Build Your Own Ordering App: Own the Customer

A 30% commission isn’t just a cost line. It’s a marketing tax that compounds every time you try to grow.

That’s the uncomfortable lesson behind Tasty African Food’s decision to build its own delivery and ordering app after years on third‑party platforms. It’s a food story on the surface, but it’s really a startup marketing UK story: who owns the customer experience, who owns the data, and who gets to turn repeat buyers into a brand community.

If you run a UK startup (food, retail, services, subscription—doesn’t matter), the same tension shows up everywhere: marketplaces and aggregators offer fast demand, but they also sit between you and the customer. This post breaks down what Tasty African Food did, why it worked, and how to decide—without romanticising “building your own platform”—whether you should follow.

Third‑party platforms aren’t neutral—they shape your brand

Answer first: If a platform controls discovery, ordering, fulfilment cues, and support flows, it controls how your brand is experienced—especially when things go wrong.

Tasty African Food started nearly two decades ago serving authentic West African meals locally, long before the UK’s delivery app ecosystem became the default. Like many growing food businesses, they joined major delivery platforms for visibility and convenience. The platforms delivered traffic. But they also introduced a problem most companies underestimate:

When the platform owns the journey, you’re still the one blamed for the outcome.

Late delivery? Missing items? A store shown as “closed” due to an app error? Customers don’t separate “your restaurant” from “the delivery app UX.” They experience one brand: yours.

The hidden marketing cost: you lose your narrative

Marketing isn’t only ads and social content. It’s every moment where a customer forms a belief about you. On third‑party platforms:

• Your menu gets compressed into a template
• Your story gets reduced to a logo and star rating
• Your differentiation gets buried under “sponsored listings”
• Your customer support becomes a ticketing workflow you don’t control

For startups trying to build brand awareness in the UK, this is brutal. You can’t out-message a bad experience you can’t fix.

Commission isn’t just commission

The article notes commissions can be 30% or more. In practice, that’s often the difference between sustainable unit economics and an endless scramble.

But from a growth lens, here’s the bigger issue: if you pay 30% per order, you’re often buying the same customer repeatedly because you can’t remarket to them directly.

The real asset is customer data (and the right to use it)

Answer first: The biggest reason to build your own ordering channel is not margin—it’s the ability to create repeat purchase loops using your own customer insights.

Tasty African Food’s founder described a common frustration: third‑party platforms share limited customer insights. You can’t easily see who your repeat customers are, what they love, or how often they order.

In 2026, that limitation is even more painful because customer acquisition is rarely getting cheaper. With cookies restricted, paid social costs volatile, and SEO taking time, first‑party data is what keeps customer acquisition costs from spiralling.

What “owning the customer relationship” actually means

It’s not a slogan. It’s a set of practical capabilities:

1. You can contact customers again (with consent) via email, SMS, push notifications
2. You can segment intelligently (e.g., “jollof loyalists” vs “new customers”)
3. You can test offers without waiting for a platform promo slot
4. You can resolve issues in your tone, with your remedies, on your timeline
5. You can build loyalty that isn’t a marketplace points scheme

Tasty African Food used its own app to introduce features like click-and-collect, pre-ordering, and loyalty rewards—all on their own terms.

That’s not just product. That’s marketing.

Case study: why Tasty African Food built its own app

Answer first: They built an app because the platforms delivered demand but undermined long-term growth by removing control over pricing, menu presentation, and customer insight.

The founder’s reasoning is refreshingly clear:

• The platforms brought traffic, but took high fees
• They limited control over menu visibility and brand presentation
• Operational errors on the platform became the restaurant’s reputation problem
• They withheld meaningful customer data

So they made the call many founders avoid because it sounds “too hard”: they invested in their own app, partnered with a small tech team, and shipped a branded ordering experience that matched the customer journey they wanted.

The marketing insight most startups miss

A direct channel is a growth engine only if you actively use it. The app itself isn’t the win. The win is what the app lets you do repeatedly:

• Reward regulars automatically
• Run targeted offers (not blanket discounts)
• Learn which dishes drive repeat orders
• Create seasonal campaigns (January is ideal for “healthy resets” and “meal planning” bundles)
• Build community around cuisine and culture, not just transactions

Tasty African Food also has scale proof: the business grew from one Woolwich site into 27 restaurants, with 250+ staff and £7m revenue, plus ready meals in Sainsbury’s and a catering arm. That context matters because it shows a direct channel can support operational complexity, not just a single-location takeaway.

Should your UK startup build its own delivery/ordering app?

Answer first: Build your own channel when repeat purchase matters, margins are tight, and your differentiation depends on experience—not just availability.

There’s a myth that “owning the channel” means building a massive platform. The reality? It’s simpler than you think: you need a dependable way for customers to order from you directly, and a system to keep them coming back.

A practical decision checklist

If you answer “yes” to at least 4 of these, you should seriously consider a direct channel (app or mobile-first web ordering):

• You have repeat customers (weekly/monthly) and want to increase frequency
• Commission fees materially reduce profitability
• You care about brand experience (packaging, timing promises, substitutions)
• Your menu/service doesn’t fit neatly into platform templates
• You want to run loyalty without paying for platform promotions
• You want customer insight and consented remarketing
• You’re planning multiple locations or expansion

If you answer “no” to most, platforms might still be right—especially in early stages when you’re validating demand.

App vs mobile web ordering: the honest take

Many startups jump to “we need an app.” Often you don’t—at least not first.

• Start with mobile-first web ordering if you want speed, SEO benefits, and lower friction.
• Add an app when you can justify it with retention tools like push notifications, saved favourites, and loyalty wallets.

Tasty African Food chose an app because their regulars wanted speed and simplicity, and because they had the scale and brand pull to make downloads realistic.

How to make a direct channel actually work (marketing playbook)

Answer first: A direct ordering channel wins when you design for conversion, retention, and measurable customer lifetime value—not when you simply replicate Uber Eats.

Here’s what I’ve seen work for UK startups building direct channels.

1) Give customers a reason to switch

If you’re already on platforms, you’re asking customers to change behaviour. Make it worth it.

• “Order direct and get a free side after 3 orders”
• “Direct customers get early access to weekend specials”
• “Click-and-collect is £X cheaper direct”

Don’t lead with “support local.” It helps, but it’s not enough.

2) Treat onboarding like a product launch

You need a launch plan, not a quiet link on Instagram.

• Put direct ordering in every owned surface: packaging inserts, receipts, email footer, QR on counter
• Train staff to mention it at the handoff
• Run a 30-day campaign with 1–2 simple incentives
• Measure direct share of orders weekly (not just installs)

3) Build your retention loops early

Retention is where owning the channel pays back.

• Loyalty tiers that reward frequency (not discounting every order)
• “Favourites” and “Order again” buttons
• Smart timing (e.g., push at 4:30pm on weekdays for dinner planners)
• Win-back sequences for lapsing customers (e.g., no order in 30 days)

4) Use your data like a marketer, not a reporter

The point isn’t dashboards. It’s decisions.

Track:

• Direct channel conversion rate
• Repeat order rate (30/60/90 days)
• Average order value (direct vs platform)
• Most common drop-off step in checkout
• Offer ROI (incremental orders, not just redemptions)

5) Keep platforms—but stop letting them own you

A strong stance: most businesses should de-risk, not “go platform-free.”

Use platforms for discovery and incremental demand. Use your direct channel for:

• regulars
• high-margin bundles
• catering and pre-orders
• loyalty and community

The goal is a healthier mix, not a dramatic breakup.

People also ask: quick answers founders need

Is building your own ordering app expensive?

It can be, but the bigger cost is operational focus. A basic direct ordering setup often costs less than a few months of commission—if you have enough volume.

Will customers actually download another app?

Only if you give them a reason (speed, loyalty, exclusives). If you can’t, start with mobile web ordering.

Does this apply outside food?

Yes. The principle is the same in UK startup marketing: if a marketplace controls the customer journey, you’re renting growth. Direct channels turn growth into an asset.

Own your growth (and your customer experience)

Tasty African Food’s story is a clean case study in brand independence: third‑party apps delivered reach, but the business wanted something more durable—control over customer experience and the relationship itself.

For the Startup Marketing United Kingdom series, this is the through-line: growth is healthier when you can measure it, repeat it, and improve it without asking permission from an aggregator.

If you’re considering your own ordering channel this quarter, don’t start by asking “Can we build an app?” Start here: What would we do differently if we actually owned the customer? The answer usually reveals whether you’re ready.