West End Takeaway — Performance Marketing
A takeaway was paying 35% commission to UberEats — performance marketing now drives 312% more direct delivery orders.
TL;DR
- Challenge:
- A West End takeaway paying 30-35% commission to UberEats/DoorDash with zero direct order marketing.
- Approach:
- Meta ads for direct ordering, Google local campaigns, retargeting with meal deals, SMS list for weekly specials.
- Result:
- +312% direct delivery orders, $4,800/month commission saved, AOV up 38%.
Key Results at a Glance
+312%
Direct delivery orders
New
Commission saved monthly
+38%
Average order value (direct)
Client Context
Business Type
Thai takeaway + delivery
Founded
2018
Team Size
10 kitchen + delivery
Market
West End + South Brisbane + Highgate Hill
Revenue Tier
$680K annual revenue
Stack Before
UberEats, DoorDash, in-house ordering system (dormant)
The Challenge
The business was almost entirely dependent on UberEats and DoorDash, paying 30–35% commission on every order. They had their own ordering system but nobody used it because they had zero direct marketing.
Goals & KPIs
North-Star Metric
Drive 70+ direct delivery orders/week and cut third-party dependency below 40%
Supporting KPIs
Direct orders/week
Target: 70+
Commission saved/month
Target: $4K+
Direct AOV
Target: $40+
SMS list subscribers
Target: 2,000+
Meta ROAS
Target: 4x+
Discovery & Research
Audit Findings
- •95% orders through UberEats/DoorDash
- •In-house ordering system had 0 marketing
- •No SMS or email list
- •No Meta or Google Ads
- •Zero retargeting
Baseline Issues
- •24 direct orders/week
- •$0 commission saved
- •$32 AOV
- •No customer database
Competitor Insight
Top West End takeaways ran Meta ads with "order direct save 15%" messaging, built SMS lists via QR codes on delivery bags, and averaged 40% direct order share.
Audience Insight
Brisbane inner-suburb food buyers 22-45 will order direct if the discount matches the commission difference (12-15%) — they resent the third-party markup.
Strategy
Core Hypothesis
“If we run "order direct save 15%" ads with retargeting, direct orders will 3x+ because Brisbane customers already hate UberEats fees.”
Positioning Shift
Repositioned as "West End's direct Thai delivery — save 15% ordering direct".
Channel Mix
Meta food ads · 45%
Visual food + discount messaging
Google Local — delivery intent · 25%
High-intent capture
Retargeting + SMS · 20%
Repeat orders
QR bag inserts · 10%
UberEats → direct conversion
Our Approach
Meta food ads
Ran Instagram and Facebook ads with mouth-watering food photography and "Order direct, save 15%" messaging — targeting a 6 km delivery radius.
Google local campaigns
Set up Google Ads for "food delivery West End", "Thai delivery Brisbane" and similar high-intent queries with direct ordering links.
Retargeting & loyalty
Retargeted past website visitors with meal deal offers and built an SMS list for weekly specials — driving repeat direct orders.
Phased Roadmap
Weeks 1–2
Foundation
- →Meta pixel + Google Ads setup
- →Food photography shoot
- →SMS platform setup
- →Direct order incentive: 15% off first order
Weeks 3–8
Launch
- →Meta ads with mouth-watering food creative
- →Google Ads: "Thai delivery West End"
- →QR codes on UberEats bags
- →Direct orders: 24/wk → 55/wk
Weeks 9–16
Optimise
- →Retargeting past clickers with meal deals
- →SMS weekly specials campaign
- →A/B tested creative
- →Direct orders: 99/wk, AOV: $44
What We Built
The Results
Weekly Direct Orders
Before vs After — 4 Months
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct delivery orders | 24/week | 99/week | +312% |
| Commission saved monthly | $0 | $4,800 | New |
| Average order value (direct) | $32 | $44 | +38% |
“We still use UberEats for discovery but 70% of our orders are now direct. That is $4,800 a month we keep.”
Arun P.
Owner, Takeaway Restaurant
Key Insights
- →QR codes on UberEats bags converted 18% of first-time customers to direct within 30 days
- →Meta food creative with the 15% discount messaging outperformed food-only creative 2.6x
- →SMS list drove 32% of weekly orders — cheapest, highest-margin channel
- →Direct AOV was 38% higher because upsells worked in-house vs UberEats interface
What's Next
Launching a loyalty program, testing a subscription meal plan, and expanding delivery radius to New Farm.
Ready to see similar results?
Book a free strategy call — we'll audit your current setup and map out what growth looks like for your business.
Services Used
Representative case study. Figures illustrate the type of outcomes achievable through these strategies for Australian businesses; individual results vary based on market, budget and starting position.