Use Toast To Bring All of Your Third-Party Delivery Integrations Into One Platform

When I worked at a pizza shop in college, rush hour looked something like this:

• I’m working the register, taking orders from guests who are dining in, and tapping them into our point of sale, or POS system.
• A second cashier is putting in orders from guests who called in by phone, whether for takeout or delivery.
• On the counter beside me is a tablet that dings every time an order comes in through our online ordering system — each of which requires a manual fire to our kitchen via the POS. This manual double entry leaves room for errors, so I typically wait to input them until the counter is free of guests so I can make sure they’re correct. Of course, this causes those orders to take longer.
• Oh, shoot! We didn’t update the third-party online ordering menu to reflect that we ran out of steak tips, so now I have to call that customer to let them know.
• We have a second online ordering platform that doesn’t integrate at all, so I have to go pick up the orders from the printer in the back office when I get a chance… but the line keeps growing… 

My heart rate increases just thinking about it, honestly. 

Luckily, gone are the days of managing your third-party online orders with multiple tablets. By integrating your third-party platforms directly with your point of sale system, you can streamline your ordering process and alleviate stress on your front-of-house staff.

But before we talk more about integrations, let’s cover a few bases:

What does “third-party” mean? 

The term “third-party” is often used in politics and law to refer to a person or group outside of the two primary parties. Think of it this way: If you are having a conversation with a friend in a store, the people around you would be a third party to your conversation — they are not involved in it directly. They are outside of the interaction.

What is third-party delivery?

When used to refer to food delivery, third-party simply means an outside platform or business that provides a service. Doordash, Grubhub, Postmates, and Ubereats are all examples of third-party delivery services. Your restaurant and the customer are the two primary parties, while the delivery platform is a third party. 

Using a third-party delivery service is great for restaurants just starting out, or restaurants that can’t shoulder the cost of starting their own delivery service. These apps also serve as a great marketing tool because they expand your reach to customers you might never have reached otherwise. 

What is the difference between first-party and third-party delivery apps?

A first-party delivery app would be one that is wholly owned by your restaurant. In other words, if your restaurant has an online ordering platform, that is a first-party app.

While both first-party and third-party apps have their unique benefits, here are the main differentiators between the two:

First-party delivery apps

Pros:

• Full ownership of the guest experience
• More opportunities to brand the page for your restaurant
• No third-party fees or commissions
• Higher average checks

Cons:

• Doesn’t provide access to new guests

Third-party delivery apps

Pros:

• Helps you reach a new audience of guests who may not know about your restaurant
• Provides a vast network of delivery drivers

Cons:

• Provides limited ability to brand your listing
• May impact your restaurant’s reputation
• Can charge hefty commission fees and cause your customers to pay more
• May show your restaurant alongside competitors and cause you to lose business

The benefits of a POS platform that directly integrates with your third-party delivery and off-premise options

Now that you have a better understanding of what third-party delivery is, let’s get into how a direct integration will allow you to streamline your restaurant operations.

Ditch the tablets and the double entry

Most third-party delivery platforms provide restaurants with tablets to manage their delivery orders. These tablets can clutter up your counter space, especially if you are already working in close quarters, and cause a poor experience for both your staff and your guests. By choosing a POS platform like Toast that directly integrates with third-party apps, you can ditch the tablets altogether and streamline your operations.

And with the tablets goes the double entry! No longer will your staff be required to review an order and input it into the POS manually. This leads to more accurate orders, less food waste, and happier customers.

Reduce labor costs

Pushing third-party orders to your point of sale can be time-consuming and inefficient for your team, especially during peak hours.

"We save $600 a week in labor and operational costs by integrating third-party delivery providers with Toast,” shares Joy Zarembka, VP of Planning & Innovation at Busboys and Poets, “Instead of hiring someone just to manage delivery tablets and order entry, those orders go straight to the kitchen."

During a time in which labor continues to be the top challenge for the restaurant industry, having a third-party delivery POS integration helps to streamline the process and update your orders in real-time without pulling staff away from their current task.

Interested in seeing just how much you could save by using Toast Third-party Delivery Integrations? Simply input your average daily 3rd party order volume into our calculator to estimate your annual savings.*

Streamlined menu management

With a direct third-party delivery integration, publishing menu updates has never been easier. With all your third-party menus centralized on Toast, you can easily add new items, update specials, or automatically 86 items across every platform.

Plus, our expert onboarding consultants will set up your menus and pricing for you, saving hours of your time.

Faster order fulfillment

Integrating your POS and third-party delivery apps doesn’t just streamline your front-of-house restaurant operations — it improves your back-of-house management as well.

When orders are placed through a third-party platform and a direct integration is in place, orders are fired directly to the kitchen upon submission. This leads to faster order fulfillment and happier guests. An added bonus: Toast is the only POS with direct integrations with Doordash, Grubhub, Ubereats, Caviar, and Postmates.

Toast third-party delivery integrations are powered by centralized tools to maximize your profits

Manage all your third-party orders from a single screen on the POS and unlock channel insights to understand how each partner contributes to your sales and margins.

Want to get started? Schedule your free demo of Toast today and take your off-premise business to the next level. 

Related resources

• Best Food Delivery Services for Restaurants
• What is a Delivery Fee - and What Delivery Fee Should my Restaurant Charge?
• Toast Delivery Services™
• No Contact Delivery for Restaurants: What It Is & Best Practices
• What Your Restaurant Online Ordering Tool Really Costs You
• Should I Use a Third-Party Delivery Service or Create My Own?
• 20 Food Delivery Statistics to Know in 2022
• How to Offer a Great Food Delivery Experience

*These amounts are estimates. Actual results may vary and depend on your unique circumstances.