Plenty of Albany restaurants run their entire online presence through DoorDash and a Facebook page — and lose money doing it. Delivery apps are useful, but they take a big cut and own your customer relationship. Here's why your restaurant needs its own website, what it should include, and what it costs in the Capital Region.
The problem with relying only on delivery apps
Third-party delivery apps charge commissions that commonly run 15–30% per order. On thin restaurant margins, that's often the difference between a profitable night and a break-even one. Worse, the customer belongs to the app, not to you: you don't get their email, you can't market to them directly, and the app can change its fees whenever it wants.
Your own website changes the math
When a regular orders or books directly through your site, you keep the margin and the relationship. A direct order has no 25% commission attached. A website also ranks on Google for searches the apps don't capture — "best Italian restaurant Albany," "patio dining Troy," "gluten-free pizza near me."
What a restaurant website actually needs
- A real text menu — not a photo or a PDF. Google can't read an image, and customers hate pinching to zoom.
- Reservations or a waitlist — even a simple form or booking link captures bookings 24/7.
- Click-to-call and directions — most visitors are hungry and on a phone right now.
- Photos that make people hungry — real shots of your food and room, not stock images.
- Hours, location, and a map — kept accurate and matching your Google listing.
- Local SEO so you appear in "near me" searches — see our local SEO guide.
"But I already have a Facebook page"
A Facebook page is great for regulars who already follow you, but it can't rank on Google for someone searching for dinner tonight, and you don't own it. The two work best together: the website wins new customers from search; social keeps the ones you have. We dig into that trade-off in website vs. Facebook page.
Keep the apps — just stop depending on them
This isn't about deleting DoorDash. Delivery apps reach people who'd never find you otherwise. The goal is to make your own website the front door, so the regulars who already love you order direct (and commission-free) while the apps handle discovery.
What it costs in Albany
A professional restaurant website in the Capital Region doesn't need to cost thousands. Our plans start at $100 to build, with a flat monthly rate from $25 that covers hosting, SSL, and support. For a fuller breakdown of website pricing, see what a website costs in Albany.
The bottom line
Delivery apps rent you customers; a website lets you own them. Keep the apps for discovery, but make your own site the place regulars order and book — and keep the margin that the apps take. Tell us about your restaurantand we'll build you a menu-first site that actually shows up on Google.