As a restaurant owner, I've been down the road of third-party delivery apps and marketing platforms. I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Two platforms that have been on my radar lately are Owner.com and Grubhub. Having experienced both, I’ve found each has its own unique competitive advantages. In weighing their pros and cons, I found the platform that was right for my restaurant, and decided to share the takeaways from my experience to help other small business owners navigate the options.
If you’re a stickler for brand recognition… Grubhub
Grubhub is no newcomer to the online food delivery space, having been founded way back in 2004. They’ve had a lot of time to build brand awareness and pioneer a platform that changed our industry forever. There’s certainly value in being associated with a platform that most people have heard of, although being a large network, I’ve found it to be quite crowded.
Owner is relatively newer, having been founded in 2018, but as a younger company, I’ve found many advantages. Without trying to reinvent the wheel, Owner takes on the mission of connecting diners with the food they love, and makes it better. By extending a premium service to restaurant owners such as myself, in addition to our customers, I’ve actually found that the secret sauce to a successful business does not necessarily lie in the platform’s widespread popularity.
If you want to get on the radar of new customers… Tie between Grubhub and Owner
Both Grubhub and Owner did a great job of getting my restaurant in front of new customers, although their approach in doing so was different. With Grubhub, users could discover my restaurant from their app and scroll through our menu with ease right from the main feed. I was able to pair photos with select dishes, which really captivated the appetites of newcomers that might not have already been familiar with our offerings.
Owner is more concentrated on search, so as my customers find themselves Googling restaurants, mine shows up at the top, with a strong first impression. From there they’re able to engage with our menu and reviews, and enjoy a seamless ordering experience.
While the method may differ, both options served my restaurant well in venturing out to attract new foodies. I found the presentation of my restaurant’s core details and offerings were a little more comprehensive with Owner, but ultimately, both extend great options for visibility here.
If you’re eager to increase your profit margins… Owner
When I got started with Grubhub, I couldn’t deny that restaurant orders were up and we’d hit a new level of business volume. The problem, I noticed shortly thereafter, is that despite being busier than ever, our bottom line revenue was no better off. Commissions to the tune of 25-35% were eating away at our profits month over month, and they kept creeping higher when we’d source new promotional opportunities to stay advantageous in Grubhub’s feed.
When I discovered Owner, I was shocked to learn that there were no exorbitant commissions - just a flat monthly subscription fee of $499/month - all in. This comes out to a fraction of what we were spending in commissions with Grubhub, and even better, our business volume has been better than ever.
If you’re seeking tools for branding and customization… Owner
GrubHub offers basic marketing tools, but Owner takes it to another level with its ability to provide restaurant partners with a low-cost alternative that includes a custom branded mobile app. Combined with features like email and text marketing, loyalty programs, data collection and insights, and smart upselling, Owner ensures that I get repeat business. I’ve been able to incorporate my logo and color palette into the website and mobile app. The result? Our restaurant gained a beautiful, user-friendly site that gets compliments all the time. Our sales nearly doubled, debunking the myth that customers wouldn't download our app.
The platform I ultimately decided to stick with… Owner
When it came down to finding the bottom line best option for my business, Owner was the hands-down favorite. Their all-in-one restaurant marketing platform has offered invaluable tools for my business, extended superior support, and put our profit margins in a much stronger position. From one restaurant owner to another, if securing your business’ future is what you need, this decision should be a no-brainer.
