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 $0.99/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 | $399–$599/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 per-order fee ($0.99 pickup, $0.99 delivery) 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 a small per-order fee ($0.99 pickup, $0.99 delivery) is paid by the diner at checkout, so the operator keeps 100% of food revenue and pays no commission. Zay-OS is a flat $399–$599 per month per location. Independent restaurants typically save $48,000 to $300,000+ per location per year at 3,000 to 12,000 orders a month 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 (Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach) 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 at 3,000 to 12,000 orders a month.
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.