Delivery apps take 14% to 30% of every order they bring you (Whito, May 2026). This page is for restaurant owners who want more direct bookings: a complete Google Business Profile, a menu search engines can read, and marketing costs you can check against dated Whito figures.
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14% to 30%
platform commission on delivery orders (Whito, May 2026)
£2.80 to £6.00
lost on every £20 delivery order (Whito, May 2026)
£200 to £800
a month is enough marketing for a single-site independent (Whito cafe cost report, May 2026)
2 of 12
restaurant and takeaway sites used structured data AI tools can read, though 12 of 12 published prices (Whito, July 2026)
Finding
UK delivery platform commissions range from 14% on Just Eat basic to 30% on Deliveroo and Uber Eats with delivery, £2.80 to £6.00 on a £20 order, while a direct ordering website costs £30 to £150 a month, according to Whito's May 2026 cost guide.
Source: Whito, whito.co.uk/research/uk-takeaway-marketing-costs, May 2026. Free to quote with a link to that page.
Start, Build, Scale
The right order for restaurants
Do the stages in order. Nothing in Build works while Start is missing.
Start, Build, Scale for restaurants: complete the free basics first, then build direct booking and a consented email list, then move repeat diners off the platforms and measure commission saved.Start
- Google Business Profile complete: menu, hours, photos, booking link
- Menu in text with prices, not a PDF or photo
- Address, phone and hygiene rating easy to find
Build
- A direct booking route with a small incentive
- An email list collected at the table, with consent
- Booking confirmation and reminder texts
Scale
- Move repeat diners from the apps to direct
- Measure the commission you saved each month
- Midweek offers to your own list, not blanket discounts
Where the first budget goes
Free fixes first, then a small monthly spend
Spend nothing until the free fixes are done. Then 200 to 800 pounds a month is enough marketing for a single-site independent. Whito, May 2026.Spend nothing yet
£0
A complete Google Business Profile, a menu in text with prices, and replies to your reviews. All free.
Then, when those are done
£200 to £800 a month
Enough marketing for a single-site independent (Whito cafe cost report, May 2026).
Restaurant marketing guides
Whito need-to-know
- Delivery apps take 14% to 30% of an order. That is £2.80 to £6.00 on a £20 order, while a direct ordering website costs £30 to £150 a month (Whito takeaway marketing costs, May 2026).
- Your menu has to be text, not a picture. In Whito's July 2026 audit of 12 restaurant and takeaway websites, all 12 published prices, but only 2 used structured data a search engine or AI assistant can read.
- The hygiene rating is part of your shop window. Ratings run from 0 to 5. Display at the entrance is required in Wales and Northern Ireland and optional in England (Food Standards Agency guidance for businesses).
- A complete Google Business Profile costs nothing. Menu, hours, photos and a booking link, filled in before you pay for any visibility.
Why most restaurant marketing falls flat
Depending on platforms
If most of your orders come through Just Eat or Deliveroo, you do not have customers, you are renting them. One algorithm change or fee increase, and your margins vanish overnight.
No review strategy
You have 23 reviews from 2022 and one angry 1-star sitting at the top. Meanwhile, the place down the road has 200 recent reviews at 4.6 stars. Guess where tonight's diners are going.
Empty midweek tables
Friday and Saturday handle themselves. The restaurants making real profit are the ones filling Tuesday to Thursday. Without a system to drive midweek traffic, you are only making money half the week.
The money leak
What a £20 delivery order really pays
Commission by platform, against £30 to £150 a month for your own direct ordering website.
On a 20 pound delivery order, commission is 2 pounds 80 at 14 percent on Just Eat basic and 6 pounds at 30 percent on Deliveroo and Uber Eats with delivery. A direct ordering website costs 30 to 150 pounds a month. Whito, May 2026.Just Eat basic: 14% commission on a £20 order
You keep £17.20£2.80 commission
Deliveroo and Uber Eats with delivery: 30% on the same order
You keep £14.00£6.00 commission
What actually works for restaurant marketing
The restaurants consistently full midweek are not in better locations. They have better systems.
Dominate Google Maps
Complete your profile with 20+ high-quality photos, accurate hours, full menu, and weekly posts. Respond to every single review. This is your single highest-return marketing activity.
Build a direct booking channel
Use your own website with a booking widget. Offer a small incentive (free starter, 10% off) for booking direct instead of through a platform. Capture their email at the same time.
Automate no-show reduction
Send a confirmation text when they book and a reminder 24 hours before. Add a simple cancellation link.
Run midweek promotions
Create themed nights, set menu deals, or loyalty rewards specifically for Tuesday to Thursday. Promote via email, SMS, and a small social ad budget of £3 to £5 per day.
Capture every diner's details
Use Wi-Fi login, booking confirmation, or a loyalty card to collect emails and phone numbers. A list of 500 local contacts is more valuable than 5,000 Instagram followers.
Invest in food photography
Spend £200 on a professional shoot of your top 10 dishes. Use these everywhere: Google, social, your website, menus.
Three quick wins this week
Update your Google Business Profile
Add 10 new food photos, correct your opening hours, add your current menu as text with prices, and reply to your last 10 reviews. Takes under an hour.
Set up a midweek email offer
Create a simple Mailchimp campaign offering 15% off Tuesday to Thursday bookings for the next month. Send it to everyone who has booked in the last 6 months.
Enable booking confirmation texts
If your booking system supports SMS, turn it on. If not, switch to one that does. The no-show reduction alone will pay for the cost within a week.
Common restaurant marketing mistakes
Relying on Instagram alone
Instagram is a showcase, not a booking engine. Beautiful food photos are worthless if nobody clicks through to actually book a table. Always link to your booking page.
Ignoring your Google listing
An incomplete Google profile with old photos and unanswered reviews is worse than no profile at all. It actively sends diners to your competitors.
Running discounts without data
A 50% off deal fills tables once but attracts discount hunters, not regulars. Use targeted offers for repeat customers rather than blanket discounts that damage your brand.
Restaurant marketing guides
The register that matters
Food hygiene rating and Companies House
Both public record. On the site, in text.
Ready to fill more tables without the guesswork?
Start with the free visibility check: Seventeen checks, about twenty seconds, no email, no sales call. It tells you what AI search and Google can actually read about your restaurant, and what to fix first.
Check your site free