Guide
Collection is your best margin.
No driver, no commission, no delivery risk. It is the most profitable order you can take and the least promoted.
In short
Click and collect carries no delivery cost and, on your own channel, no commission, which makes it the highest-margin order type most restaurants have. To make it work you need an accurate ready time, a clear collection point, and a reason for customers to choose it over delivery, such as a small discount or priority timing.
Updated 28 August 2026
Why the margin is so much better
Strip out the driver, the delivery fee you absorb, the packaging that survives a journey, and the risk of a cold arrival, and what is left is close to a counter sale with the ordering already done. On your own channel there is no commission either. For a lot of restaurants this is the single most profitable line in the business and almost nobody markets it.
The ready time has to be right
Collection fails when people arrive and wait. The whole appeal is skipping the queue, so an inaccurate ready time removes the reason to use it. Quote realistically, update at peak, and if you are running late, tell them before they leave the house rather than when they arrive.
Make the collection point obvious
A separate spot, clearly signed, where somebody can say a name and go. If collection customers have to queue behind people ordering at the counter, you have recreated the problem they were avoiding. This is a physical change more than a technology one and it is usually free.
Give people a reason to choose it
Collection saves you money, so share some of it. A small discount, a free side, priority preparation, or simply a much shorter quoted time. Say it plainly at the point where somebody picks delivery or collection, because that is the moment the decision is made and most sites say nothing there at all.
- A modest discount that still leaves you ahead of delivery
- A shorter, honest quoted time
- A free side at a threshold
The honest limitation
Collection only works for people who can get to you easily, which depends on parking, location and the weather. It will not replace delivery, and pushing it hard on customers three miles away will not land. Promote it locally and to the people already walking past.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
Should collection be cheaper than delivery?
The total usually is anyway, because there is no delivery fee. An additional small discount is a strong nudge and still leaves you well ahead.
How far ahead should people be able to order?
Same-day is essential and scheduling for later slots is valuable for lunch trade, where people order in the morning for a fixed break.
What about payment on collection?
Taking payment up front cuts no-shows significantly. If you allow pay-on-collection, expect a small percentage never to arrive and price that in.
Do I need a separate collection screen?
Not necessarily, but collection orders need a visible ready time in the kitchen, or they get made too early and sit, which defeats the point.
See it run your restaurant.
Twenty minutes on your menu and your numbers. We'll show you what actually changes in the first month and exactly what it costs. If it's not right for your restaurant, we'll tell you that instead.
- Live in days, not months
- We build your menu and train your staff
- No contract, and thirty days to change your mind
Rather just ring us? +353 87 438 8032
Tell us about your restaurant
We reply the same day, usually inside a couple of hours.