Food ordering portals in the UK are entering a very precarious time. We are on the precipice of major change. A good change most will agree, as it is a shift in power leaning towards our local takeaways and restaurants. The time of high commissioners, those platforms who are taking around 30% commission per order every time you order from your nearby takeaway is coming to an end.

It’s time to leave the marketplace high commissioners

Not only is a shift for “shop local” booming on the grocery scene, but food ordering platforms are also seeing this change. Fast food franchises are fighting to stay relevant and offer up healthy and meat-free options to attract consumers. They have now joined food ordering portals and offer up delivery wherein this was never the case. They know people would rather support someone local, someone they know, than a faceless organisation.

Is the 30% commission to food delivery platforms worth it?

When the big leagues joined the portals, the commission ramped up. The portals were now taking 30% commission on top of other fees, based on marketing and search engine optimisation. The losers in all of this were our local favourites. Smaller takeaways and restaurants who had a new and very prominent, unwanted partner involved in their livelihoods. A partner who not only was taking a huge chunk of their online orders but throwing in transaction fees and marketing fees. This was crippling the local market. The restaurants and takeaways began to realise that they were being forced to lose out on the quality of food and service to pay the high commissioners. A new pattern emerged, and the local businesses are seeing a shift away from these high commissioners.

Stop paying ridiculous commissions to marketplace high commissioners

This paved the way for an ally to fill the gap in the market. A gap for online food ordering portals that offer No commission. Mealzo is one of the market leaders. In principle, offering no commission means that our local favourites can have a partner that actively goes against high commissioners and provides all that they offer and more. This is a collaborative and beneficial partnership that boosts the local economy. Post-pandemic, Mealzo became more sensitive towards helping the local community and wiser in how they navigate the market. By offering prices that are the same as the in-store menu compared to other providers who hike prices up to 23% higher on their portal, Mealzo continues to pave the way in the market. The “shop local” motto is becoming increasingly relevant in today’s society and businesses that promote this can prosper. Many business owners have now freed themselves from the clutches of marketplace high commissioners. They are enjoying new services from Mealzo such as their branded app and website, their down to earth Scotland based marketing teams and account managers. Most of all, the owners are enjoying annual savings that they thought they would never see again.