Comparison · updated July 2026
Every way a restaurant takes orders, compared.
| Dimension | Delivery marketplaces | Phone orders | Own website | Manual WhatsApp | AI WhatsApp (Orderly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer friction | App already installed for many diners | None to start — but hold times, errors | Find site → cart → account → checkout | None — chat they already use | None — chat they already use |
| Cost per order | 15–30% commission | Staff time on every call | Build + maintenance + payment fees | Staff time on every chat | Flat subscription, 0% commission |
| Who owns the customer | The marketplace | You (but nothing is recorded) | You | You | You — every order is a direct thread |
| Order accuracy | Structured, reliable | Verbal — mishears happen in every rush | Structured, reliable | Free-text — staff interpret manually | AI-structured cart, validated against live menu |
| Handles the rush | Yes | No — one call at a time | Yes | No — chats pile up unanswered | Yes — unlimited simultaneous conversations, 24/7 |
| Payment | In-app | On delivery / at counter | Online checkout | Manual links or cash | In-chat Stripe link or cash on delivery |
| Setup time | Days–weeks (onboarding) | None | Weeks–months | Minutes | Minutes — vision AI imports your menu from a photo |
When each one wins
Delivery marketplaces
Win for new-customer discovery — people browsing "food near me" who have never heard of you. The commission is a customer-acquisition cost; it only makes sense for customers you haven't acquired yet.
Phone orders
Win for customers who want to talk to a human — a shrinking but real group. Keep the line; stop depending on it for volume.
Own website ordering
Wins for brands with strong direct traffic and the budget to maintain checkout, menus, and payment infrastructure. Best as a complement to, not a replacement for, a chat channel.
AI WhatsApp ordering
Wins for repeat customers and direct volume: zero friction, zero commission, structured orders, and no staff time per order.See how Orderly does it.
Common questions
What is the cheapest way for a restaurant to take orders online?
Per order, direct channels beat marketplaces: a flat-subscription system (like AI-powered WhatsApp ordering) costs the same whether you do 100 or 1,000 orders, while marketplaces take 15–30% of every single one. Phone and manual WhatsApp look free but cost staff time on every order and break during the rush.
Should a restaurant leave delivery marketplaces entirely?
Usually no. The winning pattern is hybrid: keep marketplaces for new-customer discovery, and move repeat customers to a direct channel — a QR code in every bag pointing to your WhatsApp. Regulars are where commission savings compound.
Why WhatsApp instead of a website or an own-brand app?
Friction. A website order means finding the site, building a cart, and checking out — often creating an account. An own app means convincing someone to download it. WhatsApp is already installed, already logged in, and already how customers message businesses in most markets. The order starts one text away.
What does AI add over manual WhatsApp ordering?
Manual WhatsApp ordering breaks at about ten orders a day — someone has to answer every message, build every order, and chase every payment. An AI agent does all of that automatically and simultaneously across unlimited chats, with the cart validated against your live menu before checkout.
Deeper dives: the commission math ·how AI order-taking works ·the complete WhatsApp ordering guide.