Online ordering on your own site vs delivery apps (Glovo)

A delivery app is a ready-made storefront with traffic, but every order through it comes with a commission that comes out of your margin, plus fees and promotions you often fund yourself. Ordering on your own site or WhatsApp has no per-order commission: you pay for building it and for payments, while the margin and the customer's phone number stay with you.

The real question is not 'which channel is cheaper' but 'who owns the customer after the first order'. On the app, the customer belongs to the platform: you do not know who ordered, you cannot message them, you cannot build loyalty. On your own channel, you know the customer and can bring them back.

For new restaurants the commission feels harmless, because the app brings orders you would not have had otherwise. The trouble starts when the app becomes your main channel: then a big share of revenue runs through a commission that comes straight out of profit, not out of revenue. In food, where margins are already thin, that commission is often the difference between a profitable month and a flat one.

Do the simple math: how many orders a month come from the app, what the average order is worth, and what percentage the platform takes. That number is money that could stay with you if even a portion of your regulars ordered directly. The app is not the enemy, but it is a cost to manage, not to accept blindly.

Your ordering channel does not have to be complicated to start. Three levels work in Kosovo: WhatsApp ordering, an order form on your site, and a full menu with a cart and online payment. Most restaurants start with WhatsApp or the form, because the customer already has WhatsApp and does not have to download anything.

The next step is a QR digital menu wired to ordering, where the customer scans at the table or counter and orders directly, and a restaurant website with menu, ordering and local SEO so you show up on Google. That way the customer who finds you on Google orders from you, not from the app.

• WhatsApp ordering: fast, free, the customer already has it, but managed manually.
• Order form on your site: orders arrive structured, without long chats.
• Menu with cart and online payment: full experience, ready to scale volume.
• In-store pickup: no courier at all, full margin, ideal for cafes and fast food.

Most orders in Kosovo are still paid cash on delivery, and that is perfectly fine to start: you need nothing technical, just a channel to take the order. Online payment adds convenience, cuts cancelled orders, and makes it easier for the diaspora or customers who want to pay by card.

How to accept card payments in Kosovo, what the options are and what you need, is covered in the online payments guide. Practical advice: start with cash on delivery plus WhatsApp, and add online payment once volume justifies it.

The smartest answer is not 'app or nothing', but a healthy mix. Keep the delivery apps for discovery and for new customers who do not know you yet, because there you pay commission but gain visibility. In parallel, build your own direct channel and steer loyal customers toward it.

A practical way to shift the customer: drop a small 'Order direct, no commission' flyer inside the delivery bag with your WhatsApp number or site address, offer a small perk for ordering direct, and make sure the customer who finds you on Google orders directly. Over time the app stays the channel for new faces, while your regulars move to you.

For Krog I built an online presence where the menu and identity live on their own domain, not locked inside someone else's app. The idea is simple: a customer searching by name should find you directly, see the menu fast, and order without going through a platform that takes a commission and keeps the customer. The direct channel does not replace the app from day one, but it makes the restaurant the owner of the customer relationship.

What sets the build cost is the level you choose: WhatsApp and a form only, or a full menu with cart, online payment and local SEO. There is no per-order commission on your own channel, so the more customers move to direct ordering, the faster it pays for itself. Look at the restaurant website or ecommerce store if you also sell products to take away, and message me on WhatsApp for a clear, fixed quote after a short chat.