Case study
How we built an owned sales channel for Domace Palacinke
Our experience with delivery platforms, direct ordering, local marketing and returning customers. A practical proof page for restaurants that wonder why they need their own channel.
Domace Palacinke in Belgrade is not a theoretical software example. We operate a real food business with orders, delivery, customers, margins and daily operational pressure.
Delivery platforms helped with visibility and orders. But we also saw the risk early: commissions, changing rules, paid placements, discounts financed by the restaurant and a customer relationship that stays with the platform.
That is why we started building our own sales channel through a web shop and app. Not to switch platforms off overnight, but to build a channel that grows in the restaurant's favor.
Real results
Monthly results after 4 months of using the channel
The May snapshot shows that the direct channel does not only bring one-off orders, but also registered users, first purchases and returning customers.
Weekly revenue growth
From 17.3k RSD in the first week to 214.2k RSD in the strongest week shown.
Owned channel share of total revenue
Estimated share of the owned channel in total revenue over the same period: from around 2% at the start to around 15% by the end of the 16 weeks shown.
Active customers by period
The real value is not only the first order, but the customer base that returns and keeps using the channel.
New users by period
An owned channel becomes measurable when campaigns, QR codes and Google profiles all lead to a place where guests can order immediately.
Platforms are useful, but they should not be the only sales channel
Wolt and Glovo can bring demand, especially while a venue is building visibility. The problem starts when the restaurant has no alternative and every commission, ranking or rule change directly affects sales.
- Use platforms as one channel, not the whole customer strategy.
- Build a direct place where customers can order from you.
- Track how much you spend on commissions, discounts, placements and in-platform promotion.
A direct customer becomes your base, not someone else's statistic
The biggest difference is not only commission. When a customer orders through your channel, you can bring them back through offers, push notifications, email, SMS, Meta campaigns or QR codes.
- Track new users, active customers and returning customers.
- Create benefits for the second and third order, not only the first one.
- Build the habit that customers check your menu, shop or app first.
Delivery is not the blocker many restaurants expect
Many venues no longer have their own couriers, so they assume an owned channel is impossible. In practice, Wolt Drive and especially Glovo On-Demand can cover delivery while the order and customer relationship stay with you.
- Offer pickup immediately and connect delivery through Wolt Drive, Glovo On-Demand or your own logistics where it makes sense.
- Calculate delivery price and minimum order value clearly.
- Do not delay direct ordering only because you do not currently have your own couriers.
Marketing is required, but restaurants already pay for platform marketing
Restaurants already pay for better positions, ads, discounts, free delivery sponsorships and other platform promotions. The difference is that investing in your own channel builds your base.
- Move part of the platform promotion budget into campaigns that lead to your own channel.
- Measure campaigns by orders, not likes.
- Use promo codes and UTM links to know what brings customers.
QR codes on packaging reach people who already buy from you
Boxes, bags, flyers, receipts and stickers are media the restaurant already has. A QR code there gives customers a simple route to order directly next time.
- Put QR codes on boxes, bags, flyers and stickers.
- Make the message concrete: lower prices, first-order benefit or free delivery in the app.
- Use separate QR links for packaging, venue and flyers.
Google Business Profile should lead to your menu, website or app
People searching for your brand on Google already have intent. Sending them to a platform gives that intent away. Sending them to your shop or menu keeps it in your channel.
- Update website, menu and ordering links on Google Business Profile.
- Use posts and descriptions to highlight direct ordering.
- Track branded search and conversions coming from Google.
Benefits must be clear enough to change customer habits
If price, benefit and experience are the same, customers have no reason to change behavior. First-order benefits, lasting app advantages and lower direct prices worked well for us.
- Offer a discount or free delivery for the first direct order.
- Keep a permanent reason to order directly: lower prices, loyalty, special offers or faster checkout.
- Do not simply copy the platform menu.
The fastest growth came from local Meta marketing around the restaurants
For a food venue, the best early test is not a huge geography. It is a 3-4 km radius around the restaurant, aimed at people who already show interest in ordering food.
- Run Facebook and Instagram campaigns in the radius you can actually serve.
- Test first-order offers, free delivery, local products and concrete menu items.
- Measure cost per direct order and returning customers.
An owned channel is a system of touchpoints, not one link
The result came from the combination of app, web shop, QR codes, Google profile, packaging, flyers, Meta campaigns and benefits that make sense to customers.
- Use QR menu and direct-ordering prompts in the venue.
- Send social traffic to the shop or app, not only to your profile.
- Give every physical and digital touchpoint a path to the direct channel.
The value is not only one order outside the platforms
The real value is a customer base the restaurant can activate again. When a direct customer comes back for the second, third or tenth order, the owned channel becomes a business asset.
Want the same principle for your venue
Progrest can set up your web shop, app, QR flows, local campaigns and direct-order measurement
We do not promise every venue will see the same numbers, but we know the process because we built it for our own restaurant.