Zay-OS vs DoorDash
DoorDash rents you the customer at roughly a 30% toll. Zay-OS is a restaurant operating system and commission-free direct online ordering platform that lets you keep DoorDash, pull every order into one tablet, and win repeat diners back to a site you actually own.
DoorDash vs Zay-OS, line by line
| DoorDash | Zay-OS | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission / fees | ~30% per order (28–32%) | ~3% card processing on direct · diner pays $2.99/order |
| Who owns the customer | DoorDash owns the diner + data | You own the customer, list, and order history |
| Direct ordering site | No (Storefront still routes through them) | Branded commission-free direct-ordering site |
| Marketplace ingestion | DoorDash only | Uber Eats + DoorDash + Grubhub into one tablet (Otter) |
| Customer CRM | None for the operator | Full CRM: LTV, last visit, phone, email, favorites |
| Sales-tax set-aside | Not handled | DAVO sets tax aside daily, all 50 states |
| Kitchen tablet | DoorDash tablet (one channel) | One KDS tablet for direct + all marketplaces |
| Setup | Self-serve sign-up | We build it for you, no setup fee |
| Monthly cost | Free to list · commission on every order | $499–$699/mo flat per location |
| Best for | Discovery / new-customer reach | Owning repeat customers + escaping commission |
Updated May 30, 2026. DoorDash commission reflects published merchant rates (28–32% depending on plan + delivery radius). You can run DoorDash and Zay-OS together.
The core difference: a marketplace vs a restaurant operating system
DoorDash is a marketplace. It is very good at one job: putting your restaurant in front of new diners who are browsing the app. The price of that reach is roughly a 30% commission on every order, plus the fact that the customer belongs to DoorDash. You never get the phone number, the email, or the chance to bring them back without paying the toll again.
Zay-OS is a restaurant operating system with a built-in direct online ordering platform. Instead of renting customers, you own them. Every order through your branded direct-ordering site attaches a real customer record (lifetime value, last visit, favorite plate, phone, email) and costs about 3% card processing instead of 30% commission. The $2.99 per-order fee is paid by the diner at checkout, so you keep 100% of food revenue.
The smart play is both. Keep DoorDash for discovery, let Zay-OS ingest those orders into one kitchen tablet alongside Uber Eats and Grubhub, then use QR receipts, SMS, and direct-only specials to move repeat diners to your own online ordering platform. Built for independent restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and across South Florida. See the full Zay-OS overview for how the direct-sales engine works.
$48k to $300k+ saved per location/year
Savings come from moving ~25% of marketplace orders to commission-free direct ordering (cutting ~30% commission to ~3% processing).
DoorDash vs Zay-OS: frequently asked
Is Zay-OS cheaper than DoorDash?
For repeat customers, dramatically. DoorDash takes roughly 30% (28–32%) of every order. Zay-OS direct ordering cuts that to about 3% card processing, and the $2.99 per-order fee is paid by the diner at checkout, so the operator keeps 100% of food revenue and pays no commission. Zay-OS is a flat $499–$699 per month per location. An independent restaurant typically saves $48,000 to $300,000+ per location per year versus running everything on marketplace commissions.
Can I keep DoorDash and use Zay-OS?
Yes. Zay-OS is not a rip-and-replace. You keep DoorDash for discovery and new-customer reach, and Zay-OS ingests your DoorDash orders (plus Uber Eats and Grubhub) via Otter into one kitchen tablet. At the same time, Zay-OS gives you a commission-free direct-ordering site so you can win repeat customers back to direct. Most operators move about 25% of marketplace orders to direct within 90 days.
How does Zay-OS reduce DoorDash commission?
It does not lower DoorDash's rate. It shrinks how many of your orders pay that rate. Zay-OS steers diners to your own direct-ordering site with QR codes on every receipt, SMS and email blasts to your CRM list, one-tap reorder, and direct-only specials. Every order that moves from DoorDash to direct goes from ~30% commission to ~3% processing. Direct customers also reorder 1.7 times more often.
Does Zay-OS replace my POS?
No. Zay-OS sits above the POS and integrates it. Toast, Lightspeed, Square for Restaurants, and Clover push orders through Zay-OS via Otter. Zay-OS owns the customer relationship, the direct-ordering site, marketplace ingestion, sales-tax set-aside, and dispatch. Your POS keeps doing what it does best.
What is Zay-OS?
Zay-OS is a restaurant operating system and direct online ordering platform built by Zay Revenue Group in Fort Lauderdale, FL. It combines a branded commission-free ordering site, a kitchen tablet (KDS), marketplace ingestion of Uber Eats / DoorDash / Grubhub via Otter, a customer CRM, DAVO sales-tax set-aside, an AI shift briefing, and a 14-provider never-fail dispatch cascade. Customer #1 is Naya Grill.
How much can a restaurant save switching orders off DoorDash?
Independent restaurants save $48,000 to $300,000+ per location per year. A busy single location doing about 3,000 orders per month saves around $48,000 per year; a mid-volume independent at 6,000 orders per month saves about $120,000; a high-volume or multi-brand ghost kitchen at 12,000 orders per month saves $300,000+. The savings come from cutting ~30% commission to ~3% processing on the orders that move to direct.
Is Zay-OS a good DoorDash alternative for South Florida restaurants?
Yes. Zay-OS is built for independent restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton, and across South Florida, and Zay Revenue Group builds it for you locally. Naya Grill in Fort Lauderdale is customer #1. You keep DoorDash for discovery, ingest those orders into one Otter tablet, and win repeat South Florida diners back to a commission-free direct site, cutting ~30% commission to ~3% processing and saving $48,000 to $300,000+ per location per year.
Comparing other channels? See Zay-OS vs Uber Eats or Zay-OS vs Toast Online Ordering.