SkipTheDishes fees for restaurants: find your real rate

Skip's partner page lists two products, Skip Marketplace and SkipGo. It does not list a commission percentage for either. You fill in a short form, and Skip says a team member replies within 1 to 2 business days. Skip says onboarding takes 2 to 10 days.

We could not find an official Skip rate card, so we do not print a number for Skip. Treat your own agreement as the only source, and ask for it in writing.

Skip's own FAQ describes the difference. On Marketplace, your business is listed in the Skip app, guests order there, and you choose a Skip courier, your own delivery or pickup. It is built for reaching new customers.

With SkipGo, Skip's couriers deliver your orders, but the guest orders from your own app or website. Skip says SkipGo has a fixed cost per delivery, and that you set what your guests pay. Skip also describes it as the option where you own your customer relationships and brand.

You can use both. If you want delivery without managing drivers, SkipGo is something pickup.kitchen does not offer. We have no courier network.

Ask for the answers in writing. Your rate is whatever your agreement says.

• What is my commission on delivery orders, and on pickup orders?
• Is card processing included, or charged on top?
• Are there marketing, promotion or tablet fees, and are any of them required?
• Can the rate change during the term, and how much notice do I get?
• How long is the contract, and what does it cost to leave?
• Does the rate drop if I deliver myself or the guest picks up?

These are round rates for working it out, not Skip's rates. Take an order with $40 of food on it. The commission is charged on that subtotal.

• At 15%: $6.00 goes to the app, you keep $34.00.
• At 20%: $8.00 goes to the app, you keep $32.00.
• At 25%: $10.00 goes to the app, you keep $30.00.
• At 30%: $12.00 goes to the app, you keep $28.00.
• Direct on pickup.kitchen, paid by card: you list $40 and the guest sees $44, with our 10% in it. You keep about $38.42 after Stripe's standard 2.9% plus 30 cents.

Skip is built for Canada. It says more than 47,000 partners use it and 1 in 4 Canadians order with it. It also says it covers more than 190 delivery zones. Those are Skip's own figures.

That reach is the reason to use it. If you open in a new neighbourhood, a Skip listing can send you first orders before anyone knows your name. Skip also offers a partner portal, a live orders app, self-serve promotions and POS integrations through partners such as Deliverect, Otter and Olo.

Pick Skip when you want reach across Canada or a courier on demand, and the rate in your agreement still leaves a margin.

A Marketplace order is placed in Skip's app, under the guest's Skip account. Your kitchen sees the order. Check your partner portal for what else it shows about the guest before you count on it as a list you can email.

Think of the guest who found you on Skip and ordered twice in a month. Emily S. likes your rice plates. If she orders every Thursday at $40, that is 52 orders a year. At a 25% rate, that is $520 in commission. Direct, Stripe's card fees on the same orders are about $82.

pickup.kitchen is based in Toronto and serves Canada and the US. It does not pull in Skip orders. Those stay on your Skip tablet or POS link. Direct orders arrive on your own kitchen screen, and your own drivers deliver them through the driver app, which is included for pickup.kitchen orders.

• Put a card with your pickup.kitchen link in every Skip bag.
• Add the link to your Instagram bio and your Google Business Profile.
• Open time slots that close when full, so the 6 p.m. rush does not run you over.
• Email guests who ordered direct from your customer list.

We are a smaller marketplace than Skip. A free listing on pickup.kitchen helps people nearby find you, but it will not match Skip's audience. We charge 10% per order and no monthly fee. Whether that beats your Skip rate depends on the number in your agreement.