your brand's delivery menu from the one you use on the apps. Free to start, 0% commission.
