The Mobile Ordering Revolution Is No Longer Optional
If your restaurant doesn’t have its own mobile app in 2025, you’re leaving serious money on the table.
At Deonde, we’ve worked with thousands of restaurant owners over the years, and we’ve witnessed a clear pattern: restaurants that embrace their own branded mobile apps are thriving, while those still relying exclusively on third-party platforms struggle with shrinking margins and minimal customer loyalty.
“I was honestly skeptical about investing in our own app,” one of our clients Carlos from Chicago told us. “We were already on all the delivery platforms. But within three months of launching our branded app through Deonde, 40% of our online orders shifted from third-party platforms to our own app. That’s thousands in saved commission fees every month.”
The Hard Numbers Make the Case
The statistics paint a clear picture of why your own app matters:
- Restaurants pay between 15-30% commission on every order through third-party apps, compared to 2-5% payment processing fees on orders through their own apps, according to restaurant industry data.
- 63% of customers prefer to order directly from a restaurant rather than through a third-party platform when given the choice, as reported by McKinsey research.
- Customers who order through a restaurant’s own app spend 28% more on average than those ordering through third-party platforms, according to industry studies.
- 70% of consumers say they’re more likely to be repeat customers if a restaurant has its own mobile ordering app, based on recent consumer behavior research.
The 7 Undeniable Benefits of Having Your Own Restaurant App
1. Kiss Those Crushing Commission Fees Goodbye
Third-party delivery apps are bleeding restaurants dry with commission rates as high as 30%. With your own Deonde-powered app, you’re paying just a small payment processing fee – usually around 2-3%.
Do the math: On a $1,000 day of delivery orders, that’s saving around $250-$280 daily. That’s over $7,500 monthly going straight to your bottom line instead of to delivery platforms.
2. You Actually Own Your Customer Relationships
“The biggest mistake I made was letting delivery apps own all my customer data for years,” said Mira, a restaurant owner who switched to Deonde last year. “When we finally launched our app, I realized I’d been giving away my most valuable asset – direct access to my customers.”
With your own app, you get:
- Customer contact information
- Order history and preferences
- Direct communication channel
- Valuable behavioral data
- The ability to retarget past customers
These are all things third-party platforms guard jealously – because they know how valuable they are.
3. Create True Loyalty (Not Just Repeat Business)
Your branded app becomes your digital storefront and loyalty engine:
- Implement point systems and rewards
- Offer app-exclusive promotions
- Create personalized experiences based on order history
- Send push notifications for special events
- Celebrate customer milestones (birthdays, anniversaries, order milestones)
Check out our guide on restaurant promotion ideas that can be implemented directly in your app for maximum impact.
4. Control Your Brand Experience
Third-party apps make every restaurant look basically the same. Your branded app allows you to:
- Showcase your unique brand personality
- Control image quality and food presentation
- Highlight your values and story
- Create a consistent experience from app to table
- Feature your specialties prominently
As our restaurant concept ideas guide explains, your unique identity is your competitive advantage.
5. Menu Management on Your Terms
With your own app, you have complete control over your menu:
- Update items and prices instantly
- Run flash promotions
- Highlight high-margin items
- Temporarily hide items that are out of stock
- Bundle items for higher order values
- Implement sophisticated restaurant menu pricing strategies
“During the pandemic, supply chain issues meant our menu changed frequently,” explained James, a Deonde client in Atlanta. “With our own app, we could update in real-time, while third-party platforms took days to reflect changes.”
6. Valuable Customer Data and Insights
Your app provides a goldmine of actionable data:
- Most popular items and combinations
- Peak ordering times
- Customer ordering patterns
- Neighborhood hot spots for targeted marketing
- Feedback that ties directly to specific dishes
These insights allow you to optimize your menu, operations, and marketing in ways that generic third-party data never could.
7. Integration with Your Entire Operation
Unlike third-party platforms that function separately from your systems, Deonde’s restaurant app integrates seamlessly with:
- POS system
- Inventory management
- Kitchen display systems
- Customer relationship management
- Delivery management software
- Accounting tools
This integration eliminates double-entry, reduces errors, and streamlines operations.
The Affordable Reality of Custom Restaurant Apps in 2025
Many restaurant owners still believe having their own app is prohibitively expensive. That might have been true five years ago, but the landscape has completely changed.
“I put off getting our own app for years because I thought it would cost $50,000+,” admits David, who owns a small chain of pizza restaurants and recently partnered with Deonde. “When I discovered Deonde’s SaaS solution, I was shocked. We had our branded app up and running for less than what we were paying in third-party commissions in a single month.”
Deonde’s restaurant solution includes:
- Custom-branded mobile apps
- Online ordering websites
- Delivery management
- Kitchen integration
- Marketing tools
- Customer loyalty programs
All for a monthly subscription fee that typically costs less than what you’re currently paying in third-party commissions on just a handful of daily orders.
Getting Started: Easier Than You Think
Launching your own restaurant app with Deonde is simple:
- Sign up for a Deonde restaurant account
- Customize with your branding, colors, and logo
- Set up your menu with photos and descriptions
- Connect your payment processing
- Define your delivery zones or pickup options
- Train your staff on the new system
- Launch and promote to your customers
Most of our restaurant clients complete this process in 2-4 weeks, with some launching in as little as one week.
The Real Question Isn’t If, But When
In 2025, having your own restaurant ordering app isn’t a luxury – it’s a basic business necessity. The real question isn’t whether you should have one, but how quickly you can implement it.
Every day you delay is another day of:
- Paying excessive third-party commissions
- Missing out on customer data and loyalty opportunities
- Letting other restaurants connect directly with your potential customers
- Falling behind the restaurant business trends that have accelerated into 2025
The restaurants that will thrive in the coming years aren’t just those with the best food – they’re the ones that own their customer relationships through direct digital connections.
Ready to take control of your online ordering experience and stop feeding the third-party machine? Deonde’s restaurant ordering system provides everything you need to launch your branded restaurant app quickly and affordably. Your customers are waiting to connect directly with you – isn’t it time you gave them that option?
Start Your 30-Day Free Trial today and see how Deonde can transform your restaurant’s online ordering experience.
