Your Restaurant and Grubdom

The Difference

Let's get the good part declared right away — Grubdom's commission is 15%! This is NOT an introductory rate, nor any short-term rate to lure restaurants in only to switch to a soul-crushing (and profit-stealing) rate of 30-40% or more later on. This rate is for the duration of your restaurant operating on the Grubdom platform. Our platform also shares, with you, all of the data that your specific restaurant generates. This makes us different from the others, as we feel that you are as entitled to this data as much as you are your profits generated on our system.

We pay our Delivery Agents significantly higher base rates than the other platforms as well. We're able to do this without charging you an exorbitant commission or over charging your customers. We operate with the belief that a food ordering and delivery service can still make a profit without cutting deeply into every aspect of the transaction.

Grubdom is also geared towards small and family-owned merchants. At this time we don't have corporate or large-chain restaurants on our platform. This enables the non-chain and smaller restaurant businesses to operate without worrying about competing with the more ubiquitous, high-volume restaurants that the other platforms are inclined to feature more prominently to capitalize on their sales. Oftentimes, the other platforms will make deals with these restaurants for lower commission rates since they have higher sales volume while keeping the rates very high for the smaller merchants.

This is not to say that we won't ever have larger, corporate or chain restaurants on our platform, but we aren't soliciting to them proactively. Grubdom is about restaurant discovery as we aim to have an angle of being a platform where users can find new restaurants to order from—or dine at (since we have table reservation abilities within our platform as well)—that they haven't heard of or don't often come across.

The Familiarities

Other than what was described above, Grubdom is typical in that it is a food ordering and delivery service platform operating on the Web. It's as capable being web based as it is as a mobile app, so that means that diners can easily use our website just as easily as the mobile app to find and order from your restaurant. Customers search for restaurants in their area by zip code, city name, or cuisine/dish, and place the order for delivery or pick up. They pay in advance on the platform, and your earnings are immediately deposited into your merchant account, minus any commission fees (15% for delivery and 7.5% for pickup orders.)

How does my restaurant benefit from being on Grubdom?

Grubdom is more than a food ordering and delivery service; it's also a restaurant discovery platform as well. We blog about and review restaurant experiences, which may introduce you to a crowd that you would otherwise never be exposed to! Our search feature is so finely tuned that people can find the food they want not only by area, but also by cuisine, specific dish, hour of operation and even price range!

I don't see any other restaurants in my area on Grubdom. Can we still join?

Of course! Be the first! Blaze a trail! We will eventually expand into other areas nationwide. Feel free to sign your establishment up right here. When we are ready to begin service in your area, that is—when we have Delivery Agents ready, we'll contact you! In many instances, we already have Delivery Agents signed up and activated already while we wait for restaurants to join the platform.

Do I need to sign a long-term contract to use Grubdom?

No, there are no committments. You can join at any time and you can quit at any time as well. You can also continue to use any other platform you're currently using for online ordering and delivery. If you're interested in working out exclusive deals with us in exchange for lower commission rates, we are open to discuss that.

Pricing & Fees

How much does it cost to have my restaurant on Grubdom?

There is no out of pocket or up front cost to join your restaurant to Grubdom. Listing is free when you have online ordering active. There is only a 15% commission on any orders that are placed through our system, and a 7.5% commission for pickup orders or if you don't use our delivery service. In this case, you will service your own delivery needs and/or only join our system with customer pick-up service.

Are there any setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden costs?

There are no hidden fees, no monthly fees (see above) or any other charges for using our platform, other than the commission rates which are 15% for delivery orders and 7.5% for pickup and/or orders where you service the delivery in-house. Grubdom does offer ancillary services and add-ons that can hlep your restaurant have better success on our platform, but they are completely optional.

Do we have to pay for promotions or marketing on the platform?

No. We actively promote and market our platform and the restaurants that are active on it. While some restaurants we will use more than others when we determine that it is in the benefit of the platform, or where we feel it will attract users to the platform as a whole (and benefit the other restaurants symbiotically), we don't charge for this. However, we do run advertising and space-featuring campaigns where merchants can pay to be featured in home page searches for specific areas, or as recommended restaurants, and these campaigns to come at a price.

We offer many ways to get your restaurant, food truck, diner, kitchen, etc., out in front of hungry diners ready to order. We have paid placements, incentivized placements, and other to be featured on highly visible spots on Grubdom, and of course we do a hefty amount of SEO with the major search engines, as well as paid advertisement on social media platforms. We also work with advertising networks, and since we heavily market Grubdom iteself, it ultimately means marketing for your establishment.

It's important to note and understand that Grubdom is in the business of actively and heavily promoting the restaurants and merchnats on our platform, whether it is via a paid campaign or not. The paid campaigns are for advertising on the Grubdom platform, but any marketing done off of our platform is never charged for.

What percentage of each order does Grubdom take as commission?

Grudom operates on a 15% commission fee across the board for delivery orders and 7.5% for pick-up or dine-in orders. "Across the board" simply means that this is the single tier for commission and is all-inclusive. You get access to 100% of your restaurant data—meaning the customers, orders, order-flow and other statistics that help you understand how your restaurant is performing on our platform. This is your data and we don't hinder your access to it. This is another thing that differentiates Grubdom from the other online food ordering and delivery platforms.

Are there any setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden costs?

There are none. Only the commission rates (15% for delivery orders where we service the delivery with Grubdom Delivery Agenets, and 7.5% for any pick-up or dine-in orders). There are no monthly fees, no hidden costs. At times we will offer ancillary services and features that help you perform better on the Grubdom platform, and these sometimes will have a fee to use, but they are never mandatory. Any extra services or new features we roll out will be purely optional.

Orders & Operations

Does Grubdom have customers already?

Yes. We've been in existence since 2018, and launched in Youngstown, Ohio where we were fortunate to have hundreds of customer sign ups— peole eager to use Grubdom and order from their favorite and newly found restaurants. Since then, we've gained customer signups in many different markets around the U.S., with the heaviest being in Minneapolis/Saint Paul; Fargo-Moorhead; Tampa/St. Petersburg; Columbus Ohio; Albany New York; Denver; Seattle; Dallas/Fort Worth, and other places in between.

When we have restaurants joined and onboard the Grubdom Platform in any given market region, we begin to actively promote the platform and attract customers. We often give away vouchers and credits for newly signed up customers to use, so they're ready to place orders right away.

How will I know when an order is placed with my restaurant on Grubdom's site?

There are many ways for you, or someone on your staff to know when an order is placed. The system can be monitored with your restaurant's individual admin panel. You can log in to your admin panel with your desktop, tablet, laptop, or even your smart phone and watch the orders come in. Also, you can set sound-alerts so that your staff can be aware of the order notifications even if they are not directly monitoring the screen. Going further, you can set the system to send you email alerts, which are likely to come to your smart phone. This can be set to alert anyone on your staff of incoming orders and customer inquiries.

Can you provide my restaurant with a tablet to log into Grubdom's Restaurant Admin?

We can provide you with a tablet on a lending basis (no-cost). If your establishment required a supplied tablet to take orders from Grubdom's ordering platform, we will send a technician out to your location and provision the device for your restaurant's admin panel. We also provide free trouble-shooting or technical support in the case of any issues with the tablet.

My restaurant doesn't offer delivery, can Grubdom service delivery orders?

Most definitely! We have a fleet of drivers that will receive pings if they are near your restaurant after your staff has prepared the order. They will then deliver the order to the customer's location. Additionally, customers can make an order and then pick it up themselves if they choose.

How do I receive and manage incoming orders?

Your orders are placed by customers online via our website or mobile app. You will be able to log into your merchant account through the Grubdom platform's merchant panel. The order alerts will come to a device you have in your kitchen or other place in your restaurant where you have your device set. The device can be a tablet (which is the most common scenario), a mobile phone (which can also be set up in your kitchen or anywhere it's convenient for you to hear and/or see the alerts), a computer (laptop, desktop, ect.). This is something that you're likely already familiar with if you're already operating on the other food ordering and delivery platforms.

For an extra layer of vigilance to orders, and as redundancy, you can set the orders to come to an email and/or a mobile number of your choice. This way, you can get alerts when you're not within earshot or eyesight of the main device you have designated to receive orders on. In addition to this, and if you're also a manager or owner who wants to stay on top of the orders coming in, you can also get the notifications via email or mobile even if you have someone else monitoring the orders in your kitchen or place of order taking.

There is a great deal of flexibility in the way you can monitor orders.

What happens if my restaurant gets overwhelmed with orders?

There may come a time when your kitchen and staff becomes overwhelmed with orders or might not be equipped to handle all of the new orders that Grubdom will bring (somewhat of a good problem. right?). You might want to set specific hours for when your restaurant is available for orders to keep things stress-free or more managable to your preferences. No worries there! You can easily turn your menu off for the times when you're getting too many orders, and to ease the load on your kitchen staff. As well, you can set specific times when you want to be available on Grubdom's platform.

For even more control, you can also set specific categories or dishes to automatically turn off after a certain time. The same with individual food items. So if you only serve breakfast until 11 AM, you can set the breakfast category to turn off at 11 AM in the system to prevent orders from coming in from Grubdom after that.

Can I temporarily pause orders if needed?

Yes. You can manually turn off ordering whenever you feel the need to do so. As mentioned above, you can also set your availability on Grubdom to only be for a certain time, or to schedule your storefront to automatically go offline at any time, and come back at a time of your choosing.

How will the order be paid?

Immediately though the Grubdom platform during the ordering process and before the order comes to your kitchen. No order will come to your admin panel without first being paid for. Customers browse your menu after finding your restaurant via search for dish, cuisine, or restaurants in their area, and will place the order on our system - and pay in advance. After this, the order is sent to your admin panel where you can see what it is and then prepare it, and ultimately alert our system that it is ready for pick up. The payment process is the same for delivery, pick up or dine-in orders.

How does the platform handle customer service issues or complaints?

Customers and merchants can contact our Support Platform via the web at Grubdom.com/support, or speak with us in real time with automated customer service (as can you) on our website. We also have human agents available for the situtations where the automated customer service isn't able to handle their issue or concern.

In addition to the highly sophisticated automated support chat which refers to human agents if and when the issue isn't able to be solved in the chat, we also have an email account which is monitored around-the-clock for service related messages.

Menu & Customization

How do I add, update, or change my menu on Grubdom?

Your menu is able to be easily updated in your merchant panel. You can manually do this from your merchant panel, or you can upload a spreadsheet or a csv file that is properly formatted to make bulk changes. Your menu is able to be edited by individual food/dish item, category, flavor and cooking preferences (spicy, medium, mild, etc.), by size and other aspects. If you need any help doing this, we're always available to help you maintain your menu.

Does Grubdom allow for menu item customization (e.g., toppings, spice levels, substitutions)?

Yes. You can set add-ons, or choices to the dishes customers are ordering so they can choose how they want their food. You can set the choices to be limited or unlimted. For instance, if you have a dish that has 6 possible sides, but you only allow customers to choose 2 from the options available, you can set that up easily.

If your restaurant is one that allows customers to customize their own dish, like a burrito bowl, pizza, or something similar where they would choose their toppings, it is possible with your menu in your Grubdom merchant panel.

Your menu is totally under your control.

Can I offer special discounts, promotions, or combo deals through the platform?

Certainly! We also ecnourage this so you can attract more customers and reward your loyal and frequent patrons. This is able to be done in your merchant panel, and of course we're here to help you if you need assistance.

Can I set different pricing for delivery versus in-house menu items?

You can set your prices however you wish and in any way that you feel would work for your business. Your pricing is totally up to you. There may be price floors in some agreement arrangements with us in the case that you opt for a no-commission partnership. In this case, we will set a small markup on your prices in order to make the partnership viable.

Otherwise, your pricing is totally up to you.

I don't have time or staff to enter in our menu. Can Grubdom do it for me?

Yes, we can enter your menu in for you if you find yourself not having the time to do it, or if it's too overwhelming for you.

Delivery & Logistics

Who handles the deliveries—Grubdom or the restaurant?

Delivery of orders made on the Grubdom platform are intended to be delivered by Grubdom Delivery Agents, but it is perfectly fine if your restaurant wishes to handle the delivery in-house. In this case, the commission charge will only be 7.5%, rather than 15%, of the total order. The delivery tracking will also be unavailable to the customer in this case since the in-house delivery by the restaurant will not be using our apps or other technology outside of the order.

How does Grubdom ensure delivery drivers are reliable and professional?

We vet our Delivery Agents very carefully, and all undergo a background check that ensures that none have any history of theft, fraud or violence in any form. While some of our Agents use bicycle and even walking for delivery, we do a motor vehicle operation history examination of those who deliver with a car, motorbike, truck, van, ect. Also, and as we're proud to proclaim, we offer our Delivery Agents the highest rate among any of the food deliver platforms. We also limit our delivery order distance to 5 miles total to enable the Delivery Agents to quickly make a delivery and be available for another trip.

Since the distances are shorter, this also ensures that the food remains as fresh as possible during transit. We aren't like the other platforms which allow some food to be delivered 10 or so miles away from the point of pick up. When a customer receives their order that has only traveled a max distance of 5 miles, they're more likely to find it to be as hot and fresh (or cold if it's something like ice-cream or a smoothie, etc.) as when it was picked up, and thus satisfied.

Another thing to consider is that because our rate of pay for Delivery Agents is already substantially higher than any other food delivery platform, and the distances of delivery are shorter (enabling more frequent availability for more trips, and thus more earnings), this provides a higher incentive for better performance in the job of making food order pickups and deliveries.

Finally, we have rating systems that customers, and even restaurants, can use to express the quality of service and professionalism that is displayed by our Delivery Agents when they arrive to pick up the food from your restaurant, and when they drop off the order to the customer. We work with our Delivery Agents and take great care to understand all of their concerns and job they are doing for both of us—Grubdom, and you as the restaunt.

What is the maximum delivery distance for customers?

Our maximum delivery distance for the Grubdom Delivery Agents is 5 miles. However, if you wish to service deliveries in-house by your own delivery staff, then you can decide how far you are willing to deliver.

How long does delivery typically take?

This depends mainly on your kitchen. Factors include how quickly your restaurant staff accepts the order, how quickly they prepare it and have it ready for pickup by our Delivery Agents, and of course the efficiency of our Agents. We ask that you as a restaurant do not ping the order as being ready for delivery until it is very much near to being complete. As a rule of thumb, this is generally about 5 minutes prior to its cooking completion.

Our Delivery Agents understand a 2-3 minute wait for the order to be properly packaged sometimes, but we do stress that it's important to not mark the order as ready for delivery until it is no more than 5 minutes away from being prepared (as in cooked or made). This ensures that our Delivery Agents, whose time is valuable to them and to us, will have a positive experience with your business and will continue to be willing to service orders from your establishment.

Does Grubdom already have people signed up for delivery work?

We have several people signed up to contract with us as Delivery Agents in many cities around the U.S. We have changed our practice of recruiting and are not signing up any Delivery Agents in areas unless we first have restaurants joined and onboarded to the Grubdom Platform. This way, we won't have people signed up for delivery work where there are no resturants for them to service deliveries for. In the past when we would recruit Delivery Agents, and there were no restaurants, our agents would drop the app and quit the Grubdom platform.

It now makes sense for us to have restaurants on board first, and then recruit and activate Delivery Agents since they are always eager to sign up with Grubdom whenever we do put the word out for them.

Payments & Financials

How and when do I get paid for orders placed through Grubdom?

Earnings are deposited to your bank account on file with Grubdom via ACH funds transfer. You can withdraw your earnings at any time during the day, but only once per day. It's best to wait until your business is finished with Grubdom orders so you can receive all of your earnings for the day. You can also choose to withdraw earnings weekly, or at any interval you wish. Please note that we automatically deposit your earnings at the end of the week (Saturday) if you've not withdrawn them manually yourself.

We have a processing fee of $1.00 for sending your earnings to your bank account to cover expenses on our end.

Are there any delays or holding periods for payouts?

Some times there may be a 2-5 business day delay in funds reaching your account, as is standard with a lot of ACH transfers. However, the time to process the deposits really depends on your bank. We will try to expedite your funds reaching you and accommodate any delays that are out of the ordinary.

Can I track payments and transaction history in real time?

Yes, all orders are in real time and show up on your merchant panel immediately. You see every transaction right away as it happens. Grubdom is 100% trasparent.

How does Grubdom handle taxes on online orders?

Taxes are calculated into the price of the order and the rate is specific to whatever area/municipality your restaurant is located in and/or subject to. We will deduct the taxes and remit them on behalf of the order, since the sales tax is on our end.

Marketing & Customer Engagement

Does Grubdom provide marketing or advertising support for my restaurant?

Yes. We promote and market our platform and the restaurants that are active on it both online and offline.

Can I access customer data and order history?

Yes! This is one of the main things that separate us from the other online food ordering and delivery platforms. We share all of the data that is generated by your restaurant with you. This includes order history and name/contact info of your customers, unless they have opted-out of having their identity shared. We also share geographical data, and demographic data about your customers and orders. Again, identity may or may not be available, depending upon customer preference.

It's your data afterall, and you've generated it. Well, your customers did, but you understand what we're saying. We will also share data to browsing, comparison (with average of category/catogories your restaurant is in), and orders made with all associated metadata. Other data includes your restaurant's busy ordering times, most ordered items, what time of day those items were ordered, items ordered according to area so you can see where a particular dish is popular, and other insights that can be gathered safely without compromising users' identity and privacy. We can also do custom data requests outside of this scope and at a service fee. To see what types of data we collect and share with restaurants, and how we collect it, please visit Grubdom.com/data.

How can I communicate with customers about promotions, specials, or updates?

Aside from having the details of the promotion on your page, you can send emails, and or texts to them as long as they have opted-in to receiving communications from restaurants on the Grubdom platform. Of cours, if they are customers already in your contact list outside of Grubdom, you can always communicate with them that way.

Does Grubdom offer any loyalty or rewards programs for repeat customers?

Yes. We offer this on our end (where it doesn't come out of your earnings), and we also have provided your merchant account with the ability to offer loyalty and rewards points to your current and future customers.

Technical Support & Integration

What kind of technical support is available if I have issues with the platform?

We have an automated customer support system powered by Artificial Intelligence chat bots, as well as live humans when neccessary, and customer support emails. We also have a way that customers can directly chat with your restaurant for faster and more direct communication about their orders.

Our support system is available to help and assist not only customers, but restaurants/merchants and Delivery Agents as well.

Does Grubdom integrate with my existing POS system?

We can seamlessly intergate Grubdom with your POS system if you desire. This is an add-on service and will incur a set up and possibly a maintenance fee.

Is there an app or dashboard to manage orders on the go?

Yes, we also have this available to any restaurant wishing to have the ability to take orders at locations outside of the restaurant in a proactive fashion. This is ideal for sending workers or representatives from your business out to areas where people are gathered and might be interested in ordering from your restaurant, but might not otherwise do so unless approached or solicited. This is also great for events like fairs, conventions, or gatherings in the park. It's an clever way to also introduce your restaurnt to people who are unfamiliar with it and who could end up becoming new and loyal customers.

Can customers leave reviews, and how are they managed?

Yes. Customers can and are encouraged to leave reviews after their orders have been received. We only allow reviews from customers who have placed and received their order either via delivery, pick up or dine in.

Can customers make table reservations on Grubdom?

Yes. If your restaurant takes reservations, then customers can make reservations through the Grubdom platform. The commission fee for orders made via reservation are the same as dine-in orders—7.5%.

Onboarding & Next Steps

How does my restaurant get started with Grubdom?

Easy! The first step is to go sign up here. After we receive your information we will be in touch right away with your onboarding process where we will. Afterwards, we or someone from your staff will enter in your menu so customers can begin ordering right away. After a successful test order or two for due diligence, you will be well on your way to earning more from online ordering and delivery than you will with the other platforms.

How long does it take to get my restaurant listed on Grubdom?

Your restaurant can be live right away after signing up and entering in your bank account info. It may take a few days to get your menu prepared and uploaded, but typically you're ready to go with taking orders as soon as these two things are squared away within the Grubdom system.

Will someone help me set up my menu and train my staff on using the platform?

Yes. We can help you with your menu, or enter it for you. We also can provide a thorough training to you and or your staff and employess on managing your account, orders, and other things related to your restaurant in the Grubdom merchant panel.

Can I test the platform before committing?

Sometimes, we offer a 14-day commission free trial with Grubdom. This comes with some caveats, such as entering in your own menu or operating with a partial menu if we enter the menu data in for you. We can work something out if you feel as if you really need to take Grubdom for a test drive before committing to the system fully. Remember though, you can cancel your Grubdom membership at any time you wish, so a test drive would be somewhat redundant. However, if you're interested in this, please reach out to us via our contact page

Who do I contact if I have more questions or need assistance?

For more info or if you need to ask a question not addressed here in this FAQ, you can reach out to contact@grubdom.com