Commission-free online ordering for restaurants
Take orders on your own branded storefront at 0% commission and no monthly fee. The guest pays a flat 5% at checkout, per our pricing page, so it costs you nothing out of pocket. No contract. Marketing is separate.
Short answer
Ser.vi is commission-free online ordering for restaurants with nothing for the restaurant to pay on online orders: 0% commission, $0 a month and no contract. The guest pays a flat 5% convenience fee at checkout, which covers card processing and the platform. On 600 online orders a month at $40, that is $0 to the restaurant, compared with $6,000–$7,200 in delivery-app commission at 25–30%.
Key facts
- Commission: 0% on online orders. No monthly fee for online ordering.
- Guest fee: a flat 5% convenience fee, shown at checkout and paid by the guest. No per-order add-on.
- Delivery: fees go to the delivery provider, not Ser.vi, from $6.50 plus tip.
- POS orders: staff-entered orders are 3.0% + 20¢, paid by the restaurant by default, or passed to customers with a cash discount program.
- Menu: one menu runs online ordering, the Ser.vi POS and QR ordering.
- Hardware: the POS runs on your existing iPad (iPadOS 15 or later); Ser.vi hardware is optional, offered on terms and charged separately.
- Contract: none for online ordering or POS software. Marketing plans are optional and separate.
Facts checked November 1, 2026 against our pricing page.
What 600 online orders a month cost the restaurant
600 orders at a $40 average is $24,000 a month in online sales. Competitor figures come from each company's pricing page, read November 1, 2026. Taxes, tips and delivery are left out.
| Option | How it's priced | Restaurant pays a month | Guest pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ser.vi | 0% commission, $0 a month | $0 | 5% ($2.00 an order, $1,200 total) |
| Delivery app marketplace | 25–30% commission | $6,000–$7,200 | App service and delivery fees |
| ChowNow Launch | From $229 a month + 2.95% + $0.29 per transaction, plus a $119–$499 setup fee | About $1,111 (before setup) | No guest fee listed |
| Owner.com Flexible | $249 a month + 5% restaurant fee per order | $1,449 | 5% order support fee |
| Owner.com Flat Rate | $499 a month, no restaurant fee | $499 | 5% order support fee |
Sources: ChowNow pricing (Launch shown as $229, next to $249) and Owner.com pricing, which doesn't state card processing terms. ChowNow math: $229 + 2.95% of $24,000 ($708) + $0.29 × 600 ($174). The honest trade-off: Ser.vi and Owner.com put a 5% fee on the guest, while ChowNow keeps the guest's total at the menu price and bills the restaurant instead. Fee models side by side: 14 commission-free online ordering systems compared and who pays the online ordering fee.
What commission-free online ordering means
Commission-free online ordering (also called zero-commission online ordering) means guests order from the restaurant's own branded storefront and the ordering platform takes no percentage of the order. With delivery apps, the restaurant pays a commission of 25–30% on every order. Commission-free systems still have costs, such as card processing, a monthly fee or a per-order fee, so the real question is who pays them. With Ser.vi, the restaurant pays 0% commission and no monthly fee for online ordering. The guest pays a flat 5% at checkout, which covers card processing and the platform. You keep the order total.
Who pays what on a direct online order
| Ser.vi online ordering | Typical delivery app | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission the restaurant pays | 0% | 25–30% |
| Monthly software fee | $0 | Varies by plan |
| Fee the guest pays | Flat 5% at checkout | Service and delivery fees set by the app |
| Delivery fee | Paid to the delivery provider, from $6.50 plus tip | Set by the app |
| Contract | None for online ordering | Varies |
| Customer data | Yours | The app's |
| Menu | Same menu as your POS | Separate from your POS |
Ser.vi vs Delivery Apps
Why restaurants are switching to direct ordering. Read our comparisons: DoorDash alternative, Uber Eats alternative, Grubhub alternative, ChowNow alternative, Toast alternative, GloriaFood alternative, and Owner.com alternative. Wondering about fees? See who pays the online ordering fee.
| Ser.vi | Delivery Apps | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission fee | 0% | 25–30% |
| Who pays the fee | Guest pays 5% at checkout | Restaurant pays commission |
| Customer data ownership | Yours | They own it |
| Branded experience | Fully branded | Their brand, not yours |
| Menu | Same menu as POS | Separate from your POS |
| Mobile app | Optional marketing plan | Their app |
| Monthly fees | None for ordering | Fees + commissions |
| Delivery option | On demand | Yes (costly) |
Everything You Need to Win Online
A complete online ordering system built for restaurant owners, not investors
Your Branded Storefront
Customers order from your own branded ordering page — not a marketplace listing. SEO website and ads are optional marketing, billed separately.
Optional Branded App
A branded iOS and Android app is available with optional marketing plans — it is not part of free online ordering. Marketing is separate.
On-Demand Delivery
Add delivery without driver costs. We connect to delivery networks at no extra monthly fee. Delivery fees are paid to the delivery provider, not Ser.vi, starting at $6.50 plus tip.
Nothing Out of Pocket
Online ordering is free to you at 0% commission. The guest pays 5% at checkout, which covers processing and the platform.
Customer Database
Every order captures customer info with opt-in permission. Build your marketing list automatically.
Real-Time Reporting
See your sales, popular items, and customer trends in real time from any device.
From single location to
multi-location chain
Ser.vi grows with you. Whether you run one restaurant or twenty, the platform handles it all from a single dashboard.
Weekend menus
Automatically switch to your weekend menu on Friday. No manual updates needed.
Multiple locations
Manage all locations from one dashboard with separate menus and reporting.
Pickup lockers
Integrate with order pickup lockers for contactless, efficient order pickup.
Catering orders
Support large catering orders with advance scheduling and bulk pricing. Commission-free catering ordering.
*Based on a restaurant doing about $6,000 a month in direct online orders that would otherwise pay 25–30% delivery-app commission.
Questions restaurants ask
- What are commission-free online ordering systems?
- They're ordering systems a restaurant runs on its own branded storefront, where the platform takes no percentage of each order, unlike delivery apps that charge the restaurant a commission. Costs still exist (card processing, software, delivery), so check who pays them. With Ser.vi, the restaurant pays 0% commission and no monthly fee; the guest pays 5% at checkout. Or compare 14 systems by who pays the fee.
- How much does commission-free online ordering cost?
- With Ser.vi, the restaurant pays $0: 0% commission, no monthly fee and no card fees on online orders. The guest pays a flat 5% convenience fee at checkout, so a $40 order carries a $2.00 fee. Other direct ordering systems charge the restaurant a monthly fee, card processing or both, and delivery apps charge the restaurant 25–30% commission.
- Is Ser.vi online ordering really commission-free?
- Yes. Ser.vi takes 0% commission on your online orders and charges no monthly fee for online ordering. The guest pays 5% at checkout, per our pricing page.
- Who pays the 5%?
- The guest pays it at checkout. It is a flat 5% with no per-order add-on, it is shown at checkout before the guest pays, and it covers card processing and the platform, so online ordering costs the restaurant nothing out of pocket.
- Who pays for delivery?
- Delivery fees go to the delivery provider, not Ser.vi. They start at $6.50 plus tip. Ser.vi takes no commission on delivery orders.
- What do orders taken on the POS cost?
- Staff-entered POS orders are 3.0% + 20¢ per transaction, paid by the restaurant by default. You can pass it to customers with a cash discount program. The 5% guest fee applies to online orders.
- Is there a contract?
- No. Online ordering and POS software have no contract. The POS runs on your existing iPad (iPadOS 15 or later); Ser.vi hardware is optional.
- Does it work with my POS menu?
- Ser.vi online ordering uses the same menu as the Ser.vi POS, so you update items and prices once.
- Do I need new hardware?
- Online ordering runs on your compatible tablet and printers. The Ser.vi POS runs on your existing iPad (iPadOS 15 or later), or on optional Ser.vi hardware offered on terms and charged separately. It doesn't run on phones.
- Is a branded app included?
- A branded iOS and Android app comes with the optional Grow & Retain marketing plan and above. It isn't part of free online ordering. Marketing is separate.
- Can I take catering orders?
- Yes. Ser.vi supports large catering orders with advance scheduling and bulk pricing.
- How is this different from DoorDash, Uber Eats or Grubhub's own direct ordering?
- Those direct products are commission-free too, but the restaurant pays card processing or a per-order fee, and they are tied to each company's marketplace. On Ser.vi the restaurant pays $0 on online orders and the guest pays 5%, and the same menu runs your POS and QR ordering. Details: DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub.
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