If you run a restaurant in Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, or anywhere else in Arizona, you have probably wondered about taking orders directly from your customers. Delivery marketplaces are convenient, but a commission on every order can eat into what you take home. Commission-free online ordering gives you another door into your restaurant, one that belongs to you.
What "commission-free" means
With a marketplace app, the platform keeps a percentage of each order it sends you. With commission-free online ordering, no percentage goes to a middleman. Orders come through your own ordering page, under your name and brand. Card processing is a separate matter, so ask any provider to explain exactly what they charge before you sign up for anything.
Those percentages add up over a busy week, which is why many owners want a direct channel of their own.
Start with pickup
The simplest way to begin is pickup. The customer picks their items on your ordering page, pays online, and comes to collect the order. There are no drivers to coordinate, so fewer things can go wrong. If you already have your own drivers, delivery can be added as an option. If you don't, you don't need it.
What a good setup includes
You do not need to be technical. Aim for these five things:
- A clear, current menu. Names, descriptions, and prices that match what you actually serve, in English and Spanish if your guests use both.
- Good photos. People order with their eyes. Clean, well-lit photos of your real dishes help, and simple phone photos taken near a window are a solid start. AI tools can tidy up a photo, but they should improve the picture, never misrepresent the food.
- Your own brand. Your logo, your colors, your menu, so customers feel they are ordering from you.
- A way for orders to reach the kitchen. A tablet or ticket printer at the pass keeps orders organized.
- Matching details everywhere. Hours, address, and ordering link should be the same on your website, social media, and Google.
Tell people it exists
An ordering page does nothing if nobody knows about it. Put the link where your customers already look:
- Google Business Profile. Add your ordering link, correct your hours, and upload your best photos.
- Facebook and Instagram. Pin a post about ordering directly and point your specials to the link.
- QR codes. Put one on your counter, bags, and receipts so guests can order directly next time.
- Your counter. A digital menu TV keeps your menu and prices easy to read, and it can be updated when things change.
- Your team. When someone picks up an order, mention it: "Next time, you can order straight from our page."
Keep the menu accurate
Online ordering works best when the menu matches reality. When a price changes, an item sells out, or your hours shift for a holiday, update the online menu so customers see the truth. Few things frustrate a guest more than ordering something that is no longer available. Decide who on your team owns menu updates, or work with a partner who handles those small changes for you.
A simple first-month plan
- Week 1: Clean up your menu and gather photos of your top sellers.
- Week 2: Set up your ordering page and test orders from start to finish, including the kitchen side.
- Week 3: Add the ordering link to Google and social media.
- Week 4: Add counter QR codes, tell your regulars, and note which items people order most.
Where Exnar Digital fits in
Exnar Digital is a local partner for Arizona restaurants. We help with commission-free online ordering for pickup under your own brand, websites, digital menu TVs for the counter, food photos, and social media content, in English and Spanish. You tell us about your restaurant and goals, and we recommend only what you need.
Ready to talk it through?
Get a call back, or see our online ordering plans. Se habla español.