Field notes · Direct ordering
The direct-ordering shift: what actually moved the needle
The recurring pattern is not an overnight marketplace exit. It is a deliberate shift of repeat demand toward a channel the restaurant controls.
Read →Thread · Ongoing
Delivery commissions
The full cost of marketplace delivery: published tiers, promotions, delivery services, repeat demand, and contract terms.
Editor's field notes, drawn from three years of conversations with independent restaurant operators. As the verified community grows, these notes will incorporate direct member signal — with consent, always anonymized.
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Latest field notes
Field notes · Delivery
Commission-free ordering: the options operators actually choose
The recurring direct-ordering models, the costs hidden behind "zero commission," and the operating fit that determines what survives.
Read →Field notes · Margins
The ChowNow math: what independent operators keep discovering
Break-even math, setup friction, customer-relationship tradeoffs, and the direct-order patterns that persist after launch.
Read →Field notes · Delivery
Order-error charges: the marketplace deduction operators dispute too late
DoorDash and Uber Eats can deduct 25% to 100% of an order for a customer-reported error — and the dispute window closes in as few as ten days. Evidence habits determined who got the money back.
Read →Field notes · Delivery
Virtual brands and the cannibalization no one measures
A second delivery-only brand out of the same kitchen can multiply orders — or quietly divert them from the higher-margin brand next to it. Few operators ever measure which happened.
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Editor-curated at launch
Open questions in this thread
These prompts organize the next round of field notes. They do not represent live member activity or consensus. Members: any of them is a fine place to start a discussion.
What is the effective rate after promotions, sponsored placement, refunds, and delivery services?
How should genuine marketplace discovery be separated from repeat demand?
Which contract clauses change the economics after the headline rate?
When does self-delivery or flat-rate dispatch improve the contribution margin?
How should menu-price differences be modeled without obscuring channel performance?
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