Starting a delivery service is one of the most effective ways for a restaurant to grow revenue beyond its dining room. The main decisions are whether to run your own delivery or use third-party drivers, how customers will order, and how to price delivery so it stays profitable. With online ordering, a clear delivery zone, and a simple logistics setup, most restaurants can launch delivery quickly and build it into a reliable revenue stream.
If your restaurant already handles collection and dine-in, adding delivery is a natural next step, and often a highly profitable one. It extends your reach beyond the people who can physically visit, opening up a whole new set of customers within a short drive of your kitchen.
The way restaurants deliver has changed a lot in recent years. You no longer need to build everything from scratch or rely on paper flyers to get the word out. The technology to take orders, manage deliveries, and reach customers is readily available. Here is how to start a delivery service at your restaurant, step by step.
Decide on your delivery model
The first and most important decision is how the food will actually get to the customer. There are three main options, and many restaurants use a combination.
Your own delivery. You employ your own drivers and handle deliveries in-house. This gives you full control over the customer experience, timing, and cost per delivery, and you keep the entire order value. The trade-off is that you take on the logistics, insurance, and staffing yourself.
Third-party delivery drivers. You take the order through your own channels but use a delivery network to fulfil the drop-off. This removes the need to employ drivers while still letting you own the customer relationship and order.
Marketplace delivery. Platforms like Uber Eats or Deliveroo handle both discovery and delivery, but charge high commissions of up to 30% per order and keep the customer relationship. This is useful for reach but expensive to rely on. For more on this trade-off, see our guide to third-party delivery services for restaurants.
Many restaurants start with their own delivery for nearby orders and use third-party drivers or marketplaces to extend their range.
Set up online ordering
However you deliver, you need a simple, reliable way for customers to place orders. A dedicated online ordering system on your own website and a branded mobile app let customers order directly from you, without paying commission to a marketplace on every order.
Ordering directly through your own channels also means you own the customer data, so you can bring those customers back with offers and loyalty rewards rather than paying to reach them again. Orders should flow straight into your kitchen and POS system so your team can manage delivery orders alongside collection and dine-in without manual re-entry.
Define your delivery zone
Your delivery area needs to balance reach against reliability. Deliver too far and food arrives cold and late, which damages your reputation. Stay too close and you limit your revenue.
Start with a realistic radius that your kitchen and drivers can serve while keeping food quality high, typically the area you can reach within a short drive. You can always expand once you have the process running smoothly. A good online ordering system lets you set delivery zones and adjust them as you learn what works.
Start small and test
You do not need to launch delivery across every hour and every dish on day one. Starting small lets you work out the logistics without overwhelming your kitchen.
Begin by offering delivery only during your busiest, most predictable periods, such as lunch and dinner service. In the early days, you or a member of your existing team might handle deliveries personally, which gives you a first-hand feel for timing, packaging, and the customer experience before you commit to hiring dedicated drivers. Once you understand the demand and the operation, you can scale up your hours, your range, and your team.
Get your packaging right
For a delivery order, the packaging is the customer’s physical experience of your restaurant, so it matters more than many operators expect. Food needs to arrive at the right temperature, intact, and looking as close as possible to how it would be served in-house.
Invest in packaging suited to your menu, insulated where needed, secure, and sturdy enough for transport. Consider which dishes travel well and which do not, and adjust your delivery menu accordingly. Sustainable, recyclable packaging is also increasingly expected by customers and is a point of difference worth considering.
Price delivery to stay profitable
Delivery adds cost, whether through drivers, fuel, packaging, or third-party fees, so it needs to be priced carefully to remain worthwhile. Work out your true cost per delivery before you set your prices.
You can cover the cost through a delivery fee, a minimum order value, slightly adjusted menu pricing for delivery, or a combination of these. Setting a minimum order value is particularly effective, as it protects your margin and encourages larger orders. Whatever you choose, make sure the numbers work on a typical order rather than only on large ones.
Promote your new delivery service
Once you are ready, let people know. Your existing customers are the easiest place to start, as they already know and like your food.
Announce delivery across your social media channels, promote it to your existing customer database through email, SMS, and push notifications, and make it prominent on your website and app. A first-order discount is a simple, effective way to encourage people to try delivery for the first time. From there, consistent quality and timing will build the repeat orders that make delivery a reliable revenue stream.
Frequently asked questions
Restaurants start by choosing a delivery model (their own drivers, third-party drivers, or a marketplace), setting up online ordering so customers can place orders directly, defining a realistic delivery zone, and pricing delivery to cover its costs. Many begin with a small setup during peak hours and scale up as demand grows.
Both have advantages. Your own delivery gives you full control and keeps the entire order value, but you take on the logistics and staffing. Third-party services and marketplaces remove that burden but charge fees, and marketplaces keep the customer relationship. Many restaurants use a combination, handling nearby orders themselves and using third parties to extend their reach.
Costs depend on your model. Using your own drivers involves wages, insurance, and vehicle costs, while third-party drivers and marketplaces charge per-order fees. The shared cost across all models is online ordering software and packaging. Starting small keeps upfront costs low while you test demand.
At a minimum, you need an online ordering system so customers can place orders, ideally on your own website and app, and a way to route those orders into your kitchen and POS. Many restaurants also use delivery management tools to assign and track deliveries, and marketing tools to promote the service and drive repeat orders.
Work out your true cost per delivery, including drivers or third-party fees, fuel, and packaging, then cover it through a delivery fee, a minimum order value, adjusted delivery menu pricing, or a combination. A minimum order value is particularly effective because it protects your margin and encourages larger orders.
