Delivery apps solved a real problem: they put restaurants in front of millions of hungry people with a card in hand. But that convenience has a price — and it shows up on your statement every month, in the form of a commission on every order.
If you feel like you work a lot and keep little, it's probably not your imagination. It's math. In this article, we'll do that math together and show how a restaurant website with direct ordering becomes a sales channel of your own — without abandoning the apps, but without depending only on them.
The math on app commissions
In the Brazilian market, delivery app commissions typically range between 12% and 30% per order, depending on the plan, who handles the delivery, and the payment method. Add online payment fees, monthly subscriptions, and in-app campaigns to rank higher, and it's not unusual for the channel's total cost to exceed a quarter of the revenue it generates.
Now put that into your reality. Imagine a restaurant doing R$ 30,000 per month through an app, paying around 25% in commissions and fees. That's R$ 7,500 a month leaving your cash flow — R$ 90,000 a year. With that money, you could pay an employee, renovate the kitchen, or fund your own marketing for years.
And there's a detail that hurts more than the commission: the customer isn't yours. Someone who orders through the app is the app's customer. You don't have their contact info, can't tell them about a promotion, can't invite them back. If the app changes the rules, raises the fee, or promotes the competitor who pays more, all you can do is watch.
An owned channel flips that logic: the order comes straight to you, the margin stays with you, and the customer joins your list.
Direct ordering through your website and WhatsApp
The classic objection is: "but my customers are already used to the app". True — and that's exactly why your own channel needs to be just as easy, or easier. In practice, it works like this:
- Menu on the website, with photos, descriptions, and prices always up to date;
- The customer builds the order in a few taps, without creating an account or downloading anything;
- The order lands directly in your WhatsApp, pre-formatted, or in a management dashboard, depending on the level of automation you want;
- Payment via Pix, online card, or on delivery — you choose what makes sense for your operation.
WhatsApp is the key piece here because Brazilians practically live in it. An "order via WhatsApp" button on a well-built digital menu removes almost all the friction: no sign-up, no forgotten password, no app to download. And best of all: every order creates a saved contact. Within a few months you have a list of real customers to tell about Wednesday's promotion, the new dish, extended holiday hours.
Restaurants already running this model usually use a simple incentive to migrate customers from the app to the direct channel: a 10% discount on website orders still costs far less than the app's commission — and the customer feels like they won.
A digital menu: more than a pretty PDF
Many people confuse a digital menu with a PDF hanging off a link. That's not it. A real digital menu is a fast, mobile-first page where the customer:
- browses by category (starters, mains, drinks, desserts);
- sees real photos of the dishes — and good photos sell, nobody doubts that;
- checks prices, add-ons, and options (size, how the meat is cooked, no onions);
- adds items to the order without leaving the page.
Beyond selling more, a digital menu solves an operational problem: real-time updates. Item sold out? It disappears from the menu instantly. Price changed? One click. No reprinting menus, no answering "do you still have this?" fifty times a night on WhatsApp.
Online reservations: a full dining room without the phone ringing
If your restaurant has table service, online reservations are another direct win. A simple form — date, time, party size, contact — eliminates the back-and-forth of calls and messages, reduces no-shows (you can send automatic confirmation via WhatsApp), and generates data too: you start to see which days fill up and which time slots stay empty, and you can create actions to fill the gaps, like a more aggressive set menu on Tuesdays.
A confirmed reservation is also a psychological commitment. People who booked show up far more often than people who "said they'd stop by".
Google: where customers decide where to eat
Before ordering or visiting, customers search. "Japanese restaurant near me", "pizza place in Campinas São José", "best burger in Florianópolis". Whoever shows up well in that search, sells. Two things make the difference:
Google Business Profile
The former Google My Business is, for a restaurant, almost a second website. Keep accurate hours (including holidays), recent photos of the dishes and the space, links to the digital menu and the website, and respond to reviews — the good ones and especially the bad ones, politely and with a solution. An active, well-rated profile rises on the map; an abandoned one sinks.
Restaurant structured data
Here comes the technical part most people ignore: restaurant schema markup. These are annotations in the site's code that tell Google, in a structured way, what you serve, your price range, opening hours, reviews, and even your menu. With that, Google can display your restaurant with rich information directly in the results — which increases clicks and orders. It's invisible to visitors, but it makes a real difference in local rankings. A professional website ships with this configured from day one.
Hybrid strategy: the app as a storefront, the website as the cash register
Let's be honest: leaving iFood cold turkey is rarely a good idea. The apps have a huge audience and serve as a front door for new customers who don't know you yet. The smart strategy is hybrid:
- Use the app to get discovered. New customers arrive through it, paying commission — that's part of your acquisition cost.
- Convert repeat business to your own channel. A flyer in the packaging, a sticker, a note with the order: "Order directly from our website and get 10% off". The second purchase already comes commission-free.
- Work your list. With the contacts in WhatsApp, announce news and promotions. A repeat customer ordering directly means full margin every month.
Over time, the proportion shifts: the app becomes acquisition, and the bulk of your revenue moves to where the margin is yours.
How much does a restaurant website cost?
In the Brazilian market, a professional restaurant website — with a digital menu, WhatsApp ordering, and a structure optimized for Google — typically ranges from R$ 2,500 to R$ 10,000, depending on the features: reservations, online payment, order dashboard, integrations. Projects with a complete ordering and payment system can go beyond that.
Sounds like a big investment? Go back to the math at the start: if you're paying R$ 5,000 or more in commissions every month, the website pays for itself within a few weeks of direct orders — and after that it's margin recovered forever.
Agência COD has been building restaurant websites for over 15 years, with more than 250 delivered projects, serving all of Brazil. If you're in Greater Florianópolis, also check out our website design in Florianópolis service, with close, in-person support when it makes sense.
Frequently asked questions
Should I leave iFood once the website is ready?
No, and we don't recommend it. The ideal is the hybrid strategy: the app keeps bringing in new customers, and the website converts repeat business to the commission-free channel. Over time, you reduce your dependence on the app naturally, without giving up the visibility it offers.
Do I need an expensive ordering system, or does WhatsApp handle it?
For most small and medium restaurants, a digital menu that sends a pre-formatted order to WhatsApp works very well — it's simple for the customer and for the kitchen. Systems with an order dashboard and online payment become worthwhile when volume grows and WhatsApp starts becoming a bottleneck.
Does a restaurant website really show up on Google?
It does, as long as it's built for that: correct technical structure, restaurant structured data, integration with your Google Business Profile, and content with the terms your customers search for (cuisine type + city/neighborhood). Local search is now one of the biggest sources of new customers for restaurants.
How long does it take to get the website ready?
A restaurant website with a digital menu and WhatsApp ordering is usually ready within a few weeks, depending on complexity and how quickly materials come in (photos, menu, copy). Features like online payment and a management dashboard can extend the timeline a bit.
Tired of watching commissions eat your margin? Request a free quote and receive a personalized proposal for your restaurant within 24 business hours — no commitment, no runaround.
