Does ChowNow really charge 0% commission on direct orders?

Yes. ChowNow operates on a flat monthly subscription model — restaurants pay a predictable subscription fee plus standard payment processing (2.95% + $0.29 per transaction), and every direct order placed through the restaurant's website, branded mobile app, or restaurant-controlled discovery channels carries 0% commission. There are no per-order fees, no commission tiers, no sponsored-listing taxes, and no commission rate increases mid-contract.

How is ChowNow different from DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub?

ChowNow is direct ordering software the restaurant uses to take its own orders, while DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub are third-party marketplaces that aggregate diners across many restaurants. The structural difference: with ChowNow, the restaurant owns the diner relationship, the contact data, the brand experience, and the full order revenue. With third-party marketplaces, the marketplace owns the relationship and the data, and takes 15–30% commission on every order. Most independents run both — third-party for one-time discovery, ChowNow for repeat customers and primary revenue.

Will I lose customers if I stop using DoorDash or Uber Eats?

You don't have to stop using third-party apps to add direct ordering — most ChowNow restaurants run both side by side. Third-party apps stay valuable as a discovery channel for diners who'd never find your restaurant otherwise. ChowNow gives you a place to convert those diners once they've ordered once: a commission-free direct channel where your repeat customers can order without filtering through a marketplace algorithm.

How does ChowNow help me get more direct orders?

Two ways: by giving you a direct ordering channel in the first place, and by giving you the marketing tools to drive customers to it. ChowNow includes automated email and SMS marketing tied to ordering behavior, a built-in Rewards program, a branded mobile app, and order aggregation that consolidates direct orders alongside DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub in one dashboard. Restaurants typically use in-bag QR codes, order direct discount offers, and email capture at every direct order to gradually shift their volume mix away from third-party.

How much can a restaurant save by switching from third-party to ChowNow?

The savings depend on the volume shifted and the commission tier the restaurant was on. On a $40 order at DoorDash's Plus tier (25% commission), shifting from third-party to ChowNow direct ordering recovers roughly $9 per order in margin. Emporium Thai, one ChowNow restaurant in Los Angeles, has saved $68,000 in commissions since making the shift. Savings scale with volume — the more orders that move to the direct channel, the larger the margin recovery.

Can I use ChowNow without leaving my current POS system?

Yes. ChowNow integrates with 20+ POS systems, including Toast, Square, Clover, SkyTab, Revel, Lightspeed, Oracle MICROS, Lavu, and more. There's no need to switch POS — ChowNow connects to what you already use, so orders flow directly to your existing kitchen workflow. A dedicated onboarding expert handles the POS connection and menu configuration as part of setup.