Foodhub Fees and Commission: What Does Foodhub Cost Restaurants?
What Does Foodhub Cost Restaurants?
Foodhub charges restaurants a flat monthly subscription fee rather than per-order commission. The standard pricing is approximately £99–£149 per month depending on your location and package, with no commission taken on orders. This makes Foodhub significantly cheaper than commission-based platforms like Just Eat, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo for restaurants processing reasonable order volumes.
However, while Foodhub's zero-commission model appears attractive, restaurants should understand the complete cost picture including payment processing fees, setup costs, and the trade-offs compared to owning your own online ordering system.
Foodhub Pricing Breakdown
Monthly Subscription Fees
Foodhub operates on a fixed monthly subscription model:
- Standard package: £99–£149 per month
- No per-order commission: Unlike competitors charging 10–35% per order
- Regional variations: Pricing may differ slightly by UK region
Payment Processing Fees
While Foodhub doesn't charge commission, restaurants still pay payment processing fees:
- Card payment fees: Typically 1.5–2.5% per transaction
- Not included in subscription: These are additional to the monthly fee
- Third-party processor: Foodhub uses external payment providers
Setup and Additional Costs
- Setup fee: Usually £0–£50 depending on package
- Tablet: May require purchase if you don't have compatible hardware
- Photography: Menu photography typically not included
- Marketing materials: Additional costs for promotional items
How Foodhub Compares to Commission-Based Platforms
| Platform | Commission Rate | Monthly Fee | Total Cost (100 orders @ £20 average) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foodhub | 0% | £99–£149 | £99–£149 |
| Just Eat | 14% | £0 | £280 |
| Uber Eats | 30% | £0 | £600 |
| Deliveroo | 30% | £0 | £600 |
| Flipdish | 0% | From £99 | £99 + own your platform |
For restaurants processing more than 20–30 orders monthly through delivery platforms, Foodhub's fixed-fee model becomes significantly more economical than commission-based alternatives.
The Hidden Costs of Third-Party Platforms
Customer Data Ownership
With Foodhub and similar marketplaces, you don't own your customer relationships:
- No customer data: You can't build your own database
- No direct marketing: Cannot send promotions to customers
- Platform dependency: Customers belong to Foodhub, not you
- Limited loyalty building: Difficult to create repeat business
Brand Dilution
Marketplace platforms present challenges for brand building:
- Listed alongside competitors: Customers compare you directly with nearby restaurants
- Price competition: Often leads to discounting wars
- Limited customisation: Your brand appears within Foodhub's template
- Shared customer experience: You're associated with Foodhub's service quality
Delivery Control
Unless you provide your own delivery, you're dependent on:
- Third-party couriers: Variable quality and reliability
- Delivery fees: Additional costs passed to customers
- Service issues: Problems with delivery reflect on your restaurant
When Foodhub Makes Sense
Foodhub can be appropriate for specific restaurant situations:
High-Volume Takeaways
If you're processing 100+ delivery orders monthly, the fixed fee model offers clear savings over commission platforms. A restaurant doing 200 orders monthly at £20 average saves approximately £400–£500 compared to Just Eat.
Testing Delivery Demand
For restaurants exploring delivery without major investment, Foodhub's low entry cost (compared to building your own system) provides market testing opportunity.
Supplementary Channel
Some restaurants use Foodhub alongside their own online ordering system to capture additional customers, though this requires careful management to avoid channel conflict.
The Better Alternative: Own Your Online Ordering
Rather than paying ongoing fees to third-party platforms, restaurants increasingly choose to own their ordering infrastructure.
Why Flipdish is the Superior Solution
Flipdish provides complete online ordering ownership at comparable or lower cost than Foodhub:
Pricing Advantage
- Similar monthly cost to Foodhub (from £99)
- Zero commission on orders
- Own your customer data completely
- Integrated payment processing at competitive rates
Complete Platform Ownership
- Branded restaurant website and mobile apps
- Full customer database access
- Direct marketing capabilities through SMS and email
- Build genuine customer loyalty without platform interference
Advanced Technology
- AI phone ordering to capture phone customers
- Self-service kiosks for dine-in efficiency
- Complete restaurant POS system integration
- Marketplace order aggregation if you still want third-party orders
Marketing and Growth Tools
- Automated loyalty programmes
- Customer retention campaigns
- AI-powered marketing automation
- Promotional tools and vouchers
Cost Comparison: 5-Year Ownership
| Solution | Year 1 | Year 5 Total | Customer Data | Brand Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foodhub | £1,188–£1,788 | £5,940–£8,940 | No | Limited |
| Flipdish | £1,188+ | £5,940+ | Yes | Complete |
With Flipdish, you're building an asset. With Foodhub, you're renting access to someone else's customers.
What Restaurant Operators Should Consider
Calculate Your Break-Even Point
Determine monthly order volume where Foodhub becomes cheaper than commission platforms:
- Just Eat (14% commission): Break-even at approximately 20-30 orders monthly
- Uber Eats/Deliveroo (30% commission): Break-even at 10-15 orders monthly
If you're below these volumes, commission platforms may actually cost less.
Factor in Long-Term Value
Consider the 3-5 year cost of platform dependency:
- Customer lifetime value lost: Without customer data, you cannot build repeat business
- Marketing costs: Higher customer acquisition costs without owned channels
- Platform risk: Foodhub can change pricing, terms, or shut down
- Sale value: Owned ordering systems increase restaurant valuation
Evaluate Technical Requirements
Understand what you need operationally:
- Order management: How orders integrate with kitchen operations
- Kitchen display systems: Digital order management
- POS integration: Seamless order flow
- Reporting needs: Sales data and customer insights
Making the Right Decision for Your Restaurant
For most restaurants, the question isn't whether Foodhub is cheaper than commission platforms—it clearly is for moderate-to-high volume operations. The real question is whether renting access to customers makes strategic sense compared to owning your ordering infrastructure.
Choose Foodhub if:
- You need immediate market access with minimal setup
- You're testing delivery viability
- You process high volumes and cannot invest in owned systems yet
Choose Flipdish if:
- You want to build long-term business value
- Customer relationships and data matter to your growth strategy
- You want complete brand control
- You're thinking beyond next quarter to next decade
The restaurants thriving in today's market are those investing in owned technology infrastructure. While Foodhub offers a cheaper alternative to high-commission platforms, Flipdish provides the same cost advantage while giving you complete ownership, customer data, and growth capabilities that third-party marketplaces can never offer.
For detailed comparisons of restaurant technology solutions, visit restauranttech.co.uk to explore comprehensive reviews and pricing information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Foodhub charge commission on orders?
No, Foodhub operates on a fixed monthly subscription model (£99–£149) with zero commission per order, unlike Just Eat, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo which charge 14–30% commission.
What are the total costs with Foodhub?
Beyond the £99–£149 monthly subscription, restaurants pay payment processing fees (typically 1.5–2.5%), potential setup fees, and may need to purchase compatible hardware.
Do I own customer data with Foodhub?
No, Foodhub retains customer data and relationships. Customers order through Foodhub's platform, not your owned channels, limiting your ability to build direct customer relationships and marketing databases.
Can I use Foodhub alongside my own ordering system?
Yes, though this requires managing multiple platforms. A better approach is using Flipdish's marketplace integration which aggregates third-party orders into your owned system while maintaining your direct ordering channels.
How does Flipdish compare to Foodhub?
Flipdish offers similar pricing to Foodhub but with complete platform ownership, full customer data access, branded websites and apps, advanced marketing tools, and integrated POS and payment systems. You build a business asset rather than renting marketplace access.