Guide
Which channel actually pays?
Revenue by channel is the number everybody has. Gross profit by channel is the number that decides things.
In short
Calculate gross profit per channel by subtracting food, packaging, commission, card fees and any delivery cost from the revenue that channel produced. Marketplace channels frequently show strong revenue and weak gross profit, which is why restaurants can grow busier and poorer at the same time.
Updated 28 August 2026
The costs that differ by channel
Food cost is roughly constant. Everything else is not, and that is where the analysis lives.
- Commission: nothing direct, substantial on marketplaces
- Packaging: none for dine-in, real for delivery
- Delivery cost: yours, theirs, or none for collection
- Card fees: vary by channel and card mix
- Labour to pack, which dine-in does not carry
Do it per order, then multiply
Take a typical order value for each channel, subtract each cost line, and you have gross profit per order. Multiply by the orders that channel produced last month. This is a spreadsheet exercise of maybe an hour and it is the single most clarifying piece of analysis a multi-channel restaurant can do.
Expect the ranking to surprise you
Collection on your own channel usually comes out on top, because there is no commission and no delivery cost. Marketplace delivery usually comes out last despite often being the largest by revenue. Owners who have never run this are frequently prioritising their worst channel because it looks busiest.
Then decide what to do about it
The answer is rarely to switch a channel off. It is to shift the mix: promote collection, move repeat customers direct, and let the marketplace do the discovery it is good at. Knowing the ranking tells you where to point your effort, which is the whole purpose.
The honest limitation
Channels are not independent. A marketplace order can produce a customer who later orders direct, and crediting that entirely to the direct channel overstates it. Treat the analysis as a strong signal about where margin sits, not as a verdict on where a customer came from.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
How often should I run this?
Quarterly, and after any commission or pricing change. It is not a weekly number.
Should I allocate fixed costs by channel?
Not for this analysis. Gross profit per channel is the decision-useful figure. Allocating rent across channels adds arguments without adding clarity.
What about labour?
Include the labour that genuinely differs, such as packing and driving. Kitchen labour is largely shared and allocating it precisely is more trouble than it is worth.
My marketplace channel is my biggest. Should I cut it?
Not without a replacement. Build the direct channel first and shift the mix. Cutting demand before you can serve it elsewhere makes you quieter, not richer.
See it run your restaurant.
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