How to Replace Foodhub With Direct Online Ordering

Can You Replace Foodhub With Direct Ordering?

Yes. Restaurants and takeaways that currently take orders through Foodhub can build a direct ordering channel that captures the same volume — and keeps more of every order. The process takes planning, but the commercial case is compelling and the tools are widely available.

What Foodhub Costs Restaurants

Foodhub markets itself partly on being cheaper than Deliveroo or Just Eat. Depending on the plan, it charges either a subscription fee or per-order commission. What operators often underestimate are the indirect costs: reduced menu visibility without paid placement, limited access to customer data, and the strategic risk of relying on a platform you do not control.

On any marketplace, the customer relationship belongs to the marketplace. When someone orders through Foodhub, Foodhub knows that customer. You do not. You cannot email them, text them, or offer them a loyalty reward directly. Every reorder depends on that customer returning to the Foodhub app rather than seeking you out.

Direct ordering reverses this. You own the relationship. You own the data. You can market to your customers, reward their loyalty, and build a base that does not depend on a third-party platform.

Why Foodhub Customers Are Worth Moving

Customers who order through Foodhub are already online orderers. They have downloaded an app, set up a payment method, and built the habit of ordering food on their phone. This is the hard part of customer acquisition — it is already done.

Converting a Foodhub customer to a direct orderer is far easier than finding a brand new customer. The challenge is creating a reason to try your direct channel. Once they have placed a direct order and found it easy, many will continue to order direct — particularly if a loyalty programme rewards them for doing so.

Step 1: Choose a Direct Ordering Platform

You need a platform that provides a branded ordering website and ideally a mobile app. The platform must give you ownership of your customer data — if the platform holds your data and you cannot export it, you have not solved the dependency problem, you have just moved it.

Look for:

  • Full ownership of customer data
  • A branded website and app under your restaurant's identity
  • Integration with your POS, or an included POS
  • A loyalty programme built in
  • Transparent payment processing fees
  • UK or Ireland support

Flipdish is built specifically for restaurants making this transition. It provides a branded direct ordering website, a branded mobile app, loyalty tools, and a POS system that connects online and counter orders into one kitchen queue.

Step 2: Build Your Direct Channel

Start with the basics: a branded ordering website that works well on mobile, with accurate menu information and a straightforward checkout. This is the minimum viable direct channel.

A branded mobile app takes it further. Customers with your app on their phone order more frequently than customers who need to find your website each time. The app is a persistent presence on their phone — and a direct notification channel when you have a promotion.

FlipDish provides both the ordering website and the branded mobile app, set up under your restaurant's identity.

Step 3: Launch a Loyalty Programme

A loyalty programme is the most effective mechanism for converting marketplace customers to direct customers. Offer points on every direct order. Make the value visible at checkout: "You have earned 50 points, worth £0.50 off your next order."

The economics are straightforward. A 5% loyalty reward costs 5% on direct orders, while saving you 10–30% in marketplace commission on every converted order. The net position is strongly positive, and the loyalty programme drives repeat behaviour that compounds over time.

FlipDish includes a built-in loyalty programme connected across all ordering channels — so points accumulate whether a customer orders in store, online, or through the app.

Step 4: Actively Migrate Customers

Do not wait for Foodhub customers to find your direct channel by chance. Tell them directly:

  • Add a note to every order delivery bag: "Order direct at [website] for loyalty points and exclusive offers"
  • Include a printed card with your direct ordering URL or QR code in packaging
  • Post on your social media channels explaining why ordering direct supports the restaurant
  • Train counter staff to mention the app or website to every customer who comes in

You cannot contact Foodhub customers directly through the Foodhub platform — that data belongs to Foodhub. But you can reach customers through packaging, social media, and in-store contact, then retain them through loyalty once they have switched.

Step 5: Connect Your Operations

Direct ordering only improves your operation if it connects to your kitchen properly. If direct orders arrive on a separate tablet while your POS handles counter orders, you have added complexity rather than reduced it.

FlipDish's online ordering connects to the Flipdish POS natively. Orders from the website, app, and counter all arrive on the same kitchen display in sequence. During peak service, your kitchen sees one queue — not multiple parallel streams from different devices.

What to Do With Foodhub During the Transition

You do not need to leave Foodhub the day your direct channel goes live. Most operators run both channels during a transition period — typically three to six months — while actively shifting customer habits.

One practical approach: treat Foodhub as a new customer acquisition channel and your direct channel as the retention channel. When a customer orders through Foodhub, include packaging that invites them to your direct channel next time. Over time, the proportion of direct orders grows and the Foodhub proportion shrinks.

Once your direct channel volume is sufficient, you can reassess whether the remaining Foodhub volume justifies the platform cost.

The Revenue Case

A takeaway doing £8,000 per month through Foodhub at a blended effective rate of 15% pays around £1,200 per month to the platform — £14,400 per year.

Shifting half of that volume to a direct channel at zero commission saves £600 per month (£7,200 per year), minus the cost of the direct ordering platform. Most direct ordering platforms cost between £150 and £500 per month depending on features. The net saving is meaningful, and it grows as direct volume increases.

Common Questions About Leaving Foodhub

Will I lose customers if I leave Foodhub? Some customers who find you on Foodhub may not follow you to a direct channel, particularly if they discovered you through the marketplace. But customers who already have a relationship with your restaurant — who know your name, your food, your quality — are very likely to follow if you give them a reason.

Is it complicated to set up a direct channel? With the right platform, no. A provider like Flipdish handles the website, app, loyalty, and POS setup for you. The process takes a few weeks rather than months.

What if Foodhub brings in new customers? Marketplaces do have customer acquisition value — they introduce your restaurant to people who have never heard of you. The goal is not to abandon that, but to convert those new customers to direct customers over time.

Why Flipdish Is the Right Platform for This Transition

Flipdish was built for exactly this challenge. It gives restaurants a direct ordering website, branded app, loyalty tools, POS integration, and AI marketing that turns Foodhub-dependent revenue into owned revenue.

The platform is used by fish and chip shops, pizza takeaways, kebab houses, curry restaurants and all types of takeaway across the UK and Ireland. It was designed for this use case — not adapted from a generic e-commerce platform.

For a detailed look at how Flipdish online ordering works, or to see the pricing, visit the Flipdish website or book a demo.