1. What is a restaurant’s own ordering system?
A restaurant’s own ordering system is an online store that runs under the restaurant’s own name and colours. Customers find the menu, order and pay directly — not as one line among a hundred other restaurants, but on your own page.
The difference from an app platform comes down to two things: who the customer belongs to, and how you pay. On a platform the customer is the platform’s and a commission comes off every order. In your own system the customer is yours and you pay a flat price. "Commission-free" means exactly that: no percentage per order.
2. Why does commission eat a restaurant’s margin?
Restaurants run on a thin margin, and a percentage commission comes straight off it. In Finland the typical level is 25–30% per order. On €4,000 of monthly sales that is €1,000–1,200 a month, or €12,000–14,400 a year.
A flat monthly price flips the bill: you pay the same whether you take 50 or 5,000 orders. €99/month is €1,188 a year, so an own system saves roughly €10,800–13,200 a year on the same sales. A percentage punishes growth; a flat price does not.
4. How to choose an ordering system: 8 criteria
There are many systems, and price is only one factor. Go through these eight points before you choose:
- Pricing model: a flat monthly price or a percentage per order?
- Commission and hidden fees: are there per-order charges or a setup fee?
- Channels: delivery, pickup and QR dine-in in one system
- EU VAT and VIES: is VAT and B2B selling handled out of the box?
- Payment methods: Stripe, Paytrail, Visma Pay, cash
- Loyalty and promo codes: can you get customers to come back?
- Reports: sales, product and VAT analytics to support decisions
- Portability: do you own the customer data and can you take it with you?
5. Alongside a platform, or instead of it?
An own system isn’t an either/or choice. The most common and often smartest model is a hybrid: let the app platform bring new customers and steer regulars to your own commission-free store.
That way you pay commission only on acquiring new customers, not on every returning order. Every order in your own store is money saved, and over time a growing share of orders comes in commission-free.
6. EU VAT, VIES and invoicing
If you sell to businesses or operate in more than one EU country, handling VAT correctly isn’t optional. A good system handles EU VAT rules and VIES validation (checking a business customer’s VAT number) out of the box, so invoicing is in order.
This is one important difference from many international free or lightweight services that weren’t built for EU tax handling. If you’re looking to replace one of those, put EU compatibility at the top of the list.
7. Segment-specific tips
The same system serves different restaurant types in different ways. A pizzeria leans on a customisable menu and peak-hour order flow, a grill on fast pickup and combo meals, sushi on set menus and QR table ordering, a lunch restaurant on a daily-changing menu and pre-order. Read the detailed tips for your segment:
8. Getting started, step by step
Setting up an own system takes no technical skill. The basic steps are the same whatever your restaurant type:
- Create an account and set the restaurant details and opening hours
- Build the menu: items, prices, options and allergens
- Connect payment methods (Stripe, Paytrail, Visma Pay, cash)
- Steer customers to your own store: a link, a QR code and social media
9. Migrating from another system
If you already use a system, switching is more straightforward than you think: the menu and prices are rebuilt in the new store and customers are pointed to the new address. It’s best to do it calmly, before your current service forces the move.
A timely example is GloriaFood, which Oracle is shutting down on 30 April 2027 — after that no migration or data recovery is promised. If you depend on it, plan the move well ahead.