Foodhub vs Flipdish: Which Is Better for Takeaways?
Foodhub and Flipdish are different types of platform
Foodhub is a food ordering marketplace. Customers browse restaurants on the Foodhub platform and place orders there. Foodhub charges the restaurant a commission per order.
Flipdish is a direct ordering platform. It lets takeaways and restaurants take orders through their own website, app, and kiosk — without a marketplace in the middle.
The distinction matters because it determines who owns the customer, who earns the margin, and who controls the brand.
What Foodhub offers takeaways
Foodhub launched in the UK as a lower-cost alternative to Just Eat and Deliveroo. Its main selling point is lower commission rates. Restaurants on Foodhub appear in a customer-facing app and website. When a customer orders, they pay through Foodhub and the restaurant receives the order.
The model is a marketplace — you are one option among many in a list.
Benefits for takeaways on Foodhub:
- Access to customers who already use the Foodhub app
- Lower commission than Just Eat or Deliveroo
- No need to build your own website or app
Drawbacks:
- You do not own the customer relationship — Foodhub does
- Your restaurant competes with others in the same list
- Your brand appears within Foodhub’s interface, not your own
- You have no access to customer email addresses or order history for remarketing
- Foodhub can change its fees, policies or algorithm at any time
What Flipdish offers takeaways
Flipdish gives takeaways their own ordering channel. That means a website with ordering, a branded mobile app on iOS and Android, and a self-service kiosk if needed — all under your brand, not a marketplace’s.
When a customer orders through your Flipdish-powered app, they are ordering from you. You own the relationship. You can see their order history, run loyalty campaigns, and market to them directly.
Flipdish online ordering integrates directly with a kitchen display or POS system so orders flow to the kitchen the same way a counter order would.
Benefits for takeaways on Flipdish:
- No per-order commission — flat monthly fee
- You own the customer data and the relationship
- Branded website and app in your own name
- Loyalty and marketing tools built in
- Direct kitchen integration with Flipdish POS
- Access to AI-powered marketing automation
Drawbacks:
- You need to bring customers to your ordering channel — there is no built-in discovery audience
- Setup requires some initial effort and a short onboarding process
Head-to-head comparison
| Feature | Foodhub | Flipdish |
|---|---|---|
| Platform type | Marketplace | Direct ordering platform |
| Commission | Yes, per order | No — flat monthly fee |
| Customer data ownership | Foodhub | You |
| Brand experience | Listed on Foodhub | Your own brand |
| Branded mobile app | No | Yes — iOS and Android |
| Loyalty programme | No | Yes |
| Marketing tools | Limited | AI-powered |
| Kitchen / POS integration | Limited | Full integration |
| Discovery | Built-in marketplace audience | You drive your own traffic |
| Multi-location management | Basic | Yes |
The commission question
Foodhub’s commission is lower than Just Eat’s, but it is still a per-order fee on every transaction you process through the platform.
On a takeaway processing £15,000 per month in orders, even a 6% commission means £900 per month going to the platform — £10,800 per year.
With Flipdish, you pay a flat monthly fee regardless of order volume. At higher volumes, the economics of direct ordering become increasingly compelling.
The more important calculation is what happens at year two and year three. Customers who order through your Flipdish app can receive loyalty points, promotions, and personalised campaigns. A customer retained across multiple orders is worth far more than a customer acquired once through a marketplace.
Who should use Foodhub
Foodhub makes most sense for takeaways that:
- Are in areas where Foodhub has meaningful customer adoption
- Want marketplace discovery without the steep commissions of Just Eat or Deliveroo
- Are not yet ready to invest in their own ordering infrastructure
For these operators, Foodhub can generate orders at a reasonable cost of acquisition while the business finds its footing.
Who should use Flipdish
Flipdish is designed for takeaways and restaurants that want to build a business they control. It makes the most sense for operators who:
- Have an existing customer base they want to retain and grow
- Want to move away from per-order commissions
- Are interested in building a loyalty programme that belongs to them
- Want consistent, branded customer experiences
- Operate in the UK or Ireland and want a platform with proven local expertise
Flipdish works for single-site takeaways and multi-location restaurant groups alike.
Can you use both?
Some takeaways stay listed on Foodhub for discovery while building their Flipdish-powered direct channel at the same time. Over time, the goal is to shift more orders to the direct channel and reduce reliance on the marketplace.
This is a practical transition. The key is not letting the marketplace become a permanent dependency. As your direct order volume grows, your reliance on Foodhub’s algorithm and fee structure shrinks.
The verdict
For takeaways focused on building a sustainable, customer-owned business, Flipdish is the better platform. You keep more margin, own the customer, and build something that compounds over time as your direct audience grows.
Foodhub suits takeaways that want marketplace visibility at lower cost than the major platforms. But it does not solve the core problem: you are renting access to customers rather than owning relationships with them.
If you are running a takeaway in the UK or Ireland and want to reduce your marketplace dependency, Flipdish direct ordering is the obvious next step.
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