In short
- This is a numerical model built on typical market rates, not a description of a specific client — substitute your own numbers and rerun it.
- At 600 orders a month and a 30% commission, the middleman takes over 12,000 PLN out of 42,000 PLN in revenue.
- Moving half the orders to a direct channel leaves roughly 2,900 PLN more in the venue every month.
- The gain does not come from raising prices. It comes from recovering the margin that was going to commission.
Conversations about commission usually end at “that's a lot”. Below is the same problem written out as a full month of accounts — with the amounts you would see in the till.
Starting point: 600 aggregator orders
600
orders per month
70 PLN
average basket
42,000 PLN
delivery revenue
30%
aggregator commission
| Line item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gross revenue | 42,000 PLN | 600 × 70 PLN |
| Aggregator commission (30%) | −12,600 PLN | charged on the full amount |
| Ingredient cost (32%) | −13,440 PLN | food cost |
| Packaging (3%) | −1,260 PLN | |
| Left to cover everything else | 14,700 PLN | labour, rent, utilities, profit |
The key observation: commission is the second largest cost line right after ingredients — and it is bigger than packaging, delivery and utilities combined.
The same month after moving half the orders
Assume a realistic scenario rather than a perfect one: after a quarter of working on order inserts, the Google profile and texts to regulars, 50% of orders come in directly. Those deliveries are handled by your own driver at 9 PLN per drop.
| Line item | Aggregator (300) | Direct (300) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 21,000 PLN | 21,000 PLN | 42,000 PLN |
| Commission / subscription | −6,300 PLN | −400 PLN | −6,700 PLN |
| Payment gateway | in commission | −315 PLN | −315 PLN |
| In-house delivery | on the aggregator | −2,700 PLN | −2,700 PLN |
| Ingredients + packaging | −7,350 PLN | −7,350 PLN | −14,700 PLN |
| Left over | 7,350 PLN | 10,235 PLN | 17,585 PLN |
14,700 PLN
before the shift
17,585 PLN
after the shift
+2,885 PLN
difference per month
+34.6k PLN
over a year
What this breakdown still does not show
- A customer base. 300 direct orders a month means hundreds of phone numbers you can reach without paying for reach.
- Price control. In your own channel you do not need to mark prices up to cover commission, so you are cheaper than the middleman's app — and you can say so openly.
- Resilience to changing terms. A five-point commission increase is over 2,000 PLN a month in this model. A subscription does not change overnight.
- In-house delivery scales better than commission. A driver costs the same on a 60 PLN basket and a 120 PLN one. Commission grows in proportion to the bill.
How to run this breakdown for yourself
- 1
Take three numbers from last month
Delivery order count, average basket, and your real commission rate from the settlement (not the rate card).
- 2
Calculate the commission amount
Revenue × rate. Write that figure next to your ingredient cost — it usually lands harder than a percentage.
- 3
Assume you move 50% of orders
Subtract the subscription, gateway fee and real delivery cost. That is your conservative savings figure.
- 4
Set a quarterly target
Share of direct orders as a single number on the office wall. Everything else follows from it.
We will run this model on your numbers
Send us your order count and average basket — we will send back the breakdown for your venue and the point where your own channel starts paying off.
Get in touchFrequently asked questions
Do these numbers describe a specific restaurant?
No. It is a model built on typical market rates, designed so you can rerun it on your own data. Substitute your commission, food cost and delivery cost — the shape of the conclusion will not change.
Is in-house delivery always worth it?
Not always. At low daily order volumes a salaried driver costs more than delivery handled by the middleman. The threshold is usually somewhere above a dozen drops a day in a compact area — below that, a courier company billed per delivery works better.
About the author
Jan Korczyński
CEO & Founder, Dinevo
Ex-Google, UX and AI expert. Breaks down costs and margins in hospitality.
