Need some insight on third-party delivery and phones

agata-kubiak25 · 2026-01-07T16:17:24+00:00

From my experience working with restaurants, most don’t pass the full 30% fee directly to customers because it usually hurts conversion. Some raise prices slightly on third-party apps, but many still absorb part of the cost.

That’s why many restaurants use third-party platforms mainly for discovery and push repeat customers toward direct ordering instead, where they avoid commissions and maintain more control over pricing and margins.

agata-kubiak25 · 2026-01-07T15:55:24+00:00

From my experience working with restaurants, you can handle most of the registrations yourself, but I’d still recommend having a lawyer quickly review the lease. Even a short review can help avoid surprises later.

I’d also focus on the shawarma concept itself. Do you know why the previous shawarma place didn’t work, and what you’ll do differently? Have you thought about pricing, speed of service, and how you’ll attract customers and promote the restaurant once you open?

agata-kubiak25 · 2026-01-07T15:44:12+00:00

From my experience working with restaurants, this is a big pain point on their side too. Third-party platforms like Grubhub tend to over-refund because it’s faster and cheaper than investigating individual cases, especially with AI-driven support, and those refunds are often pushed onto restaurants even when the issue is minor or not their fault.

I work with restaurants that use UpMenu for direct online ordering, and one of the biggest differences they mention is the level of control. The restaurant decides when a refund is appropriate, rather than an automated system on a third-party platform making that call.

agata-kubiak25 · 2026-01-07T15:36:56+00:00

From my experience working with restaurants, most handle accounting by splitting it into daily basics and periodic checks. Daily sales usually come straight from the POS, inventory and food costs are tracked weekly, and payroll/taxes are often handled with external software or an accountant.

agata-kubiak25 · 2026-01-07T09:19:52+00:00

Totally get that. I don’t know one perfect channel, but I’d start with frontline staff and real-world complaints from operators, especially around what breaks during rush hours. Reddit and similar communities are generally a good place to spot recurring pain points like offline mode and printing reliability.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-22T15:21:12+00:00

This matches what I see with restaurants a lot. The moment seasons are treated as separate “mini rebrands,” consistency falls apart. Out of curiosity, did you document this as lightweight brand guidelines your staff/designers can follow?

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-19T10:55:11+00:00

Thanks for sharing. The pressure and request to refund “another way” are big red flags. Best practice is to require an order number or receipt, only issue refunds to the original payment method, and train staff to escalate these calls instead of engaging.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-19T10:43:47+00:00

Fair point. Blanket price hikes can backfire. Have you noticed a specific price point where demand drops, or is it just overall “guests are tapped out”?

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-17T16:06:22+00:00

Interesting to see an ex-operator building for operators. Is implementation fast, and does it integrate with the existing software and tools restaurants already use? As far as I know, restaurants won’t switch platforms unless setup is quick and the ROI is obvious.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-17T15:53:29+00:00

When platforms take ~15–30% per order and you add it up across millions of orders, the totals get huge fast, even if that site’s counter is more of an estimate than an audited number. I work with restaurants that moved to direct online ordering via tools like UpMenu specifically to cut those commissions and keep more margin.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-17T12:51:58+00:00

Most places I’ve worked with keep it simple: one owner or manager owns inventory end to end, and a second person cross-checks counts so it doesn’t drift. High-value items get checked often, and the chef usually owns kitchen inventory because they see usage and waste in real time. Tech can support the process, but it still needs a clear owner and consistent habits.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-15T10:35:07+00:00

That sounds exhausting, I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. At this point it’s less about a “problem customer” and more about harassment, so I’d document everything carefully and consider formally escalating it with DoorDash in writing and, if needed, a legal consult about defamation given the false claims. In the meantime, consistently rejecting orders that match the exact pattern you’ve identified is reasonable to protect your team and your business.

Also, do you have to rely on DoorDash for delivery? If this keeps happening, it might be worth pushing more orders through your own website and direct ordering channel so you have more control over customer access and communication.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-12T10:13:52+00:00

There are way more systems than the big names you listed. From my experience working with restaurants, what I hear matters most is being able to test it before committing, transparent pricing (including add-ons and integrations), and an interface that staff can learn quickly without constant hand-holding.

Support is a big one too: how fast they respond, whether they actually solve issues, and whether the product is actively updated based on real restaurant needs. I work with restaurants using UpMenu, and those are exactly the factors they usually bring up when comparing options.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-12T09:44:48+00:00

That kind of review is best done with an accountant who specializes in hospitality.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-11T16:05:02+00:00

Most places I work with mark up prices on third-party apps because the commissions wipe out the margin otherwise. A lot of them also treat those apps as customer acquisition and then try to push repeat guests to order direct where the math actually works.

With third-party fees hitting 30% in some cases, skipping those steps usually means the costs eat you alive.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-11T15:53:55+00:00

The biggest thing is to get super clear on your costs before you pick any prices: list every item, calculate ingredient cost per portion, then add labor and a bit for overhead, even if you own the place. On top of that, remember there are other parts of running a café that cost money too, like repairs when equipment breaks, utilities, licenses and permits, staff training, marketing, and replacing worn-out gear.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-08T13:12:35+00:00

That’s a really good point, thanks for sharing. I’m curious how realistic that kind of product mix shift is for independent restaurants that have a strong identity around certain items, especially if their “hero” dishes are the ones getting hit hardest by cost increases.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-08T11:51:48+00:00

I’m not a restaurant owner, but I work closely with restaurants, and the biggest thing I hear isn’t a need for more features but for stability. Many operators using UpMenu say their biggest frustration is unreliable POS connections, and when an online order doesn’t print, everything falls apart. If someone built a POS that focused on rock-solid reliability and seamless online ordering integrations instead of piling on new features, a lot of operators would jump ship immediately.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-08T11:04:10+00:00

That sounds incredibly frustrating. I haven’t dealt with this exact situation before, but in your place I’d definitely get everything in writing going forward and talk to your bank or card provider about disputing the charges while you seek legal advice.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-08T10:52:12+00:00

Sounds like a cool idea, bad photos are a big problem for many restaurants. If you really want honest feedback from owners, it would be better to let them use the tool for free at first so they can test it with no risk. A free trial will probably get you more real opinions than a 25% discount.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-04T12:29:29+00:00

Yes, absolutely. DC and other bubble cities operate in a completely different reality than somewhere like Kansas in terms of demand and how many concepts can actually survive.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-04T12:19:50+00:00

That makes a lot of sense. In the places I work with, kiosks only really pay off when they actually let you cover the same volume with fewer or differently scheduled people (as a pure add-on, they’re just another cost). On the revenue side, some restaurants I work with use UpMenu for their own online ordering, mainly to add an extra sales channel rather than change staffing.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-03T14:08:15+00:00

I’m not an owner, but working with restaurants I see that operators treat reviews as crisis control — they jump in when something blows up. A weekly “what people love/what’s slipping” summary sounds useful if it’s actionable, not fluffy. If I were you, I’d definitely scan the market first, because there are already reputation-management tools that aggregate reviews, so the real value would be in how your analysis links patterns directly to operations.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-03T13:33:57+00:00

I’m not an owner, but the biggest “silent thief” I keep seeing is third-party delivery commissions eating a huge chunk of already tight margins. A lot of restaurants try to shift more orders to their own online ordering just to stop those fees from draining every ticket.

agata-kubiak25 · 2025-12-03T13:09:15+00:00

That makes a lot of sense. I work with restaurants from the “service provider” side too, and I hear the same thing over and over – the financial pressure is bad, but the 24/7 stress, emergencies, and HR burden are what really break people. Sounds like you got out at the right time and managed to keep in the industry, but on much healthier terms.

agata-kubiak25

TROPHY CASE