Free Delivery Threshold for Restaurants: When It Drives Profit vs Drains Margin

A small pizzeria in Eskisehir Tepebasi got tired of Yemeksepeti's commission and tested an in-house courier with a 250TRY free-delivery threshold. Three months later, average basket jumped from 178TRY to 264TRY. This post breaks down where the model works, the exact numbers to watch, and when sticking with aggregators is the smarter call.

Aggregator Commission vs In-House Courier

Yemeksepeti runs 18-22%, Getir Food 15-20%, Trendyol Yemek 14-18%. On a 100TRY order you net 78-86TRY. In-house: a motorbike courier costs around 850TRY/day plus 120TRY fuel and insurance share. For a kitchen doing 25 orders/day, per-order courier cost lands at 38-42TRY.

Here is the Eskisehir math: at the old 178TRY average ticket, 20% commission = 35.6TRY lost. New model: 264TRY ticket, 40TRY courier cost, zero commission. Gross delta is +30TRY per order, which on 750 monthly orders means 22,500TRY extra cash.

Where It Works, Where It Doesn't

Thresholds shine for cuisines with natural upsell and a high baseline ticket:

• Pizza/burger/family meals — drinks, dessert, extras stack effortlessly
• Sushi/steakhouse — ticket already high, a 15% uplift is enough
• Kebab/grill — portion-based, easy to push a second order

Coffee shops, single-item fast food, and bakeries struggle. Customers can't naturally add 60TRY to hit the threshold, so they buy something they don't want and complain or refund. For low-ticket categories, a flat 15TRY delivery fee performs cleaner.

Three Numbers to Pick the Threshold

Threshold = current average ticket × 1.4-1.6. Push higher and customers feel forced and bounce back to aggregators. At 178 × 1.4 = 249, rounded to 250TRY, the pizzeria nailed the sweet spot. Second number: delivery radius. 3-4 km is where in-house couriers stay efficient. Third: fixed courier cost. Under 20 orders/day, aggregator commission is cheaper than payroll.

Test in parallel for 2 weeks. Half the zone runs the new model, half stays on aggregators. Track average ticket, order count, refund rate, and net margin together. Order count may drop while net profit rises — don't let a single metric mislead you.

FAQ

Should I leave aggregators entirely? No. Use them for discovery, then funnel loyal customers to your own channel. A blended model is healthiest.

What about courier injuries? Workers' comp and accident insurance are mandatory. It adds 350-500TRY/month but protects ownership.

Does my POS support this? thMenu auto-applies the threshold rule and shows customers an "add XTRY for free delivery" message at checkout.

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