Online ordering without commission: how it works

Many restaurants know online orders mainly through delivery platforms. The model is simple: the platform brings in the order and keeps a percentage of the sale in return. Platforms charge a commission on every order, often in the double digits.

A commission-free ordering system turns that around. You have your own website where guests see your menu, order and pay online. For that you pay a fixed amount each month. Whether you get 50 orders or 500 makes no difference.

With OwnGo, that looks like this:

• Your own ordering page, on your own domain if you like.
• Orders for pickup: as soon as possible or scheduled for a later time.
• Payment by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through your own Stripe account.
• A kitchen panel in the browser that announces every new order loudly.
• A daily close for your tax advisor (Steuerberater).

It matters just as much what a system like this is not. OwnGo does not deliver and does not replace your till. It is the way your guests order directly from you, without anyone taking a cut of every order.

Who gains most from their own system

Restaurants that already have regulars benefit most. A pizzeria the neighbourhood has known for years. A takeaway where the same faces queue up every lunchtime. A place that regularly takes orders over the phone. These guests are not looking for just any restaurant; they are looking for you.

Your own system is less of a fit if you mainly want to sell delivery, or if hardly anyone knows your restaurant yet. In that case a platform’s reach matters more at first. Your own site can still run alongside from day one, so returning guests have a direct way to reach you.

Commission feels cheap at first, because you only pay it when something sells. But it grows with every extra order. A fixed price stays the same, however well business is going.

A worked example

The figures are assumptions, rounded for simplicity. Say your restaurant gets 300 online orders a month at €25 each. That is €7,500 in revenue.

• At 13% commission: €975 a month, or €11,700 a year.
• With OwnGo: €49 a month on a 12-month contract. On top of that comes Stripe’s fee, currently 1.5% + €0.25 per payment for standard EEA cards. For 300 payments of €25 each, that is €112.50 plus €75, so €187.50. Together: €236.50 a month.

In this example you keep €738.50 more each month. How a platform bills payment fees depends on your contract, so check your own statements.

OwnGo’s price is always paid month by month: €49 on a 12-month contract, or €59 with no minimum term. There is no commission per order, and setup is free.

A fixed price has one more advantage that never shows up in a calculation: you can plan. A good weekend, a new lunch deal or a packed December does not push your costs up. Every extra order brings you the full revenue, minus the payment fee.

A pretty menu with an order button is not enough. For online orders to work day to day, and to be accounted for properly in Germany, a system should cover these points.

Payment straight to your account

The money should not pass through a provider’s account first. With OwnGo, guests pay through your own Stripe account, and OwnGo never touches the money. The guest’s card is only charged once your kitchen accepts the order. If you reject it, or nobody responds, the guest pays nothing.

A workflow that suits the kitchen

New orders must not get lost in the rush. OwnGo’s kitchen panel runs in the browser on any tablet or phone. It announces new orders with a loud alert and shows a countdown for accepting them. The kitchen sets the pickup time, and the guest is notified. You don’t need any new devices.

A menu you manage yourself

In the admin you see revenue and orders live. You change prices, categories, sizes and extras yourself. If a dish runs out, you mark it as sold out in one click.

The German requirements

• The 14 major allergens on every dish, as the LMIV (EU food information regulation) requires.
• The order button „Zahlungspflichtig bestellen“ (“order with obligation to pay”), under § 312j BGB.
• A consecutively numbered receipt emailed to every guest (§ 14 UStG).
• A daily close (Z report) every day, split by 7% and 19% VAT and by payment method.
• A tamper-proof order log under GoBD, the German rules for digital bookkeeping.

It is not either-or. Delivery platforms and your own ordering page do different jobs. Platforms bring you guests who don’t know you yet. Your own site serves the guests who already know where they like to eat.

So a sensible approach is to use both. Anyone who discovered you on a platform and comes back can order directly from you next time. They just need to know your own site exists.

An ordering page only helps if guests find it. The good news: most of your guests are already searching for you, not for just any restaurant.

• Google profile: At launch we add the ordering link to your Google Business Profile. Anyone who searches for your name finds the way to order right there.
• QR code: You get a QR code for bags, flyers and tables. Every guest who eats with you today can order online next time.
• Your own domain: The site can run on your own address. What you build up on Google stays with you.
• Regulars: Mention it at the counter and on the phone. Someone who calls to order today might order online next time.

The Zia Maria pizzeria in Berlin shows what this looks like in practice. There is more on the pages for pizzerias and for restaurants in Berlin.

The site itself helps you sell, too: scheduled offers such as a lunch deal that starts and ends on its own, vouchers, and “Goes well with” suggestions in the cart for a side and a drink. The menu comes in six languages: German, English, Turkish, Italian, Spanish and French.

OwnGo does the setup, free of charge. There is very little work for you.

1. A call: You write to us through the contact form. We get back to you in person within one working day.
2. Send your menu: You send us your menu. We build the website, the menu with sizes, extras and allergens, and the kitchen panel.
3. Confirm your Stripe account: This is the one step only you can do, because the payouts go to your bank account.
4. Launch: We add the ordering link to your Google profile and give you the QR code. You open the kitchen panel on a tablet or phone you already have.

If something doesn’t work later on, you can reach us while you are open, evenings and weekends included. You talk directly to the people who build OwnGo in Berlin.

These questions help you assess any commission-free online ordering system, whoever the provider is.

• Does the money go straight to my account, or through the provider?
• Is the guest only charged once my kitchen accepts the order?
• Do I need new devices, or does everything run on my own tablet or phone?
• Can I manage sizes, extras and allergens myself?
• Does every guest get a receipt, and is there a daily close for my tax advisor?
• Does the site run on my own domain?
• What is the real monthly price, and how long am I tied in?
• Who can I reach on a Saturday night when something isn’t working?

If you want to know how much commission you pay today, start with the commission calculator. For small orders and quick pickup, the page on takeaways and döner shops is worth a look too.