Every order that moves from Just Eat to your own website turns pounds of commission into pennies of card fees. But customers do not switch because it is better for you — they switch because it is better for them, and because you made it effortless. Here is the playbook that works, in the order that works.
Step 1: Have somewhere better to send them
Before any marketing, your own ordering site needs to beat the app experience: your full menu with photos, accurate prep times, saved reorders, and — crucially — better prices. You control your menu pricing on both channels, and your customers are paying £3 to £7 in fees per aggregator order. Simply not charging those fees makes ordering direct visibly cheaper without touching your margins.
Step 2: The bag stuffer — your highest-ROI marketing
Every Just Eat order you hand over is a marketing opportunity you have already paid for. Put a flyer in every bag: a QR code to your ordering site and a first-order offer worth switching for — 15% off, or a free side. A meaningful first-order discount still costs less than the commission on that same order, and you only pay it once per customer rather than every week forever.
Step 3: Make the shop itself say it
- Window sticker with a QR code: "Order direct and skip the service fees"
- Counter card at the till where collection customers wait
- A line on every receipt with your ordering web address
- Staff mention it at handover: "Next time, order from our own site — it is cheaper"
Step 4: Use the list you are building
Direct orders build something Just Eat never gives you: a customer database you own. Use it gently and consistently — an SMS when you have a new deal, a push notification on Friday afternoon before the rush, a re-order nudge to customers you have not seen in three weeks. Automated marketing tools can handle the timing for you, and because messages only go to people who already chose to order direct, the conversion rates embarrass any paid advertising.
Step 5: Measure one number
Track the split of direct orders versus aggregator orders each week. Do not expect drama — expect a steady creep. Shops that run this playbook consistently typically see meaningful share move within a few months, and every percentage point that moves is margin you keep permanently. Just Eat stays on for discovery; your site quietly becomes where your regulars live.
MyFoodFast gives you the free, commission-free ordering site this playbook needs — live in minutes, with the customer list, promotions and automated marketing built in. Start free today and put the first flyer in tonight.
