DoorDash Just Proved Why You Need to Own Your Online Ordering Channel

DoorDash’s latest earnings report should be a wake-up call for every independent restaurant owner.

In the third quarter of 2025, DoorDash reported $3.4 billion in revenue, 776 million orders, and a 25% increase in total marketplace value. Those are impressive numbers — for DoorDash.

But here’s what they really mean: every billion they earn comes directly from restaurants giving away control of their online sales.

For years, third-party delivery platforms have positioned themselves as partners in growth. In reality, they’ve become toll collectors — charging up to 15–30% per order for access to customers you already earned.

How DoorDash’s Success Comes at a Cost to Restaurants

DoorDash’s growth story highlights a bigger truth: most restaurants have unintentionally outsourced their customer relationship. When an order comes through a third-party app, the customer experience, data, and loyalty all belong to the platform — not you.

That means:

• You don’t own the customer data that drives repeat business.
• You can’t control the loyalty experience or create meaningful follow-up offers.
• You’re paying for access to your own audience, one delivery at a time.

Meanwhile, DoorDash uses that same data to expand its advertising business and strengthen its marketplace — all funded by the commissions taken from independent restaurants.

The message is clear: you’re not competing against DoorDash; you’re feeding its growth.

The Shift: From Third-Party Dependence to First-Party Control

The alternative is simple but powerful — build your own first-party online ordering channel.
When customers order directly through your site, you:

1. Keep your profit margin — no 15–30% cut per order.
2. Control your customer data — names, emails, order patterns, preferences.
3. Strengthen loyalty — tie rewards and promotions to real behavior, not app algorithms.
4. Connect your systems — POS, loyalty, online ordering, and marketing all in one Omni platform.

At LocalRestaurantOwner.com, we help restaurants do exactly that — by combining consulting, technology integration, and marketing strategy to grow digital sales by 1% or more each month.

You don’t need more technology. You need the right system and a plan to make it work together.

A Real Look at the Numbers

Most owners underestimate how much money is lost to third-party platforms.
Let’s say your restaurant averages $10,000 a month in online orders with an average ticket of $25 and pays 15% in commissions.

That’s $1,500 a month — or $18,000 a year — in lost profit.
Shift just 40% of those orders to your first-party site and your savings climb dramatically, even after factoring in a processing fee and a small platform cost.

You can calculate your exact numbers using our Online Orders ROI Calculator right on this page.

The Bigger Picture: Customer Ownership = Long-Term Profit

Beyond the numbers, the real advantage is customer ownership.
When orders run through your own platform, every transaction feeds your marketing engine. You can:

• Automate review requests within minutes of an order.
• Launch loyalty rewards based on customer frequency.
• Build remarketing audiences from real purchase behavior.

That’s how you turn online ordering from a cost center into a growth channel.

When restaurants stop relying entirely on delivery apps, they gain back both margin and momentum.

What Smart Restaurant Owners Are Doing Now

Forward-thinking operators are taking three key steps:

1. Audit their digital presence — understanding where their traffic and reviews are coming from.
2. Integrate their systems — unifying POS, online ordering, loyalty, and marketing.
3. Re-educate customers — using promotions and loyalty incentives to encourage direct orders.

It’s not about eliminating DoorDash or Uber Eats. It’s about shifting the balance of power back to your restaurant.

Ready to Take Back Control?

DoorDash’s growth is proof that customers are comfortable ordering online — but it should be your brand benefiting from that behavior, not theirs.

Let’s make this the quarter you stop renting your customers and start owning your channel.

Visit LocalRestaurantOwner.com to:

• Use the Online Orders ROI Calculator to see your hidden costs.
• Run a free visibility audit to understand how you rank locally.
• Learn how our consulting and SkyTab Omni Solution can connect every part of your restaurant’s digital ecosystem.

Stop feeding the apps. Start feeding your business.