Best Food Delivery Software in Miami: A Commission-Free Solution for Restaurants

Miami’s vibrant restaurant scene and tourism-driven demand make food delivery a huge opportunity – and challenge – for local eateries. Choosing the best food delivery software in Miami can determine whether your restaurant thrives or struggles with thin margins. This guide explores Miami’s third-party delivery dominance, what to look for in a delivery platform, the advantages of going commission-free, and real examples of local restaurants succeeding with first-party ordering.

Miami’s Third-Party Dominance

Third-party food delivery apps have become deeply ingrained in Miami’s dining scene. Tens of thousands of Miami residents and tourists use these services to order food every day, fueling a lucrative delivery market. In 2023 alone, Miami welcomed over 27 million visitors – many of whom turned to delivery apps for a quick meal in their hotels or vacation rentals. This influx of tourist and local demand has cemented third-party platforms as a convenient go-to.

However, the convenience comes at a steep price for restaurants. Major delivery marketplaces typically charge 20%–30% commissions on each order, and provide zero customer data back to the restaurant. In other words, you pay a hefty cut of your revenue and lose the ability to know or re-market to your own customers. Additionally, gig driver supply issues have cropped up as delivery demand surges – restaurants often struggle with driver shortages, resulting in longer wait times and customer complaints during peak hours. These factors hurt both profits and the dining experience.

In short, while third-party apps dominate Miami’s delivery landscape due to their reach, they eat into margins and weaken your direct customer relationship. For restaurant operators, this raises the question: is there a better way to handle delivery in Miami’s high-volume market without surrendering profit and control?

Choosing the Best Delivery Software

Given the pitfalls of third-party platforms, many Miami restaurants are evaluating first-party delivery software that lets them take back control. When choosing the best delivery solution for your restaurant, consider the following key factors:

• No Commissions – Opt for a platform that charges no per-order commission fees, so you keep 100% of your sales. This protects your slim margins (unlike third-party platforms that take a big cut). Every dollar saved on fees is money you can reinvest in your food and service quality.

• Ownership of Customer Data – Ensure you own your customer information and order history. Having access to customer data lets you build a loyalty program, send promotions, and foster repeat business. By contrast, third-party services shield customer info (the restaurant gets no guest data), making it harder to market to patrons for repeat orders. The best software will empower you with your own customer database.

• Wide Delivery Network – Look for a platform with a robust courier network or driver integration. Miami is geographically spread out, so having an unlimited pool of drivers and an extended delivery radius is crucial to reach customers across neighborhoods. A strong delivery network ensures fast deliveries citywide and that no order sits waiting due to lack of drivers. This is especially important during Miami’s busy tourism seasons when demand peaks.

• Branded Direct Ordering – Prioritize software that enables customers to order directly from your channels – such as your website, mobile app, or even social media – with your restaurant’s branding. Maintaining a branded ordering experience keeps you front-and-center (as opposed to a generic third-party app). For example, Sauce allows customers to order through the restaurant’s own website or even via Google, Facebook, or Instagram pages, creating a seamless extension of your brand online.

• Integration and Visibility – The best delivery systems integrate with tools that boost your local visibility. This might include an “Order Online” button on your Google Business profile, integration with Instagram and Facebook ordering, and a mobile-optimized online menu. Such integrations make it effortless for Miami locals to find you and place orders directly. (In fact, 58% of U.S. consumers prefer to order delivery straight from a restaurant’s app or website for greater convenience and customization – so meeting them where they are is key.)

• Operational Support – Don’t overlook the importance of delivery logistics and support. A top-tier delivery software should help manage the entire delivery process, including dispatch and customer service. Ideally, the provider offers live delivery support – so neither you nor your customers are stuck on hold if something goes wrong – and can even handle issues like refunds on your behalf. For instance, Sauce emphasizes premium support (no more waiting 25 minutes on hold with a third-party) and takes care of refund management for partner restaurants. This level of support ensures smooth operations and happy customers.

By evaluating solutions against these criteria, it becomes clear that commission-free, first-party delivery platforms are superior for restaurant owners. They not only address the cost issue, but also give you back control of customer relationships, branding, and service quality. One platform in particular – Sauce – embodies all of these advantages for Miami restaurants.

Commission-Free Advantages

Moving to a commission-free delivery model can be a game-changer for restaurants in Miami. Third-party apps taking a 20–30% commission from each order can wipe out your profit on that sale. In contrast, a commission-free platform lets you keep the full order amount, drastically improving your margins on delivery orders. Over time, this can mean tens of thousands of dollars back in your pocket rather than paid out to middlemen.

Beyond the immediate financial win, commission-free delivery has ripple effects on pricing and customer satisfaction. Restaurants don’t need to inflate menu prices to cover commission costs (which many third-party apps force them to do, leading to higher prices for customers). With your own direct ordering system, you can charge the same as your dine-in prices, making your offering more attractive to price-sensitive customers. Lower fees also enable you to run promotions or loyalty discounts for repeat buyers without going into the red – a big plus in a competitive market like Miami.

Just as importantly, a commission-free first-party platform puts you back in touch with your clientele. You capture their names, phone numbers, and preferences, allowing personalized service and targeted marketing. Regulars who order through your system can be rewarded with loyalty points or special deals (something impossible when an intermediary controls the transaction). This fosters a stronger relationship and brand loyalty. Noah Glass, CEO of tech company Olo, noted that while third-party marketplaces bring orders, the restaurant “gets zero data about who that guest is,” making it hard to bring them back. First-party ordering removes that barrier.

The bottom-line impact is significant. By cutting out 3rd-party commissions, restaurants can boost their profitability and growth. For example, Chai Wok in North Miami Beach partnered with Sauce to reduce dependence on third-party apps, which allowed them to keep more of their hard-earned revenue instead of paying it out in fees. Retaining those earnings helped fund their expansion to new locations during a time many others were struggling. In a high-cost city like Miami, saving 20–30% on each delivery order can be the difference between surviving or thriving.

Local Success with First-Party Ordering

Miami restaurants that have embraced first-party, commission-free delivery software are already seeing remarkable success. A great example is Chifa Du Kang, a family-owned Peruvian-Chinese restaurant that expanded in Miami. When opening their Kendall location, they knew delivery would be crucial – and they chose Sauce as their delivery partner from day one. This allowed Chifa Du Kang to offer delivery up to 15 miles away across the Miami metro area – an impressive range that immediately broadened their customer base. By using Sauce’s platform (which charges no commission and lets the restaurant own the entire delivery experience), they could reach diners far beyond the typical radius without sacrificing profit. “We love having Sauce as a partner,” says Anson Tao, the owner’s son. “The technology is great… It gives us confidence that our orders will reach customers quickly and reliably. It’s really helped us get off to a great start.”

Crucially, Sauce enabled Chifa Du Kang to launch delivery without hiring their own drivers. In the midst of a labor shortage when 60% of their business was coming from delivery orders, finding in-house drivers would have been a major hurdle. Sauce’s network of couriers lifted that pressure – “Sauce’s technology let us invest our time and focus on other aspects of the business because the pressure to hire drivers was lifted,” the restaurateur explained. With Sauce handling the logistics, Chifa Du Kang’s team could concentrate on cooking great food. And because customers order directly via Chifa Du Kang’s website or even through Google and social media, the whole operation runs smoothly under their brand. The result: the Kendall location hit the ground running, and Chifa Du Kang was able to serve a much wider area of Miami with efficient delivery and no third-party fees.

Another local success story is Chai Wok, a kosher Asian cuisine restaurant in North Miami Beach. Delivery and take-out make up roughly 75% of Chai Wok’s business, so every percentage point of commission mattered to their bottom line. Owner Dan Gordon teamed up with Sauce to get customers ordering directly from the restaurant’s own website, significantly cutting back on third-party orders and their commissions. By reducing that dependency, Chai Wok got to keep more of their earnings in their pockets instead of surrendering them to delivery apps. Those savings contributed to Chai Wok’s ability to not only survive the pandemic era but expand with new concepts (they opened sister eateries Chai Grill and Chai Berry) at a time when many others were closing down. It’s a testament to how a commission-free platform can bolster a restaurant’s resilience and growth. Gordon notes that many of the new customers Chai Wok reached through wider delivery zones and direct online ordering have remained loyal to this day.

These Miami examples demonstrate that first-party delivery software like Sauce isn’t just a theoretical improvement – it’s delivering real wins on the ground. Restaurants are reaching more customers across the city, delivering faster with unlimited driver support, and protecting their margins and brand reputation in the process. By owning the delivery channel, they provide the kind of fast, personalized service that today’s customers expect, while avoiding the costs and pitfalls of third-party intermediaries.

In conclusion, for Miami restaurant operators, adopting a commission-free, first-party delivery solution is proving to be the smartest way forward. In a city with booming delivery demand and high customer expectations, using a platform like Sauce means you don’t have to choose between broad reach and profitability – you get both. You can serve the huge Miami market of locals and tourists on your own terms, with your brand front-and-center. The best food delivery software for Miami restaurants is one that boosts your bottom line and keeps you in control, and Sauce’s combination of no commissions, owned customer data, a vast delivery network, and flexible branding makes it a standout choice. By switching to a system that champions your restaurant’s interests, you can deliver exceptional experiences to Miami diners and thrive in the delivery era, all while keeping more of what you earn. It’s a true recipe for success in Miami’s fast-paced food delivery scene.