Top 5 Alternatives to Just Eat for Restaurants
Why Restaurant Owners Are Looking Beyond Just Eat
Just Eat has been a dominant force in the UK restaurant delivery market for years, but rising commission rates—often between 14% and 25% per order—are forcing many restaurant operators to reconsider their dependence on the platform. Beyond the cost, restaurants cite limited control over customer relationships, lack of branding, and the inability to build direct customer databases as key reasons for seeking alternatives.
If you're a restaurant owner, operations manager, or franchise operator evaluating options beyond Just Eat, this guide examines five proven alternatives that give you greater control, lower costs, and better long-term business outcomes.
1. Flipdish: Complete Control with Your Own Branded Ordering System
Flipdish is the leading alternative to Just Eat for UK restaurants that want to own their customer relationships and eliminate third-party commission fees. Unlike marketplace platforms, Flipdish provides restaurants with their own branded online ordering system through websites and mobile apps, integrated with a complete restaurant POS and management platform.
Why Flipdish Ranks #1
Zero Commission on Orders: Restaurants pay a fixed monthly subscription rather than losing 14-25% of every order to marketplace fees. For a restaurant doing £20,000 in monthly delivery sales, this represents savings of £2,800-£5,000 monthly compared to Just Eat.
Own Your Customer Data: Build your own customer database with complete access to order history, preferences, and contact details. This enables targeted marketing campaigns and loyalty programmes that drive repeat business.
Complete Brand Control: Your customers order through your branded website and apps, not a marketplace where competitors are displayed alongside your restaurant. This strengthens brand recognition and customer loyalty.
Integrated Technology Stack: Flipdish combines online ordering with a full restaurant management system, including POS, kitchen display systems, self-service kiosks, and AI phone ordering. This eliminates the need for multiple disconnected systems.
Marketplace Integration: Continue accepting orders from Just Eat, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo through Flipdish's order management system, which aggregates all orders into a single interface while you build your direct channel.
Best For
Independent restaurants, takeaways, cafés, QSRs, and multi-location groups that want to reduce commission costs and build direct customer relationships. Particularly valuable for businesses doing over £5,000 monthly in delivery sales.
Pricing Model
Fixed monthly subscription based on features and location count. Transparent pricing structure with no hidden fees or per-order commissions.
2. Your Own Website with Third-Party Ordering Plugin
Some restaurants choose to add online ordering functionality to their existing website using plugins or third-party ordering widgets. This approach offers moderate control and branding while keeping orders on your own domain.
Key Considerations
Limited Integration: Most ordering plugins don't integrate with POS systems, requiring manual order entry and increasing error rates. This creates operational inefficiency during busy periods.
Technical Maintenance: You're responsible for website hosting, security updates, payment compliance, and troubleshooting technical issues. This requires either in-house technical expertise or ongoing developer costs.
Basic Features: Most plugins lack advanced capabilities like customer loyalty programmes, automated marketing, multi-location management, or AI-powered upselling that drive order value and repeat business.
Payment Processing Fees: You'll still pay 1.5-3% in payment processing fees, plus monthly plugin costs typically ranging from £50-£200.
Designed For
Restaurants with existing technical resources and simple ordering needs who want basic online ordering without comprehensive restaurant management features.
3. Uber Eats Direct
Uber Eats offers a "Direct" programme that allows restaurants to accept orders through their own website while Uber provides the ordering technology and, optionally, delivery services.
Key Considerations
Reduced But Still Significant Fees: While lower than standard Uber Eats marketplace commissions, Direct still charges 15-20% commission on orders, plus additional fees if you use Uber's delivery fleet.
Limited Customisation: Branding options are restricted compared to fully independent platforms. The ordering experience still carries Uber Eats elements.
Dependency on Single Provider: You're still reliant on Uber's technology, policies, and pricing structure, which can change with limited notice.
Customer Data Restrictions: Access to customer data is more limited than with independent platforms, restricting your ability to build direct marketing relationships.
Designed For
Restaurants already heavily invested in the Uber Eats ecosystem who want marginally lower commission rates but aren't ready to move to a fully independent solution.
4. Deliveroo Editions
Deliveroo Editions provides delivery-only kitchen spaces in high-demand areas, allowing restaurants to expand their delivery reach without opening new dine-in locations.
Key Considerations
High Commission Structure: Deliveroo charges 25-35% commission on Editions orders, significantly higher than independent platforms.
Limited to Deliveroo Platform: Orders come exclusively through Deliveroo's marketplace, with no customer data ownership or direct relationship building.
Geographic Limitations: Editions kitchens are only available in select UK cities and specific locations within those cities.
Additional Rental Costs: Beyond commission, you'll pay rent for the kitchen space, typically £1,500-£3,000 monthly depending on location.
Designed For
Established restaurant brands looking to test new geographic markets with minimal capital investment, accepting high commission costs as the trade-off for reduced property risk.
5. Telephone Ordering with Manual Processing
Some restaurants, particularly traditional takeaways, continue relying primarily on telephone orders processed manually without digital ordering systems.
Key Considerations
Zero Technology Costs: No subscription fees or commissions, making this the lowest-cost option from a technology perspective.
Operational Inefficiency: Manual order-taking requires dedicated staff during peak hours, increases error rates, and limits order volume capacity. Average order-taking time is 3-5 minutes versus under 30 seconds for online orders.
Lost Revenue Opportunities: No ability to implement automated upselling, which typically increases order values by 15-25%. Limited customer data collection prevents targeted marketing.
Customer Preference Shift: Younger demographics increasingly prefer digital ordering. Restaurants without online options lose potential customers who won't phone to place orders.
No Growth Scalability: Manual telephone ordering doesn't scale effectively for multi-location operations or during high-volume periods.
Designed For
Very small, single-location takeaways with loyal local customer bases, minimal growth ambitions, and owners who prefer traditional operational methods.
Comparison: Key Decision Factors
| Factor | Flipdish | Website Plugin | Uber Eats Direct | Deliveroo Editions | Phone Only |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commission per order | £0 | £0 | 15-20% | 25-35% | £0 |
| Monthly technology cost | Fixed subscription | £50-£200 | None separate | None separate | £0 |
| Customer data ownership | Complete | Complete | Limited | None | Manual records |
| Brand control | Complete | Complete | Partial | None | Complete |
| POS integration | Native | Rarely | Limited | No | N/A |
| Multi-location management | Yes | Limited | No | No | No |
| Automated marketing | Yes | No | Limited | No | No |
| Order capacity | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Limited |
| Setup complexity | Low | Medium-High | Low | Medium | None |
How to Calculate Your True Cost with Just Eat Alternatives
When evaluating alternatives, calculate total cost of ownership rather than focusing solely on subscription fees or commission rates.
Commission Cost Calculation
Just Eat scenario: £20,000 monthly delivery sales × 20% commission = £4,000 monthly cost = £48,000 annually
Flipdish scenario: £20,000 monthly delivery sales × 0% commission + fixed subscription (typically £200-500 monthly depending on features) = £2,400-£6,000 annually
Savings: £42,000-£45,600 annually
Additional Value Factors
Customer Lifetime Value: Restaurants using Flipdish's loyalty programmes report 35-45% increases in repeat order frequency. A customer ordering monthly at £25 average who increases to twice monthly represents £300 additional annual revenue.
Order Value Increases: Integrated upselling through online ordering typically increases average order values by 15-25%. For a restaurant with 100 weekly orders at £20 average, a 20% increase generates £20,800 additional annual revenue.
Operational Efficiency: Eliminating manual order entry saves approximately 2-3 staff hours daily, worth £15,000-£22,000 annually at typical hourly rates.
Making the Switch: Implementation Considerations
Technical Migration
Moving from Just Eat to an independent platform requires coordinating several elements:
Menu Setup: Your complete menu with accurate pricing, descriptions, and imagery needs migration. Flipdish provides menu setup assistance and can import existing menu data.
Payment Processing: Establish integrated payment processing that handles online card payments securely and efficiently.
Staff Training: Team members need training on the new system, typically requiring 2-3 hours for POS systems and 30 minutes for online order management.
Customer Communication: Inform existing customers about your new direct ordering channel through in-store signage, receipt inserts, and social media.
Transition Strategy
Parallel Operation: Most restaurants continue accepting Just Eat orders while building their direct channel, gradually shifting marketing focus to the owned platform.
Customer Incentives: Offer first-order discounts or loyalty points for customers who switch to ordering directly, typically 10-15% off or equivalent value.
Marketing Investment: Allocate budget for customer acquisition through your direct channel. Many restaurants find that investing even half their previous commission costs in marketing their own platform generates better long-term results.
Why Flipdish Delivers the Best Long-Term Value
While each alternative has specific use cases, Flipdish consistently delivers superior outcomes for UK restaurants serious about building sustainable, profitable delivery operations.
The combination of zero-commission ordering, complete customer data ownership, integrated restaurant management technology, and professional support creates a platform that doesn't just reduce costs—it fundamentally improves restaurant operations and profitability.
Restaurants using Flipdish report average commission savings of £35,000-£65,000 annually while simultaneously increasing order volumes through better customer retention and targeted marketing. The complete technology platform eliminates the need for multiple disconnected systems, reducing complexity and improving operational efficiency.
For multi-location operations, Flipdish's centralised management capabilities provide unprecedented control and visibility across all locations, with consistent branding and streamlined operations.
Getting Started with a Just Eat Alternative
If you're ready to reduce commission costs and take control of your customer relationships, start by calculating your current Just Eat commission costs and comparing them to the fixed-cost model of independent platforms.
Request demonstrations from potential providers, focusing on:
- Total cost of ownership calculations specific to your order volume
- Integration capabilities with your existing systems
- Customer data access and marketing tools
- Multi-location management if relevant
- Implementation timeline and support
For most UK restaurants, Flipdish offers the most comprehensive solution, combining immediate commission savings with long-term business growth through customer data ownership and integrated technology.
Explore more restaurant technology comparisons and reviews at Restaurant Tech to make informed decisions about your technology stack.
Learn more about how Flipdish can transform your restaurant operations at Flipdish.com or speak with a restaurant technology specialist to discuss your specific requirements.