Technology

How restaurants can take back control from 3rd-party platforms

Photo: adobe

March 3, 2026

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In a post-COVID world, tech giants, aggregators, and delivery platforms have significantly expanded their influence in the competition for restaurant customers. While platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and ezCater promise reach, convenience, and new revenue streams, they have gained the upper hand in managing discovery, transactions, loyalty, and customer data — all while charging significant commissions during an already challenging macroeconomic climate.

Today, many restaurants have limited direct relationships with their customers and thus struggle to build the loyalty and insights that could help them thrive. The data, the relationship, and the frequency all increasingly sit with the middlemen. Meanwhile, operators are paying some of the highest commissions in retail, and the platforms are using that customer data to market competing brands more efficiently than restaurants can market themselves.

Most restaurant brands do not have the resources or expertise to fight back.

Take control of your customer before you lose them

Third-party marketplaces aren't just order aggregators anymore. They're customer owners.
They're better at acquiring your customer, personalizing their journey, and bringing them back. And every time that happens, you lose:

• Control over the guest relationship
• The ability to remarket or build loyalty
• Visibility into behavior and purchasing patterns
• Pricing power and margin economics

The platforms know your customer better than you do and that creates long-term dependency that is hard to unwind.

But the shift back to first-party is already happening. Restaurants that reinvest in customer discovery, build stronger first-party ordering channels, and apply personalization are reclaiming orders previously lost to marketplaces. And the AI wave presents a critical opportunity - and risk - as customer behavior and expectations adapt.

Your best customers should be your customers. And that requires using the same level of intelligence and personalization the middlemen are using - just on your own site.

Better conversion and bigger basket sizes are the new margin strategy

A higher average order value isn't just a win. It's a fundamental profit strategy. Every operator knows the economics:

• A lift in AOV can turn a thin-margin transaction into a profitable one.
• Larger catering and off-peak orders raise contribution margins dramatically.
• First-party orders cost less, convert higher, and drive repeat visits more reliably.

Across brands we work with, we consistently see larger basket sizes when the guest is guided toward relevant choices instead of a static menu. Personalized add-ons, intelligent bundles, and smart recommendations increase conversion without adding any labor or operational strain.
This is the revenue lever that doesn't rely on discounts, marketing spends, or additional staff. It simply requires understanding guest behavior and responding to it in real time. Better technology can also build loyalty by delighting the customer - simplifying and improving the experience and introducing them to new menu items.

The AI Era is here

We are living through a once-in-a-generation shift in how consumers find, interact with, and transact with restaurant brands. AI is already influencing:

• Search and discovery
• Menu navigation
• Recommendation engines
• Loyalty
• Customer lifetime value
• Catering demand
• Brand differentiation

The question is no longer whether AI will impact your business - it's who controls the AI that interacts with your customer.

Right now, third-party platforms have the advantage. They have the data, the budget, and the technical depth to personalize at scale. But restaurants can be just as intelligent, just as personalized, and just as effective in shaping guest behavior if they adopt the tools and analytics that reclaim visibility into the customer journey.

AI shouldn't be something happening to restaurants. It should be a competitive advantage they own.