If you’re doing more delivery orders than ever but your profits feel stuck, third-party apps may be taking a bigger cut than you realize.
Third-party delivery platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub can charge restaurants commission fees ranging from 15% to 30% per order, and that does not include extra costs like promotions, boosted listings, or refunds.
Here’s the simple math.
On a $25 order, a 25% commission takes $6.25 off the top before you even account for food, labor, or overhead.
Here’s what a typical third-party pizza order actually looks like:
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Order Total | $25.00 |
| Third-Party Fee (25%) | -$6.25 |
| Food Cost (32%) | -$8.00 |
| Labor (25%) | -$6.25 |
| Overhead (18%) | -$4.50 |
| Estimated Profit | $0.50 |
For many pizza shops, third-party delivery feels like a lifeline. It brings in new customers and helps fill slower periods. But more orders do not always mean more profit.
The real question is not whether third-party delivery is useful. It is whether you are controlling it, or depending on it.
---Commission fees are only the beginning. Third-party delivery platforms often layer on additional costs that are easy to overlook:
By the time you factor in commissions, promotions, and operational issues, you may be giving up far more than the advertised percentage.
---This is the biggest long-term risk of third-party delivery.
When a customer orders through a marketplace app, you may get the order, but you often do not get the relationship. That means you lose access to critical customer data and marketing opportunities:
Every third-party order becomes a one-time transaction instead of a repeat customer opportunity.
Over time, that weakens your ability to build loyalty, increase lifetime value, and grow your business on your own terms.
---The goal is not to remove third-party delivery. For many pizza shops, these platforms still play an important role in customer acquisition.
The smarter strategy is to use third-party apps for visibility, while actively shifting repeat customers to your direct ordering channels.
---Create opportunities for third-party customers to connect with your brand directly:
Customers need a clear incentive to change behavior:
A 10% to 15% incentive for direct ordering can still leave you with better margins than third-party commissions.
---Your online ordering experience should be fast, simple, and mobile-friendly:
If ordering direct is easier, customers will naturally shift away from third-party apps.
---Managing multiple delivery platforms manually can overwhelm your staff, especially during peak hours.
Instead of juggling tablets and re-entering orders, successful operators centralize all ordering channels into one system.
With Thrive POS, pizza shops can:
Thrive is also preparing to launch Thrive Connect, giving operators more control over which third-party channels they use and how those orders flow into their system.
---Over time, that is not growth. It is dependency.
---Third-party delivery should support your business, not control it.
The goal is to keep the sales, own the customer relationship, and protect your margins over the long term.
Smart pizza operators build a balanced strategy where third-party apps drive discovery, while direct ordering, loyalty, and owned marketing drive repeat business and profitability.
Ready to take back control of your delivery channels? See how Thrive POS helps pizza shops centralize orders, simplify operations, and build stronger customer relationships.