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Olo App vs DoorDash vs your own ordering site
DoorDash charges the restaurant 15% to 30% of each order. The new Olo App charges the restaurant nothing and adds a 5% fee for the guest. Your own ordering site costs you only the software and card fees (Food On Demand, Apr 2026; NRN, Oct 20, 2026, checked Oct 2026).
For an independent restaurant today, the Olo App is not an option yet because it is open only to Olo customers. The working setup is your own ordering site for regulars, with DoorDash or Uber Eats kept for guests who would never find you otherwise.
The four ways a guest can order from you online
Each row is one channel. The columns answer the three questions that decide your margin: what you pay, what the guest pays, and whether you can reach that guest again.
| DoorDash | Uber Eats | Olo App | Your own site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant pays per order | 15%, 25% or 30% by plan | Lite 20% since Mar 11, 2026; higher plans more | No commission | Software fee and card fees only |
| Guest pays | Menu price, often marked up, plus app fees | Menu price, often marked up, plus app fees | In-store price, 5% network fee, delivery fee | Your price, plus any fee you choose to show |
| Brings you new guests | Yes, large app audience | Yes, large app audience | Some, about 40 million Olo accounts | Only if you send them there |
| Guest contact for you | Limited | Limited | Shared with the guest's consent | Yours in full |
| Who delivers | DoorDash drivers | Uber drivers | Olo picks a delivery service by quote | Your choice: on-demand driver, staff, or pickup only |
| Open to an independent today | Yes | Yes | No, Olo customers first | Yes |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
DoorDash and Uber Eats rates: Food On Demand, Apr 1, 2026. Olo App fees, prices and eligibility: NRN, Oct 20, 2026, Restaurant Dive, Oct 21, 2026 and Olo's network page. All checked Oct 2026. Your own plan with DoorDash or Uber Eats may differ; read your merchant agreement.
What one $40 order leaves you on each channel
The arithmetic below is ours. It uses the published commission rates only and leaves out card fees, marketing fees and promotions, which change from one restaurant to the next.
| Channel | Commission on $40 | Left before card fees |
|---|---|---|
| DoorDash, 30% plan | $12.00 | $28.00 |
| DoorDash, 15% plan | $6.00 | $34.00 |
| Uber Eats Lite, 20% | $8.00 | $32.00 |
| Olo App (Olo customers) | $0 (guest pays $2.00 network fee to Olo) | $40.00 |
| Your own site | $0 | $40.00, less your software cost |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Run your own numbers in our delivery commission calculator. If you want the full fee picture by app, our DoorDash vs Uber Eats vs Grubhub page has every plan.
How to split your orders across channels
Keep the delivery apps for discovery
DoorDash and Uber Eats put you in front of people who have never heard of you. That is worth a commission on a first order. It is not worth one on the tenth.
Move regulars to your own site
A guest who has ordered three times already knows you. Give them a reason to order direct: same price as the counter, a faster pickup, or a thank-you on the next visit.
Watch the Olo App, do not plan on it
Olo says it will open the app to all restaurants eventually, with no date. If you ever switch ordering software, ask whether the vendor's network is open to you.
Make the phone a direct channel too
Phone orders carry no commission. If calls go unanswered at rush, those guests open a delivery app instead. Our AI phone host comparison covers the options.
Your POS decides which ordering tools plug in cleanly. See the best restaurant POS systems and what a restaurant POS really costs before you add a channel.
Questions to ask any ordering channel
- What do I pay per order, all in?Commission, card processing, marketing fees and any "service" fee. Get it as one number for a $40 order.
- What does the guest see?Is my menu price shown as-is, and is every guest fee visible before checkout?
- Do I get the guest's name and phone number?If not, every repeat order costs the same commission again.
- Who handles a late or wrong delivery?Ask who refunds the guest and whether the refund comes out of your payout.
- How do I leave?Contract length, notice period, and whether you keep your menu and guest list.
For the refund question, our page on whether restaurants lose money on DoorDash shows who pays when an order goes wrong.
We set up the direct channel and run it with you
AZ is a forward-deployed technology partner for independent restaurants. We do not sell an ordering app. We set up direct ordering on the POS you already use, connect it to the phone, the table and your guest list, and keep improving it with you. At our proof restaurant in Houston every direct order now places itself, from a phone, a table code or a call to the AI host.
Self-serve direct orders went from 17% in mid-August to every direct order today.
app order in the last 60 days was paid before the kitchen cooked it.
phone calls arrive while the restaurant is closed. Our AI host answers each one.
From our proof restaurant's own systems, Oct 2026. New restaurants run the AI phone host alongside staff for about three months before it handles calls nearly hands-free.
Where these facts come from
- Food On Demand: How the Uber Eats fees stack up against 3PD competitors (Apr 1, 2026) - checked Oct 2026
- Nation's Restaurant News: Olo launches restaurant ordering app with promise of lower prices (Oct 20, 2026) - checked Oct 2026
- Restaurant Dive: Olo wants to kill delivery commissions (Oct 21, 2026) - checked Oct 2026
- Olo: Welcome to the Olo Network - checked Oct 2026
Questions owners ask
Is the Olo App better than DoorDash for restaurants?
On fees, yes: Olo charges restaurants no commission while DoorDash charges 15% to 30% by plan. But the Olo App is open only to existing Olo customers today, and DoorDash reaches far more guests.
Olo App vs DoorDash: who pays the fee?
On DoorDash the restaurant pays a commission and often marks up menu prices. On the Olo App the restaurant pays no commission and the guest pays a 5% network fee to Olo, plus delivery.
Is there a commission-free delivery app for restaurants?
The Olo App, launched October 20, 2026, charges restaurants no commission, but only Olo customers can join for now. An independent restaurant can take commission-free orders today on its own ordering site, with on-demand drivers for delivery.
Should I leave DoorDash for my own ordering site?
Most independents keep DoorDash for new guests and move regulars to their own site, where they pay no commission and keep the guest's phone number. Leaving the apps completely often loses guests who only search there.
How much do I keep on a $40 order?
Using published commission rates only, about $28 on DoorDash's 30% plan, $32 on Uber Eats Lite at 20%, and the full $40 on your own site or the Olo App, before card fees and software costs.
Find out which orders you can move to your own channel.
We look at your current mix and set up the direct channel on your POS.
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