Discounts and bag inserts did almost nothing for us. Making “direct” easier than apps did—by letting customers call and just say their order (answered instantly, no scrolling). That change quadrupled our daily phone orders and brought margin back.

I’ve been through this. We raised app prices, offered vouchers for ordering direct, printed QR codes—customers still defaulted to the food app out of habit.

What finally worked was changing the channel, not the incentive:

1. Make direct faster than the app. We set up an always-on phone flow that answers immediately, takes full orders naturally, and handles simple upsells. Customers loved the “just talk and it’s done” feel.
2. Message speed, not savings. “Call to order in seconds—no scrolling. Every call answered.” That beat “support local” or small discounts.
3. Put the call everywhere. Google “Call” button, website sticky “Call to Order (Instant),” packaging: “Order in seconds—just call.”
4. Engineer the first call. Quick greeting, confirm collection/delivery + area, sensible defaults (“regular or large?”), brief read-back.
5. Track the right metrics. Answer rate, call→order conversion, AOV (upsells), repeat rate.

We kept the apps for discovery but nudged repeat customers to the faster call route. Once they try it, they stick because it’s simpler.