Glovo, Bolt Food and Tazz are eating your margin: when your own delivery is worth it

Every order that comes in through Glovo, Bolt Food or Tazz carries a commission that gets taken out of your bill, not theirs. At the end of the month, that percentage added up across hundreds of orders can be the difference between a good month and one where you worked for nothing. It is natural to wonder whether you would be better off delivering yourself, or at least taking the orders directly.

The right answer is not "yes" or "no" — it is a calculation. It depends on your average order value, how dense the orders are in your area, and what a self-run delivery actually costs you. In this article I will show you exactly which numbers to put on paper, and in which situations your own delivery genuinely raises your margin rather than just your headache.

The commission isn't the only cost — what you actually pay

When you look at the contract, you see a percentage of the order value. But the real cost is bigger than that. On top of the base commission, you can end up paying:

• the card-processing fee, if it is charged separately;
• the cost of the discounts and campaigns the platform "encourages" you to run to stay visible;
• pricier packaging required for transport;
• money spent to appear higher in the listing.

And there is a cost that shows up on no invoice: the customer belongs to the platform, not to you. You don't have their number, you can't send them an offer, you can't bring them back directly. You are essentially paying rent on every customer, forever. That is the part that hurts most in the long run, even when this month's commission feels bearable.

The number that matters: contribution margin, not the menu price

Don't look at what the dish costs on the menu. Look at what is left after you subtract everything tied directly to that order.

Take a simple example, with your own numbers to slot in. A bill of 100 lei. The aggregator's commission takes a solid slice. Ingredient cost takes another part. Packaging takes a bit more. What remains is your real contribution margin — the money you pay rent, staff, utilities and, finally, profit out of.

Run this on your average order, not your priciest item. Once you see how thin the slice left after commission really is, you immediately understand why an alternative is worth analysing. Without this number, any conversation about your own delivery is just guessing.

When your own delivery is truly worth it (and when it isn't)

The key is a simple difference: the commission is a percentage — it grows with the order value. Your own delivery is roughly a fixed cost per drop — the courier costs about the same whether the order is 60 or 160 lei.

So your own delivery becomes worthwhile when:

• your average order is high (the percentage commission hurts more);
• your area is dense and orders are frequent (the courier makes more drops per hour);
• you already have someone who can deliver, or you are close to your customers.

Stick with the aggregator when orders are rare and scattered — then your own courier sits idle and costs more than the commission. The rule of thumb: compare the cost of one self-run delivery with your average commission per order. If your own delivery is cheaper, you have a real reason to test it.

The hybrid model: the aggregator brings the customer, you keep them

You don't have to choose all or nothing. The healthiest model for most places is hybrid.

Let the aggregator do what it does well: it gets you discovered by new people who have never heard of you. Accept that on those first orders you pay commission — that is the cost of acquisition. But in parallel, you build your own channel through which the happy customer comes back directly: they order from your site or on WhatsApp, pick it up themselves or you deliver it.

The point is not to pay commission forever on a customer you have already won. A flyer in the bag, a fridge magnet with your number, a small discount on the direct order — all of it nudges the loyal customer toward the channel where the margin stays with you. The aggregator remains the discovery engine, not the only road to you.

What you need to take orders directly

The good news: you don't need an expensive, complicated app to escape total dependence. For most places, this is enough:

• a simple, fast website with an up-to-date menu and clear buttons;
• ordering by WhatsApp or phone, where you talk to the customer directly;
• your own delivery zone or a pickup option, where the commission is zero.

You don't need online payments, complicated carts and integrations from day one. Start with what is simple to use — both for the customer and for you in the kitchen at rush hour.

That is exactly our approach at MPO Web Studio: we build you a free demo first, so you see precisely how your site with menu and ordering would look before you pay anything. We work remotely, nationwide, with transparent pricing. If you want to put your own numbers on the table, message us on WhatsApp and we'll run the math together.