Why Most Restaurant Delivery Software Pricing Is Designed to Confuse You
The confusion starts with the pitch: "Only 15% commission!" What they don't mention is the 3% payment processing fee, the MAD 299 monthly "platform fee," and the MAD 2.50 per-order "service charge." By the time you calculate everything, that 15% becomes 22%.
The Real Numbers Behind Commission Models
Here's what actually happens to a MAD 5,000 monthly revenue stream on a typical food delivery management software platform:
| Fee Type |
Amount (MAD) |
Annual Impact |
| 15% Commission |
750 |
9,000 |
| Payment Processing (3%) |
150 |
1,800 |
| Monthly Platform Fee |
299 |
3,588 |
| Per-Order Charges (60 orders) |
150 |
1,800 |
| Total Monthly Loss |
1,349 |
16,188 |
That's MAD 16,188 annually — enough to hire part-time staff or upgrade your kitchen equipment.
Transaction Fees That Aren't Called Transaction Fees
Food ordering and delivery platforms have mastered the art of renaming fees. "Platform maintenance" charges are transaction fees. "Order processing" fees are transaction fees. Even "driver insurance contributions" often get passed to restaurants as per-order costs.
One Marrakech restaurant owner discovered she was paying four different types of transaction fees, totaling 8% per order — on top of the advertised 20% commission.
Why "Free" Setup Usually Costs More Later
Platforms offering free setup compensate through higher commissions or locked-in contracts. A "free" MAD 5,000 setup becomes expensive when you're paying 25% commission instead of 15% for two years. The math is simple: 10% extra commission on MAD 20,000 monthly revenue costs MAD 48,000 over two years.
Setting Up Delivery Zones: The Decision That Makes or Breaks Your Margins
Your delivery zone strategy determines three critical factors: delivery costs, customer satisfaction, and driver utilization. Most software for food delivery treats this as an afterthought. That's a mistake.
Polygon vs. Radius Zones: When Each Makes Sense
Radius zones work for restaurants in open areas with uniform road access — think nouvelle ville districts in Rabat or Agadir's tourist zone. Draw a 5km circle, and you're done.
Polygon zones make sense everywhere else. In Casablanca's old medina, a 3km radius might include areas that take 25 minutes to reach due to one-way streets. A polygon lets you follow actual road patterns, excluding hard-to-reach neighborhoods while including accessible areas further away.
OCHI's polygon zone builder lets you draw custom shapes on a map, adjusting for natural boundaries like the Bouregreg River in Rabat or major highways that split neighborhoods.
Driver Assignment Logic That Actually Works
Smart driver assignment considers three factors: current location, active orders, and return route efficiency. A driver finishing a delivery in Guéliz should get the next Guéliz order, not one across Marrakech.
The best restaurant delivery software calculates total route time, not just distance. In cities like Fès, where the medina's narrow streets slow delivery, time-based assignment prevents customer frustration and driver burnout.
Why Your Competition's 15km Delivery Zone Is Probably Wrong
Large delivery zones seem attractive — more potential customers. But delivering 15km away in Casablanca during rush hour means 45-minute delivery times, cold food, and negative reviews. Your actual serviceable area is smaller than you think.
Analyze your delivery data: 80% of orders likely come from within 5km. Focus on serving this core area well rather than stretching resources thin.
The GPS Tracking Problem: Real-Time vs. "Real-Time"
Not all tracking is created equal. Some platforms update location every two minutes and call it "real-time." Others ping every five seconds, draining driver batteries and overwhelming servers.
What 30-Second Updates Actually Cost You
Frequent GPS updates consume three resources: battery life, data bandwidth, and server processing. A delivery driver working eight hours with 5-second GPS updates needs two phone charges. That's lost delivery time and frustrated drivers.
OCHI uses adaptive tracking: updates every 30 seconds when moving, every two minutes when stationary. This balance provides accurate tracking without the resource drain.
When Customers Stop Caring About Location Pings
Customer research shows tracking value follows a curve. Customers check obsessively for the first five minutes, then again when delivery is imminent. The 15 minutes in between? They're doing something else.
This is why smart platforms send push notifications at key moments — "driver assigned," "driver nearby" — rather than constant updates.
Battery Drain and Driver Smartphone Requirements
High-frequency tracking means drivers need expensive phones with large batteries. This limits your driver pool and increases operational costs. One Agadir restaurant had to provide power banks to all drivers when their tracking app drained batteries in four hours.
