How Much Does a Restaurant App Cost? And When It Pays for Itself Instead of Platform Commissions
The short answer: a web ordering system for a restaurant starts at a monthly fee of CZK 4,900. A complete solution with an iOS and Android mobile app from CZK 29,990 per month. At an agency you'd pay CZK 150,000 to 800,000 one-off for the same thing — and that's before operations and maintenance.
The longer answer is more interesting, because for restaurants the price of an app isn't counted only in development crowns. It's counted mainly in the commissions you hand over to delivery platforms every month. And those can be brutal.
What Wolt and Foodora really cost you
Delivery platforms typically charge a commission of around 25–30% of every order. Add marketing fees for visibility in the app, plus the fact that the customer who ordered your food isn't your customer — they're the platform's customer. You don't have their contact details, you can't send them an offer, and next time they may well order from the competitor two rows below you.
A model example. A restaurant selling CZK 150,000 a month through platforms:
| Item | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue via platforms | CZK 150,000 | CZK 1,800,000 |
| 30% commission | −CZK 45,000 | −CZK 540,000 |
| Own ordering system (subscription) | −CZK 4,900 | −CZK 58,800 |
Half a million a year in commissions. Even if you only manage to pull a third of your orders into your own channel, you save over CZK 150,000 a year — and your own system pays for itself several times over.
What a restaurant app can do
We're not just talking delivery. A modern restaurant system covers four areas:
- QR menu and table ordering — the guest scans a code, browses the menu with photos and orders without waiting for staff. Your people carry food, not paper slips.
- Online ordering with pickup and delivery — your own channel with no commissions, card payment upfront, precise pickup times.
- Table reservations — calendar, confirmations, reminders, deposits for larger groups. The end of no-show evenings.
- Loyalty program and push notifications — the lunch menu sent at 10:45 straight into your regulars' pockets. No platform will do that for you.
Plus the admin: real-time menu edits (ingredient runs out → the item disappears), revenue overview, POS system integration.
Price bands: from a QR menu to your own mobile app
| Scope | Monthly fee | One-off | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| QR menu + web ordering | from CZK 4,900 | from CZK 49,000 | 1–2 months |
| + reservations, payments, loyalty | from CZK 9,900 | from CZK 119,000 | 2–3 months |
| + iOS/Android mobile app | from CZK 29,990 | from CZK 299,000 | 3–4 months |
The monthly subscription includes development, hosting, operations, support and ongoing changes — like a seasonal menu or a new location. You'll find the detailed breakdown in the price list.
If you're wondering what makes up the price of development in general, we broke it down in How much does a mobile app cost.
2-year TCO: commissions vs. your own system
Total cost of ownership is simple maths for restaurants. Take the restaurant from the example above (CZK 150,000 monthly delivery revenue) and assume it gradually moves half of its orders to its own channel:
| Scenario | Costs over 24 months |
|---|---|
| Everything via platforms (30% commission) | CZK 1,080,000 |
| Half of orders via own channel + CZK 9,900 subscription | 540,000 + 237,600 = CZK 777,600 |
| Savings | approx. CZK 300,000 |
And that's without counting the value of the customer database — contacts, order history and the ability to run targeted marketing are an asset that grows every month.
What increases the price
- POS system integration (Dotykačka, Storyous and others) — orders drop straight into the kitchen.
- Multiple locations with their own menus and opening hours.
- Your own delivery logistics — courier tracking, route optimization.
- More complex loyalty mechanics — tiers, coupons, happy hours.
What keeps the price down is a clear brief and starting with a single module. The most common sensible path: start with the QR menu and ordering, add loyalty and the mobile app after a few months.
Is it worth leaving the platforms entirely?
Honestly: usually not right away. Platforms work as marketing — they bring in new customers who don't know your restaurant. The sensible strategy is a mix: let new guests arrive via Wolt, but systematically move repeat orders into your own app (a discount on the first direct order, loyalty points, a card at the counter). You then pay commissions for acquisition, not for loyal customers — and that's a huge difference in the economics.
How to find out the price for your restaurant
Every operation is different — a pizzeria with delivery deals with different things than a bistro with a lunch rush. We described the whole solution in detail on the restaurant apps page.
You'll get an indicative price for your specific operation in two minutes in our configurator. And if you want to go through the payback calculation with someone who builds these systems, book a consultation — we'll calculate your break-even against commissions using your real numbers.
