How to Replace Foodhub With Direct Online Ordering
Why restaurants are moving away from Foodhub
Foodhub is a UK and Ireland takeaway marketplace that charges a flat monthly subscription rather than per-order commission — a model that made it attractive when it launched. But many restaurant operators are now looking at direct online ordering as a better long-term option, and for good reasons.
The common issues restaurants report:
- Order volumes often fall short of expectations. Foodhub has far fewer active customers than Just Eat or Uber Eats in most UK and Ireland postcodes. The lower customer base limits the ceiling on order volume.
- You do not own your customers. Foodhub does not share customer email addresses or contact details with restaurants. The people ordering from you through Foodhub are Foodhub's customers.
- No meaningful marketing capability. Because you lack customer contact data, you cannot run targeted campaigns to people who have already ordered from you. Reordering depends on the customer returning to the Foodhub app unprompted.
- Brand visibility is constrained. Your restaurant appears in a marketplace alongside every competitor in your area. Price, cuisine type and rating are the primary differentiators.
- Platform risk. Foodhub can change its subscription pricing, its algorithm or its policies at any point. Your revenue is exposed to those decisions.
Direct online ordering removes all of these constraints. When a customer orders through your own website or app, they are your customer. You own the data, the relationship and the ability to market to them.
What you give up when you leave Foodhub
Before making the move, it is worth being honest about the trade-off. Foodhub is sending orders to your restaurant. Leaving it without replacing those orders is simply a revenue reduction.
The migration process typically takes a few months to reach equivalent volume. The timeline depends on:
- How large your current Foodhub order base is
- How actively you communicate the switch to customers
- How much you invest in driving customers to your direct ordering channel
For most restaurants, this is a transition rather than an overnight switch. Running both channels in parallel during the early period is a sensible approach.
What you need to replace Foodhub
To build a direct ordering channel capable of replacing Foodhub volume, you need:
- A branded online ordering website — your own page where customers can place orders directly
- A way to process and manage those orders — integrated with your kitchen or POS
- A mechanism to communicate with customers — email, SMS, push notifications or loyalty
- Visibility — a Google presence and local marketing to attract new customers to your channel
A branded mobile app is also worth considering for operations where regular customers place orders frequently. Apps have higher repeat order rates than websites for established customer bases.
Step 1: Set up your direct ordering website
Flipdish provides restaurants with a fully branded online ordering website and mobile app. Orders come through commission-free and feed directly into the Flipdish POS and kitchen display without any manual step.
The setup process involves:
- Building your menu in the Flipdish platform with descriptions, images, modifiers and pricing
- Configuring delivery zones, minimum order values and service times
- Connecting to your payment provider
- Going live with a branded ordering URL under your own domain
The process can typically be completed within a few days. Your Flipdish ordering website can be live before you cancel your Foodhub subscription, giving you time to migrate customer behaviour ahead of the switch.
Step 2: Make your direct ordering channel visible
Customers will not find your website unless you direct them to it. This is the part that requires the most active effort during the transition.
Practical steps to drive awareness:
Google Business Profile. Update your Google Business Profile with a direct link to your ordering website. Many customers who search for your restaurant by name will land here first. A visible "Order Online" button linked to your own site rather than a marketplace is a straightforward and free conversion tool.
Packaging and receipts. Print your ordering URL on every bag, box, receipt and takeaway container. Include a short message: "Order directly and skip the queue — [yourrestaurant.com]". Every order — including Foodhub orders in the transition period — is a marketing opportunity for your direct channel.
Social media. Post about your new direct ordering website. An incentive for the first order — a discount code or a free item — gives customers a reason to try the new channel. Pin the post and update your profile links.
Staff. Train counter staff and delivery drivers to mention the website. "You can order directly through our website next time and it is quicker" is a simple, effective prompt at the point of handover.
Google Ads. A small budget targeting "[your restaurant name] order online" and "[cuisine] delivery [your area]" can be effective, particularly in the first two or three months when organic visibility is still building.
Step 3: Build your customer base with loyalty
The fundamental advantage of direct ordering over a marketplace is that you own the customer relationship. The most valuable thing you can do with that relationship is convert one-time orderers into regulars.
Flipdish includes customer loyalty tools that let you reward customers for ordering directly. A simple programme — points earned per order, redeemable against future orders — significantly increases repeat order rates. Customers who are enrolled in a loyalty programme are materially less likely to switch to a competitor or back to a marketplace.
Flipdish AI Marketing takes this further, running automated re-engagement campaigns in the background. When a customer has not ordered in 30 or 60 days, the system sends a targeted offer. This type of automated retention marketing runs without manual effort and consistently recovers revenue that would otherwise be lost.
Step 4: Build your Google presence
New customer acquisition through direct ordering depends on being findable. Marketplaces benefit from their own marketing spend to drive customers to their platform. Your direct channel does not have that advantage unless you build it.
Key actions:
- Ensure your Google Business Profile is complete, accurate and updated with your ordering link
- Encourage satisfied customers to leave Google reviews
- Make sure your website is indexed and that the page titles and descriptions reflect the search terms customers use ("[cuisine] delivery [area]", "[restaurant name] order online")
- Consider a basic local SEO effort: a simple, fast website with your menu, location and a clear ordering link performs well in local search
The long-term economics
A restaurant generating £15,000 per month in takeaway orders has very different economics depending on its channel mix:
| Channel | Monthly revenue | Fees | Net revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just Eat (30% commission) | £15,000 | £4,500 | £10,500 |
| Foodhub (flat subscription) | £15,000 | £100–£200/month | £14,800–£14,900 |
| Direct ordering via Flipdish | £15,000 | £0 commission | £15,000 |
Foodhub's flat-fee model already compares favourably to commission-based platforms. But direct ordering delivers the same economics plus customer data ownership, marketing capability and loyalty — the tools that compound value over time.
A restaurant with 2,000 direct order customers and a well-run loyalty programme generates substantially more lifetime value per customer than the same restaurant's Foodhub user base, where the customer relationship resets every time they open the app.
Common mistakes to avoid
Cutting Foodhub too quickly. Unless your Foodhub order volume is low, cancelling before you have established a direct ordering channel will create a revenue gap. Run both channels until direct ordering volume reaches a level you are comfortable with.
Passive migration. Simply having a website is not enough. Active, consistent communication is required during the transition. Customers are creatures of habit; they need a reason and a prompt to change their ordering behaviour.
Not investing in loyalty early. The loyalty programme should be active from day one. Customers acquired through your direct channel without a loyalty hook are more likely to drift back to a marketplace.
Ignoring the Google presence. A direct ordering channel with no Google visibility caps its own potential. Getting the basics right — Google Business Profile, a fast website, some local reviews — is essential.
How Flipdish makes the transition easier
Flipdish was built specifically for restaurants moving away from marketplace dependency. Its online ordering platform provides a professional, fully branded ordering experience. Its loyalty and marketing tools help retain the customers you migrate. And because it integrates with your POS and kitchen operations through the Flipdish POS, it simplifies back-of-house rather than adding complexity.
Restaurants across the UK and Ireland have used Flipdish to reduce their marketplace exposure while growing total order revenue. Explore the Flipdish online ordering platform or see pricing here.