Tomer Molovinsky argues restaurants should launch with their own ordering apps and websites, not third-party delivery platforms. You keep 20-30% in margins, own customer data, control Google discovery, and can add delivery services like Uber Direct later without losing brand equity.
If you're planning to launch a restaurant or a coffee shop in the near future, let me tell you a little secret. Launching your brand on delivery apps first is a mistake. First party ordering, that's the baseline. Now that means a loyalty app with your branding, clean web ordering, that's table stakes. Today, delivery apps will take 20 to 30% per order. To make that work, most restaurants have to raise prices and give up control. We're seeing more and more restaurants launch with first party ordering from day one. And this helps them grow faster because they can keep prices down, build a real customer database, and they're elevating their brand because the experience actually feels premium. So let's talk about the top five reasons you shouldn't launch your brand on a delivery app. The first reason you shouldn't launch your brand on a delivery app is margins. Delivery apps force you to raise prices. First party ordering keeps pricing clean and margins intact. The second reason you shouldn't launch your brand on a delivery app is customer ownership. On delivery apps. Those aren't your customers. You're basically renting them. With first party ordering, you own the relationship and the data. The third reason you shouldn't launch your restaurant brand on a delivery app is because today Google is the battlefield. Most orders and discovery, they start on Google, not in delivery apps. This is what most restaurants get wrong. Delivery app listings intercept that demand and charge you a premium for it. Reason number four, not to launch your brand on a delivery app is because you can offer delivery without the marketplaces. You don't need the marketplaces to have those doordash and Uber Eats drivers. You just need those drivers. Services like Uber direct and DoorDash Drive handle delivery while you keep the customer, the brand and the data. The fifth reason you shouldn't launch your brand on a delivery app is because of the brand experience. On delivery apps, you're just another tile. You basically commoditize yourself with first party ordering. The experience feels intentional, that brand equity compounds over time. So to wrap it all up, take a page out of Starbucks book. Delivery apps are a growth lever. They're not your foundation. Launch with first party ordering. Build your app users. Drive web traffic and build out your customer database first. Then, if you want incremental volume and revenue, turn delivery apps on, but do it on your terms.
