Every restaurant offering delivery is really choosing among three models: third-party marketplace apps, your own in-house delivery, and direct online ordering. They are not mutually exclusive — the best operators run more than one — but they have very different economics. Here is how to think about it in 2026, and how to run the mix from one system. This is part of managing DoorDash, Uber Eats & Grubhub from one POS.

The three models

  • Marketplace delivery apps (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub). They bring reach and handle the driver, but charge 15% to 30% commission per order and keep the customer relationship.[1]
  • In-house delivery. Your own drivers, no marketplace commission — but you take on labor, scheduling, insurance, and dispatch, which only pencils out at enough local volume.
  • Direct online ordering. A branded page where guests order from you directly; you keep the margin and the data, and pay no marketplace commission.

How to choose

There is no single winner — there is a right mix:

  • Use marketplaces for discovery. New customers find you on the apps. Treat the commission as customer-acquisition cost, not a permanent tax.[1]
  • Use in-house delivery where the math works. Dense delivery zones and steady volume can justify your own drivers.
  • Move repeat guests to direct ordering. Once someone has ordered, your own commission-free channel is the most profitable place to keep them.[1]

Run the mix from one place

The reason operators avoid multiple channels is the operational mess — a tablet per app, separate menus, manual re-keying. Addmi removes that: marketplace orders flow into your POS through the delivery-app integration, your own in-house delivery is configured on the same Manage Delivery screen, and your online ordering page runs commission-free under your brand — all sharing one dashboard, one menu, and one set of reports.

That is what makes a hybrid strategy practical instead of chaotic: you get the reach of the marketplaces, the economics of direct ordering, and the option of your own drivers, without running three disconnected systems. For the profit side of the direct channel, see commission-free online ordering for restaurants.

Sources

[1] OPA!, Sauce, ActiveMenus, DoorDash Merchant Learning Center — delivery marketplace economics (2026): DoorDash and comparable marketplaces charge 15%–30% commission per order; independent restaurant net margin is 3%–5%; hybrid (marketplace for discovery, direct for repeat) is the recommended model.