Guide
Moving the regulars across.
You do not need to leave the apps. You need the people who already order every fortnight to order somewhere cheaper for you.
In short
Move marketplace customers to direct ordering by putting your web address on everything that leaves the kitchen, fixing the order link on your Google Business Profile, giving a concrete reason to switch that is not a discount, and being patient. Expect it to take months, run both channels throughout, and target repeat customers rather than first-timers.
Updated 28 August 2026
Target repeats, not first-timers
The customer the app genuinely introduced to you is one you did not have, and trying to convert them on their first order is both hard and slightly ungrateful. The customer worth moving is the one on their fifth order of the same thing. They already know your food, they are not discovering anything, and every one of those orders is paying an introduction fee for an introduction that happened months ago.
Put the address on everything physical
Every bag that leaves the kitchen is a marketing surface the platform does not control. Your web address on the packaging, on the receipt, on a card in the bag, on the front of the building. This is slow and unglamorous and it is the highest-converting channel available to you, because it reaches the customer at the moment they are pleased with the food.
- Printed on the bag and the box
- A small card inside, with the address and one reason
- On the shopfront, where collection customers see it
- Mentioned at the counter on collection
Fix the link that intercepts the search
A lot of people search your restaurant by name, then tap whatever button appears. If the order link on your Google Business Profile points at a marketplace, you are paying commission on a customer who typed your name. Setting that link to your own ordering page is a ten-minute job and it is the single highest-return action in this guide.
Give a reason that is not a discount
Competing on price against a platform running its own promotions is a fight you will lose, and discounting trains people to wait. Better reasons: items only available direct, a loyalty scheme that only accrues direct, earlier access to specials, a larger portion, or simply a faster quoted time because there is no platform routing in between. Any of those is a reason to switch that does not cost you margin every order forever.
How long it takes, honestly
Months, not weeks. Habits are the thing you are changing and habits are slow. Restaurants that expect a step change in a fortnight give up in three weeks and conclude direct ordering does not work. What actually happens is a slow drift in the mix, a couple of points a month, compounding. Watch the direct share of orders as a trend line and ignore individual weeks.
Keep the apps running
Turning off a marketplace before your own channel carries the volume is how good restaurants go quiet. Run both. Let the platform do what it is good at, which is putting you in front of people who have never heard of you, and let your own channel do what it is good at, which is serving the people who already have.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
Can I put a leaflet in a marketplace order?
Check your contract. Some platforms restrict marketing inserts that direct customers away, and enforcement varies. Branding on packaging is generally safer ground than an explicit switch-to-us leaflet.
What share of orders should be direct?
There is no right answer, and it depends on how much of your demand the apps genuinely generate. The useful framing is that the share should be rising, and that you should know the number at all, which most operators do not.
Will the platform demote me for promoting direct ordering?
Platform ranking is opaque and can be affected by things like acceptance rate and prep times. Focus on channels you control, like packaging and your Google profile, rather than anything inside their app.
Should I match my prices across both?
Some contracts require parity, so read yours. Where you have the freedom, pricing slightly higher on the marketplace to reflect commission is common and gives customers a reason to order direct.
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