Direct Online Ordering vs Just Eat: An Irish Restaurant Guide

Every Irish food business running online orders eventually hits the same question: is Just Eat worth it? The honest answer is: yes, and also no, depending on what you are trying to do.

Here is a clear-eyed breakdown.

What Just Eat Actually Gives You

Just Eat has real reach in Ireland. Millions of users, aggressive marketing, and instant visibility in a city like Dublin or Cork without needing to build your own audience.

What you give up:

• 25–33% of every order in commission
• Zero access to customer data — you cannot email, retarget, or even see who ordered from you
• Algorithm dependency — your visibility is at their discretion
• No brand building — customers remember Just Eat, not necessarily you

What Direct Ordering Actually Gives You

A direct online ordering system at 5% commission means:

• On €20,000/month in orders you keep €19,000 instead of €14,000
• You know who your customers are
• You can run your own promotions without platform approval
• Your URL, your branding, your customer relationship

What you give up: the built-in audience. You drive your own traffic.

The Commission Maths for Ireland

ChannelCommissionKept on €20,000/month

|---|---|---|

Just Eat30%€14,000 Deliveroo30%€14,000 VOID (direct)5%€19,000

That is €5,000/month — €60,000/year — retained by switching even half your volume to direct.

The Strategy That Actually Works

The Irish food businesses winning on margin are not choosing one or the other. They use both — deliberately.

Phase 1: Use Just Eat to build volume and cash flow. Accept commission as customer acquisition spend.

Phase 2: Set up a direct channel. Start promoting it to existing customers — people who already trust you.

Phase 3: Shift repeat customers direct with a small incentive. A free side, 10% off, a loyalty stamp — whatever fits your brand.

Phase 4: Let Just Eat handle new customer discovery. Direct ordering handles the profitable repeat business.

Who Should Prioritise Direct First

• Businesses with an existing social following
• Venues in smaller Irish cities and towns where word-of-mouth travels fast
• Businesses with a strong brand or niche product
• Anyone who has been on Just Eat for 12+ months and has a loyal customer base

The Bottom Line

Just Eat is a distribution channel, not a business. The food businesses with the healthiest margins in Ireland own their customer relationships. Direct ordering is not a replacement for Just Eat — it is the destination.