Restaurants, cafés and takeaways
Commission-free online ordering for Australian restaurants, cafés and takeaways
Uber Eats and DoorDash keep A$12 of a A$40 delivery order.
From A$3,900excl. GSTSee pricing →
- About A$1 card fee vs A$12 commission
- Own the code, domain and customer list
- Pickup, delivery and QR table ordering
- Fixed AUD quote in writing, from A$3,900
- WhatsApp Mon–Sat, to 12:30am AEDT
- ★ 4.9 on Google (76 reviews)
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork
Founder-led delivery
Overview
On your own site, the same order costs about A$1 in card fees (roughly 2–3% on a typical order), plus delivery if you offer it. We build an online ordering system for restaurants in Australia that you own: pickup, delivery and QR table ordering, for A$3,900–A$23,500 one-off. The code, domain and customer list are yours, and card payments are set up on your own gateway account. Every fee that still applies is shown and sourced below.
By Ashish Sharma, founder · Updated 5 October 2026
Quick answer
What does commission-free online ordering actually cost an Australian restaurant?
Take a A$40 delivery order. Uber Eats or DoorDash keeps A$12.00 of it in commission (30%). Through your own ordering site, the same order costs about A$0.88 in card fees at 2.2%, or A$1.00 at 1.75% + A$0.30. If a courier delivers it, add the delivery fee: DoorDash lists A$5.50 (incl. GST) for orders through its Online Ordering product. Commission-free removes the percentage. It doesn't remove card fees, delivery, hosting or SMS. Example maths from published rates, not a client result.
- Uber Eats AU: 30% delivery, 16% self-delivery, 8% pickup
- DoorDash AU: 30% delivery, 15% pickup, 15% self-delivery
- Menulog closed at 23:59 AEDT on 26 Nov 2025
- Square Online free plan: A$0 + 2.2%, often the right choice for one small café
- Our build: A$3,900–A$23,500 one-off, plus A$80–A$240 a month hosting and support
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What ‘commission-free’ means, and the fees that still apply
Commission-free online ordering means the ordering platform takes no percentage of each order; you still pay card processing (about 1.75–2.2% plus any fixed fee), delivery, and a fixed software or hosting fee. Some products sold as commission-free also charge a percentage under another name. So ask any vendor one thing: what do I pay on one A$40 order?
| Fee | Typical figure | Who sets it | Avoidable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card processing | 2.2% flat (Square Online): A$0.13 on a A$6 coffee. 1.75% + A$0.30 (DoorDash Online Ordering; one of Foodship's listed gateway rates): A$0.41 on the same coffee, or 6.75% | Your payment provider | No |
| Delivery | A$5.50 incl. GST (DoorDash Online Ordering); Uber Direct fixed fee + distance fee; or drivers' wages | The courier, or you | Yes, with pickup only |
| Software and hosting | A$0 (Square Online Free) to A$199 a month (Next Order, excl. GST); ours A$80–A$240 a month | The vendor | No |
| Percentage service fee | 8% or 12% + GST (Zwift); 6–25% (Uber Webshop) | The vendor | Yes, with a flat-fee or owned system |
| SMS and marketing | Usually per message (Next Order lists SMS as pay-per-use) | The vendor or SMS provider | Partly |
| Hardware | Printer or tablet; Uber lists A$200 (excl. GST) per supplied device damaged, lost or not returned | You, or the vendor | No |
A fixed fee per order is what makes small café orders dear, so compare card rates on a A$6 order as well as a A$40 one. The real comparison is 30% against roughly 2–3%, plus delivery, software and messages.
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Uber Eats and DoorDash commission in Australia: one A$40 order, worked out
Both platforms publish their Australian rates on their own merchant pages. Uber Eats charges 30% when Uber delivers, 16% when you deliver and 8% on pickup. DoorDash charges 30% on delivery and 15% on pickup, and 15% when your own drivers deliver (12% on DashPass orders). Here is one A$40 order on each channel, beside the same order through your own site.
| Channel | Rate (source) | Cost on A$40 | You keep (before food cost) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uber Eats, Uber delivery | 30% (Uber AU) | A$12.00 | A$28.00 |
| Uber Eats, self-delivery | 16% (Uber AU) | A$6.40 | A$33.60, minus your driver |
| Uber Eats, pickup | 8% (Uber AU) | A$3.20 | A$36.80 |
| Uber Webshop, Uber delivery | 25% (Uber AU) | A$10.00 | A$30.00 |
| Uber Webshop, pickup or self-delivery | 6% (Uber AU) | A$2.40 | A$37.60 |
| DoorDash, delivery | 30% (DoorDash AU) | A$12.00 | A$28.00 |
| DoorDash, pickup | 15% (DoorDash AU) | A$6.00 | A$34.00 |
| DoorDash, self-delivery | 15%, or 12% on DashPass (DoorDash AU); A$9.99 a delivery if Dashers deliver | A$6.00 (A$4.80 DashPass) | A$34.00 (A$35.20), minus your driver |
| Own site, card at 2.2% | 2.2% card fee (Square Online) | A$0.88 | A$39.12 |
| Own site via DoorDash Online Ordering | 1.75% + A$0.30 card fee (DoorDash AU) | A$1.00 | A$39.00 |
| Same, delivered by DoorDash | + A$5.50 incl. GST (DoorDash AU) | A$6.50 | A$33.50 |
At your volume. Delivery orders at A$40 and 30%, against the same orders through your own channel at about A$6.50 each (A$1.00 card fee plus A$5.50 delivery):
- 50 a week: A$31,200 a year in commission, against about A$16,900
- 100 a week: A$62,400 a year, against about A$33,800
- 200 a week: A$124,800 a year, against about A$67,600
The fine print. Uber charges a one-off A$700 (excl. GST) activation fee per new location, deducted from payouts weekly, and A$350 for each later location. DoorDash offers a 30-day trial at 0% commission and says it charges no activation fee. Uber's page doesn't say whether GST is added to commission, so check your merchant agreement. The 'Lite 20%, Plus 25%, Premium 30%' tiers on some Australian blogs come from coverage of Uber's US marketplace.
Menulog has closed. It stopped operating in Australia at 23:59 AEDT on Wednesday 26 November 2025, after about two decades, and offered its customers, restaurants and drivers incentives to move to Uber Eats (ABC News). Fewer marketplaces means more reliance on the ones left.
WhatsApp your last weekly payout total and order count. We'll reply with this maths for your venue and the build that would pay for itself fastest.
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Online ordering systems for restaurants in Australia: 12 months compared
Few vendors total a year's cost. This table does, for one assumed venue: 60 direct orders a week at a A$40 average (3,120 orders, A$124,800 a year). Where a vendor doesn't publish its card rate, we add card fees at 2.2% so totals compare like for like. HungryHungry, Nomni (formerly Order Up!), Oolio (which includes OrderMate) and Restoplus are quote-led, so their cells say 'ask'.
| System | Published price | Per-order fee | Est. 12-month cost | Owns code? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Online Free | A$0 a month | 2.2% | A$2,745.60 | No |
| Square Online Plus | A$36 a month, billed annually | 2.2% | A$3,177.60 | No |
| Square Online Premium | A$99 a month, billed annually | 1.9% | A$3,559.20 | No |
| DoorDash Online Ordering | A$0 software, no contract | 1.75% + A$0.30 | A$3,120, plus A$5.50 per DoorDash delivery | No |
| Next Order | A$199 a month, or A$159 billed annually, excl. GST | Not published; 2.2% assumed | About A$4,653.60 (A$1,908 + A$2,745.60 assumed card fees) | No |
| Foodship | A$100 setup (currently waived, limited-period offer) + A$60 + GST a month | Gateway, e.g. 1.75% + A$0.30 | About A$3,840–A$3,940, depending on the setup offer | No |
| Zwift | Setup + configured extras | 8% or 12% + GST; card fees: ask | A$10,982.40 or A$16,473.60, plus setup | No |
| Uber Webshop, pickup | No monthly fee listed; ask about activation | 6%; card fees: ask | A$7,488, plus any activation fee | No |
| HungryHungry, Nomni, Oolio/OrderMate, Restoplus | Quote-led | Not published | Ask | No |
| Codingclave build (ours) | A$3,900–A$23,500 one-off + A$80–A$240 a month | Your gateway's rate, confirmed in writing (2.2% assumed) | Year 1: A$7,605.60–A$29,125.60. Later years: A$3,705.60–A$5,625.60 | Yes |
The honest reading. On cost alone, Square Online Free or DoorDash Online Ordering is the cheapest software at this volume, and our build is not. Against Square Online Free at the same 2.2%, the build costs A$4,860–A$26,380 more in year one and A$960–A$2,880 more a year after that (the hosting). That buys complex menus, several outlets on one system, your own design and code you own.
How we checked. Figures come from each provider's own pricing page, except Zwift's fee and the quote-led vendors' status, which come from Zwift's comparison (updated 13 August 2026). All read in October 2026. We sell one of the options compared, and prices change, so check the source before you sign. For POS and back-office tools, see restaurant software in Australia.
Want a fixed AUD price for this?
Tell us what you need and get a quote in writing.
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Square Online, a subscription or your own build: which suits your venue
There's no single best online ordering system for restaurants. Every vendor ranks itself first, so this table includes the cases where you shouldn't hire us.
| Your situation | Usually best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Single café on Square POS, modest online volume | Square Online Free | A$0 software; menu already synced |
| Online orders this week, with no build | DoorDash Online Ordering or Square Online | No contract, A$0 software |
| 24/7 phone support during service, or a POS already on a vendor's integration list | An Australian vendor such as Next Order, HungryHungry or Nomni | Zwift's comparison lists 24/7 support for Next Order and Oolio and names integration breadth as Nomni's strength. Ours is WhatsApp-first with set hours |
| Complex menus: half-and-half, build-your-own, timed menus | Your own build | No template limits |
| Multi-outlet group or growing franchise | Your own build | One codebase, per-outlet menus, no per-location fee |
| Paying 8–12% or 6–25% on own-channel orders | Your own build | A one-off cost replaces a fee that grows with sales |
| You want to own the code, design, domain and customer list | Your own build | Full handover (see the ownership table below) |
The payback formula. Payback in weeks = build cost ÷ (saving per moved order × moved orders a week − weekly hosting).
A worked example. Move 30 of 100 weekly A$40 delivery orders to your own site. Assume A$1.00 card fees and A$5.50 delivery per order, using DoorDash Online Ordering's listed fee as a stand-in for a courier at a similar price (Uber Direct and DoorDash Drive price per job and may differ). Each order saves A$12.00 − A$1.00 − A$5.50 = A$5.50: A$165 a week, or A$8,580 a year.
- Low end: A$3,900 build and A$80 a month hosting pays back in about 27 weeks.
- High end: A$23,500 and A$240 a month takes about 4.1 years at this volume. At 300 moved orders a week across several outlets, it's about 15 weeks (A$1,650 a week saved, less about A$55 hosting).
Send your menu and weekly order count on WhatsApp and we'll reply with a written scope and payback estimate.
05of 10
Cafés, takeaways and restaurants: what the ordering flow must handle
A Friday-night failure looks the same everywhere: the kitchen is 40 minutes behind and online orders keep arriving with a 20-minute promise. These are the flows we scope so that doesn't happen.
Cafés: coffee pre-orders and the 7–9am queue
At 7:45am the coffee machine is the bottleneck, not the till. Pickup time slots with a cap per slot stop online orders swamping it, saved favourites make the daily flat white two taps, and a counter QR code lets the queue order while it waits.
Takeaways: half-and-half, modifiers and Friday nights
Half-and-half pizza priced by your rule (dearer half or average), kebab and burger modifiers, combos, and delivery zones by suburb or postcode with their own fee and minimum. When the kitchen falls behind, staff add prep time or pause ordering.
QR code table ordering for restaurants and cafés
Each table has its own QR code, so orders reach the kitchen with the table number, and guests order and pay on their phone. It suits table service and busy weekend brunch more than a counter-only coffee shop. Add split bills, kitchen order tickets (KOT), a kitchen display, and per-outlet menus for groups.
Allergens and dietary tags on every item
Gluten-free, vegan, contains nuts, plus a note. An online order has no staff member to ask, so the menu has to answer.
The kitchen side. Orders land on a kitchen printer or display. For a till, or to weigh up which POS suits an Australian venue, see our restaurant POS for Australian venues. Which payment terminals connect is confirmed in writing for your business before you sign. Request a demo of the POS, table and kitchen display screens and we send the login on WhatsApp.
06of 10
Delivery without a marketplace: your drivers, Uber Direct or DoorDash Drive
Taking orders on your own site doesn't mean giving up delivery. Your own drivers and pickup work from launch day with nothing to connect.
| Option | How it's charged (published) | Works with your own site |
|---|---|---|
| Your own drivers | Wages or contractor rates, under your insurance | Built in: zones, delivery fees, driver notes |
| Uber Direct | No marketplace fee; a fixed fee plus a distance fee per delivery | We confirm in writing for your business before you sign |
| DoorDash Drive On-Demand | A flat fee per delivery, listed as 'varies'; no commission | We confirm in writing for your business before you sign |
| DoorDash Online Ordering delivery | A$5.50 incl. GST per delivery, as listed | Part of DoorDash's own ordering product: an alternative to a custom build, not part of one |
| Pickup only | A$0 delivery | Built in |
We don't claim a courier connection until it's confirmed for your business. Until then, your own drivers and pickup work, and you can book couriers by hand while volumes are small.
07of 10
Restaurant website design and café websites that take orders
A restaurant or café website that takes orders needs these nine parts.
Menu as crawlable text, not a PDF
Google can read it, phones show it without zooming, and a price change takes a minute.
A sticky ‘Order now’ button on mobile
One tap away however far people scroll.
Opening and public-holiday hours
If Anzac Day says open on your site and closed on Google Business Profile, someone meets a locked door.
Google Business Profile order links
Point them at your own site; see our digital marketing and SEO guide for Australia.
Your own food photos
Real dishes, sized for phones.
Allergen notes on each item
Beside each dish, matching the ordering menu.
A bookings link
Bookings are a separate tool; we link whichever booking system you use.
Address and phone in text
So search engines read them and customers tap to call.
Copy template structure, not the look
Regulars recognise your photos and name, not a template.
For what a website costs on its own, see website development in Australia.
Have a project in mind?
Send a few lines on WhatsApp or get a fixed AUD quote.
08of 10
Before you sign: eight questions, who owns what, and the Spam Act
Ask every ordering vendor these eight questions, including us:
8 questions to ask
- What do I pay, in dollars, on one A$40 pickup and one A$40 delivery order?
- What is the card rate, and is there a fixed fee per transaction?
- Who pays for delivery, and how much?
- Can I export my customer list and order history?
- Whose name is the domain in?
- What does it cost to leave?
- Who answers during Friday dinner and weekend brunch?
- Does it work with my POS and kitchen printer today?
| Asset | Marketplace (Uber Eats, DoorDash) | Ordering SaaS | Your own build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | The platform's | Often yours (Square's annual paid plans include one year's domain credit) | Yours, registered in your name |
| Code and design | The platform's | The vendor's | Handed over to you |
| Menu data | Held in the app | Exportable; varies by vendor | Yours, in your database |
| Customer list | Limited access | Usually yours to export (check) | Yours |
| If you leave | Your listing ends | Export, then rebuild elsewhere | Keeps running with any developer |
Handover timing for the code and admin access is written into your proposal before you sign.
Spam Act. Owning the list doesn't mean you can message everyone on it. ACMA says commercial emails and SMS need consent, must identify you as the sender and must offer an easy unsubscribe. We build an opt-in box into checkout and an unsubscribe link into every message.
Privacy Act. The OAIC says most small businesses (annual turnover of $3 million or less) aren't covered, but some are. Check your position before deciding how you store customer details.
09of 10
Moving regulars off the apps without losing discovery
Keep the marketplaces for new customers and move the people who already know you, with a QR card in every bag, a first-direct-order offer, the order link on your Google Business Profile and social bios, and a table-tent QR code. Move orders in this sequence, ranked by what you keep per order and how much work the switch takes (A$40 example, not a client result).
First: orders that need no courier (A$5.12–A$5.52 each)
A DoorDash pickup costs A$6.00 against about A$0.88 on your own site, and the customer is at your counter. Regulars you already self-deliver on Uber Eats (16%) save A$6.40 − A$0.88 = A$5.52, with the same drivers.
Next: app-delivered orders (about A$5.50 each)
A$12.00 on either app, against A$1.00 in card fees and a courier at about A$5.50. Similar saving, but drivers or a courier have to be arranged first.
Last: Uber Eats pickup (A$2.32 each)
At 8%, it costs A$3.20, so moving it saves the least.
Give each prompt its own QR code for the first month to see which brings the most direct orders.
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Support during service from India: hours, gaps and fail-safes
You deal with the founder, Ashish Sharma, directly on WhatsApp. Every WhatsApp button on this page opens an Indian number (+91 92771 84741); that's us. HungryHungry argues ordering support should sit in your own time zone. It's a fair point, so here are the real hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:00–19:00 India time. We're Codingclave Development LLP, founded in Lucknow in 2017, working remotely by WhatsApp, email and video call, with no Australian office, staff, phone line or ABN. More on how we work remotely.
| City | Daylight saving (4 Oct 2026–4 Apr 2027) | Rest of year | Overlap with a 9–5 day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart | 3:30pm–12:30am AEDT | 2:30pm–11:30pm AEST | 1.5 h (2.5 h in winter) |
| Adelaide | 3:00pm–12:00am ACDT | 2:00pm–11:00pm ACST | 2 h (3 h in winter) |
| Brisbane, Gold Coast | 2:30pm–11:30pm AEST | Same | 2.5 h |
| Perth | 12:30pm–9:30pm AWST | Same | 4.5 h |
What the hours cover. East-coast dinner service and late trade, and Perth until 9:30pm. A problem raised during evening service is worked on that night, with progress by morning.
Cafés: morning trade is outside our hours. Breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch, including Saturday daytime, are never covered live. An 8am problem is in our queue at 3:30pm AEDT and worked on before the next morning's rush where possible. If your trade is mostly breakfast and lunch, weigh that honestly. The fail-safes are what cover those hours:
- Every order also prints in the kitchen and arrives by email.
- One switch pauses online ordering.
- Payments are set up on your own gateway account, not routed through us; supported gateways are confirmed in writing before you sign.
- Uptime monitoring flags outages, and we act on them within our hours.
- Response times and what counts as urgent are written into the proposal.
When to choose someone else. If you need a person on the phone at 11am on a Sunday, pick a vendor that offers it.
Pricing in AUD
Online ordering build prices in AUD
One-off prices, fixed in writing once we've seen your menu. Menu logic, the number of outlets, delivery zones and whether you also want a custom till and kitchen display decide where you land. The A$80–A$240 monthly fee covers hosting, backups, monitoring and support on agreed terms; bigger changes are quoted in writing first. SMS, if used, is charged per message by the SMS provider. Branded apps: see mobile app development.
Custom restaurant POS + commission-free online ordering
A$3,900 – A$23,500
Excl. GSTCustom restaurant POS + commission-free online ordering · Typical timeline: 3–8 weeks
Branded ordering site with pickup, delivery zones, QR table ordering, modifiers, combos, kitchen printer and email routing, and an admin panel. Higher in the range, a custom till and kitchen display in the same system. Code and domain handed over.
Get a quote for this plan
Business website (custom design, Next.js or WordPress)
A restaurant or café website without ordering, or the brand site around it.
Mobile app (iOS + Android, Flutter or React Native)
A branded iOS and Android ordering app for groups with high repeat volume.
Hosting, backups, monitoring and support
Hosting, backups, monitoring, updates and service-hours support on agreed terms.
- Fixed price in AUD
- Free scoping call
- No obligation
How payment works. Customer card payments are set up on your own gateway account, not routed through us, and card and courier fees go to those providers. Your gateway, delivery integrations and hosting region are confirmed in writing before you sign; our payment stages are in the written proposal.
Checking us out. 200+ projects since 2017, 4.9 stars from 76 Google reviews and Top Rated on Upwork. Read the reviews, see our work, or request a demo and we send the login on WhatsApp.
Prices are in Australian dollars and do not include GST: Codingclave is an overseas (India-based) supplier and is not registered for Australian GST. If your business is GST-registered, check with your accountant whether the reverse-charge rules apply to imported services.
Fixed AUD quote
Get your commission maths and a fixed AUD quote
Send your last weekly Uber Eats or DoorDash statement, or just your order count and average order. We reply with a written scope, a fixed AUD quote and your payback in weeks.
Ashish Sharma
Founder, Codingclave
Ashish or the team will reply on WhatsApp or email within one business day.
- ★ 4.9 on Google (76 reviews)
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork
- Founder-led delivery
Prefer WhatsApp?
WhatsApp AshishHow it works
From menu to first order: how the build runs
Builds take 3–8 weeks. Menu complexity, gateway approval and delivery integrations decide where you land.
Send your menu and order counts on WhatsApp
Menu, weekly orders by channel, outlets, and your current POS or printer.
Written scope and fixed AUD quote
Gateway, delivery options, integrations and handover timing confirmed before you sign.
Menu, modifiers and design
Modifiers, combos, allergen tags and timed availability loaded; the site designed around your brand.
Payments, delivery zones and fail-safes
Gateway connected, zones set by suburb or postcode, every order routed to printer and email.
Test orders on your own phones
Staff place test orders, including a burst at once to mimic a busy night, before launch.
Launch and handover
Packaging QR codes and your Google order link go live; code, domain and admin access handed over as your proposal sets out.
FAQ
Questions Australians ask us
Can’t see yours? Ask Ashish directly — you’ll get a straight answer, not a sales script.
Ask Ashish directly
How much does Uber Eats charge restaurants in Australia?
What is DoorDash's commission rate in Australia?
What is the best online food ordering app in Australia?
Is there a free online ordering system for restaurants in Australia?
How do I set up online ordering for my restaurant or café?
Do restaurants need their own website if they're on Uber Eats?
Who owns the customer data and code if I leave an ordering provider?
What support do I get during dinner service if you're based in India?
Ashish Sharma · Founder
Find out what your app commission is really costing you
Send your last weekly Uber Eats or DoorDash statement, or just your order count and average order. We reply with a written scope, a fixed AUD quote and your payback in weeks.
- WhatsApp us or fill in the form
- Free scoping call
- Fixed AUD quote, no obligation
- ★ 4.9 on Google (76 reviews)
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork
- Founder-led delivery
Keep exploring
- Software
Restaurant POS for Australian venues
- Guide
Restaurant software in Australia, compared
- Service
Website development and costs in Australia
- Service
Branded ordering apps and app costs
- Guide
Digital marketing and SEO in Australia
- Australia
How we work with Australian businesses
- Reviews
Google reviews
- Page
Our work
- Page
Request a demo login
Ashish Sharma
Founder, Codingclave · Updated 5 October 2026
Ashish founded Codingclave in Lucknow, India, in 2017 and still leads delivery on every project.
Sources (12)· public sources cited on this page
- Uber Eats – Australia merchant pricing
- DoorDash – Australia merchant pricing
- Square – Online store plans (Australia)
- Next Order – Pricing
- Foodship – Pricing
- Zwift – Best online ordering systems in Australia
- HungryHungry – Online ordering built for Australian restaurants
- ABC News – Menulog is closing down in Australia (13 Nov 2025)
- ABC News – Menulog and Uber Eats commercial agreement (25 Nov 2025)
- Restaurant Dive – Uber Eats increases US marketplace fees
- OAIC – Small business and the Privacy Act
- ACMA – Avoid sending spam