If ever there was time to add a delivery service to your restaurant, it’s now. The market is flooded with a number of contenders, so where to start? Let’s take a look at two of the top players in the restaurant industry and see how they compare: DoorDash for restaurants and Sixdots for restaurants.

DoorDash for restaurants

In January of 2020, DoorDash for restaurants was the largest food delivery service, making up a third of all sales. Signing up for the service is straightforward: a restaurant just needs to provide some basic information and upload their menu. Restaurants pay roughly 30% in commission per order. In the example of a $30 order, after commission and service and delivery fees, the price is almost $36 with Doordash getting $15.

Little control over customer relationship management

Although DoorDash offers the ability to advertise on their app (for a price), that branding is all through DoorDash with little direct interaction between customers and restaurants. Restaurants essentially become one in a long list of providers for the DoorDash service. Some restaurants were even added to DoorDash without their even knowing it, further reducing the control a restaurant has on its brand on the site.

Pricing Controversy with DoorDash for restaurants

DoorDash for restaurants also created some controversy by forcing restaurants to charge the same price for walk-in and delivery orders. Since a delivery order gives between 13.5 and 40 percent to the delivery app and 3 to 9 percent to the restaurant, this means restaurants are losing profits on those deliveries. 

Sixdots for restaurants

New to the field and at the forefront of restaurant industry trends is Sixdots, an all-in-one digital menu, order and payment platform for bars and restaurants. On the front end, Sixdots incorporates online ordering and contactless payment processing. On the back end, menu maker software, cocktail recipe repository, customer insights, and integrates with several popular POS systems.

Facilitates customer relationship management

More than just a basic restaurant delivery system, Sixdots also automates tableside communication between guests and staff without requiring the customer to download an app. With Sixdots, patrons have the choice to check out digitally using Google Pay, Apple Pay or credit card, or with staff using credit card or cash. Having this flexibility is great if your establishment has a wide range of guests with different payment preferences.

LTOs and Virtual Experiences

What really sets Sixdots apart is that it allows bars and restaurants to offer their guests data-driven limited time offers (LTOs), exclusive digital content and virtual experiences beyond checkout. Whereas Doordash provides restaurants very limited control of their brand on the platform, Sixdots strengthens the relationships that restaurants and bars can build with their guests. The fact that Sixdots is more than just online ordering and is looking toward the future of restaurant technology is a big plus. 

How to get started

Joining is easy. It just requires emailing the company and having them walk you through the process. But what makes Sixdots especially great for restaurants is the price: bars and restaurants get to keep 100% of the revenue from online orders. Sixdots is free-to-use when partnering with one of their suppliers on LTO programming, as these partnerships offset the cost of Sixdots technology. This gives Sixdots a huge step up in the delivery marketplace. Should a bar or restaurant choose to opt-out of the LTO program with suppliers, the costs are covered by a flat monthly subscription.

The final verdict

DoorDash for restaurants may have a huge market share currently, but with the rate online delivery is growing, they probably won’t hold that for long. The big strike against DoorDash – and the big plus with Sixdots – is the cost: DoorDash takes a huge cut from restaurants and Sixdots doesn’t. Sixdots has stacked up well against other competitors in the field as well. There’s been a lot of controversy about the fees being forced on restaurants trying to survive COVID. Fortunately, Sixdots is sympathetic to this and is helping restaurants adapt to the new normal. 

FAQs

Do restaurants pay for DoorDash? 

Yes. DoorDash for restaurants costs roughly 30% to the restaurant for each order.

Is DoorDash good for restaurants? 

Not always. Although DoorDash is well-known with customers, they charge hefty fees and commissions, control all interaction between customers and restaurants, and have not always acted in restaurants’ best interest (for example, adding restaurants to their service without informing them).

What percentage does DoorDash take from restaurants? 

Usually DoorDash for restaurants takes 20% of an order. This doesn’t include any additional costs for advertising or improving their search results.

How do restaurants get on Doordash? 

Sign up for the DoorDash pass on their website, fill out some basic information, and then upload your menu.

What is Sixdots? 

Sixdots is an all-in-one bar and restaurant platform that facilitates online ordering, menus, and integration with POS systems among other things.

Is Sixdots good for restaurants? 

Sixdots has a price that’s hard to beat: free transactions and restaurants get 100% of order revenues.

How do restaurants get on Sixdots? 

Simply email them at hello@sixdotsapp.com or check out the website.