On This Page
- How to Use This Guide
- What Running a Restaurant or Bar Online Actually Costs Right Now
- Getting Found Before a Guest Ever Opens an App
- Owning the Order Once a Guest Finds You
- Turning a First Order Into a Regular
- Operational Realities Worth Planning For
- Where AUANI Fits for a Restaurant or Bar Specifically
- Every Fee Comparison in This Guide
- Frequently Asked Questions
Restaurant & Bar is the single largest category of vendor on AUANI, and almost every one of them shows up with some version of the same three problems: a growing share of every online order goes to a third-party platform's commission instead of the register, guests who search on Google can't reliably find the actual menu or hours, and a first-time delivery app order rarely turns into a second one anywhere the restaurant controls. This guide is the survey version of all three problems, with links out to the deeper breakdown on each piece.
How to Use This Guide
- Check the fee comparison for whatever a restaurant is using today, or the master table if more than one applies.
- See where AUANI actually fits for a Restaurant & Bar specifically, tier by tier.
- Apply for the Free tier, at $0 a month, to see real numbers before committing to anything.
What Running a Restaurant or Bar Online Actually Costs Right Now
Third-party marketplace commissions run 15 to 30% depending on the platform and tier, and managed direct-ordering platforms built to get a restaurant off those apps carry their own fees, whether that is a guest-paid order support fee, a flat monthly rate, or a setup fee charged before the first order ever comes through. None of these numbers are secret, they are just spread across eight different pricing pages, which is exactly the problem the comparisons below solve.
- AUANI vs. Owner.com: what "commission-free" really includes once the guest-side fee is counted.
- AUANI vs. ChowNow: the setup fee and processing costs sitting underneath the advertised monthly price.
- AUANI vs. Sauce: why one of the largest delivery consolidators publishes no price at all.
- AUANI vs. Menufy: a flat managed fee with no free tier, compared honestly against one that has one.
- AUANI vs. UpMenu: transparent pricing until the a-la-carte add-ons get counted.
- AUANI vs. DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub: the real commission math behind each marketplace, tier by tier.
Every one of those has its own full breakdown, and the master fee comparison table puts all eight platforms plus AUANI side by side in one table.
Getting Found Before a Guest Ever Opens an App
A restaurant that only exists inside a delivery app is invisible to the much larger number of people searching Google or Maps directly for something to eat nearby. AUANI's Monthly tier includes a Google visibility suite built for this specifically: live ranking data against named nearby competitors, a geogrid map of exactly where a listing ranks block by block, and one-click fixes for the kind of profile gaps that quietly cost a restaurant its ranking.
For the full breakdown on Google Business Profile setup, reviews, and ranking, see the Local SEO & Google visibility guide.
Owning the Order Once a Guest Finds You
Every dollar that moves through a third-party marketplace pays that marketplace's commission first. AUANI's Monthly tier includes a fully hosted website and a direct ordering widget at 0% marketplace fee, so a guest who already knows the restaurant, from a menu board, a receipt, a Google listing, or a repeat visit, can order without AUANI or anyone else taking a cut.
For the full breakdown on hosted websites, the 0% widget, and checkout conversion, see the Restaurant websites & direct ordering guide.
Turning a First Order Into a Regular
A guest who orders once through a marketplace is, by design, the marketplace's guest, not the restaurant's, since the marketplace usually keeps the guest's contact details. AUANI's punch-card loyalty program and exportable guest list are included on every tier, including Free, specifically so a restaurant can recognize and reward a repeat guest without running a discount code that cuts into margin on every order.
Operational Realities Worth Planning For
Beyond fees and visibility, a handful of operational patterns show up repeatedly for Restaurant & Bar vendors specifically: large party orders that can overwhelm a kitchen if not scheduled properly, a happy hour deal that goes unnoticed when buried in the regular menu, and a late-night menu that stays visible right when late-night searches climb.
Where AUANI Fits for a Restaurant or Bar Specifically
There is no setup fee on any tier, and setup can be handled either way: a restaurant can configure its own menu and dashboard directly, or have AUANI's team build and configure the account instead, so nothing here requires learning WordPress first.
| Plan | Price | Marketplace Fee | What's Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo, no setup fee | 10% | Pickup, dine-in, real courier delivery, loyalty, POS sync, exportable guest list, verified-order-only reviews |
| Monthly | $300/mo | 5% (3% at 2+ locations) | Everything in Free, plus a hosted website, a 0% direct ordering widget, the full Google visibility suite, and menu analytics |
| +Locations | +$100/mo per added location | 3% across the whole account at 2+ locations | Same feature set as Monthly, extended per address |
Every Fee Comparison in This Guide
- AUANI vs. Owner.com
- AUANI vs. ChowNow
- AUANI vs. Sauce
- AUANI vs. Menufy
- AUANI vs. UpMenu
- AUANI vs. DoorDash
- AUANI vs. Uber Eats
- AUANI vs. Grubhub
- AUANI vs. Toast
- AUANI vs. Square Online
- AUANI vs. Popmenu
- AUANI vs. BentoBox
- AUANI vs. Olo
- AUANI vs. ezCater
- AUANI vs. Clover
- AUANI vs. Lightspeed Restaurant
- AUANI vs. SpotOn
- AUANI vs. GoTab
- The master fee comparison table (all platforms at once)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this guide only for full-service restaurants?
No. Restaurant & Bar is AUANI's name for one specific vendor category, but the fee comparisons linked throughout apply to any vendor evaluating the same platforms, regardless of format.
Does AUANI require a restaurant to build its own website?
No. A restaurant can configure its menu and dashboard directly, or have AUANI's team set it up instead, the same hands-off option offered by fully managed competitors.
What is the cheapest way to start on AUANI?
The Free tier, at $0 a month with a 10% marketplace fee and no setup fee, covers pickup, dine-in, real courier delivery, loyalty, and POS sync.
When does the Monthly tier start making sense?
Once online sales grow enough that Monthly's lower 5% marketplace fee plus its $300 flat cost beats Free's 10% fee on the same volume, which happens at $6,000 in monthly marketplace sales specifically.
Where do I find the fee comparisons this guide references?
All of them are listed directly above in this guide, and the master fee comparison table puts every platform side by side in one place.
Start with whichever comparison matches what a restaurant is already using: Owner.com, ChowNow, Sauce, Menufy, UpMenu, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Toast, Square Online, Popmenu, Clover, or Lightspeed Restaurant, or see every marketplace and delivery platform at once in the master fee comparison table.