Zay-OS vs Grubhub
Grubhub 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 Grubhub, pull every order into one tablet, and win repeat diners back to a site you actually own.
Grubhub vs Zay-OS, line by line
| Grubhub | Zay-OS | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission / fees | ~30% per order (commission + fees) | ~3% card processing on direct · diner pays $2.99/order |
| Who owns the customer | Grubhub owns the diner + data | You own the customer, list, and order history |
| Direct ordering site | No (orders route through Grubhub) | Branded commission-free direct-ordering site |
| Marketplace ingestion | Grubhub 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 | Grubhub 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. Grubhub commission reflects published merchant rates (commission plus fees). Zay-OS ingests Grubhub; you can run both together.
The core difference: a marketplace vs a restaurant operating system
Grubhub is a marketplace and a discovery engine. It puts your restaurant in front of diners browsing the app, which is genuinely valuable for reaching new customers. The price of that reach is roughly a 30% commission on every order, and the customer belongs to Grubhub: 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 built around direct online ordering. Every order placed on your branded direct-ordering site costs about 3% card processing instead of ~30% commission, and it attaches a real customer record you keep forever (lifetime value, last visit, favorite plate, phone, email). The $2.99 per-order fee is paid by the diner, so you keep 100% of food revenue.
You do not have to choose. Keep Grubhub for discovery, let Zay-OS pull those orders into one kitchen tablet next to Uber Eats and DoorDash, and 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).
Grubhub vs Zay-OS: frequently asked
Is Zay-OS cheaper than Grubhub?
For repeat customers, by a wide margin. Grubhub takes roughly 30% of every order in commission and fees. 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. Independent restaurants typically save $48,000 to $300,000+ per location per year versus running everything on marketplace commissions.
Can I keep Grubhub and use Zay-OS?
Yes. Keep Grubhub for discovery and new-customer reach. Zay-OS ingests your Grubhub orders (plus Uber Eats and DoorDash) via Otter into one kitchen tablet, then gives you a commission-free direct-ordering site to win repeat diners back. Operators typically shift about 25% of marketplace orders to direct within 90 days, a +18% direct-order share.
How does Zay-OS reduce my Grubhub commission?
It does not change Grubhub's rate. It reduces how many of your orders pay it. Zay-OS drives diners to your own direct-ordering site with QR codes on every receipt, SMS and email to your CRM list, one-tap reorder, and direct-only specials. Each order that moves from Grubhub to direct drops from ~30% commission to ~3% processing, and direct customers 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, tax set-aside, and dispatch, while your POS keeps running the front of house.
Is Zay-OS a good Grubhub 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 Grubhub for discovery, ingest it into one Otter tablet alongside Uber Eats and DoorDash, and win repeat South Florida diners back to a commission-free direct site, saving $48,000 to $300,000+ per location per year.
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.
Comparing other channels? See Zay-OS vs DoorDash or Zay-OS vs Uber Eats.