EzCater Alternatives: How to Reduce Marketplace Dependence Without Losing Orders

Imagine this. You sign up for EzCater and corporate lunch orders start pouring in. It feels like striking gold. No marketing spend. Deliveries handled. Hungry teams fed.

EzCater is free to join and gives restaurants instant access to thousands of business customers. For a new catering program, it almost feels too good to be true. They manage the tech, the marketing, and even the drivers.

Catering is booming. Corporate catering spend is projected to cross $100 billion by 2027. But EzCater quietly takes a cut of every order. With typical restaurant profit margins sitting around 7 to 8%, that commission can wipe out profitability entirely.

Why Restaurants Turn to EzCater

Initially, EzCater has clear advantages:
‍

• No Upfront Cost: EzCater’s marketplace is free to list. You avoid building a costly custom system.
  
  
• Instant Reach: It plugs you into EzCater’s vast network. They even partner with national chains, so your catering menu is suddenly visible to businesses nationwide. For a local caterer, that kind of exposure is hard to buy.
  
  
• Marketing & Processing: EzCater markets your menu to corporate clients and handles order processing. They run promotions, email reminders, and optimize search on the site . Essentially, you set up and wait for orders.
  
  
• Optional Delivery: You can use EzCater’s delivery (ezDispatch) instead of hiring drivers. They offer a driver network (for a fee) so you don’t need to manage logistics . EzCater also processes payments and settles up after orders.

Put simply, EzCater feels like a turnkey catering channel. If you have no sales team, it’s compelling to let someone else do the lead generation. For months or years it can drive real revenue without cash outlay. But as the saying goes: if it sounds too good to be true, beware of the cost.

The Long-Term Cost of Marketplace Dependence

EzCater makes it easy to start, but it quietly takes a big bite out of profits over time:
‍

• High Commissions: EzCater’s standard commission is roughly 15% of the order value. On top of that, payment processing fees of around 2.99% also apply. For most catering orders, this means a significant portion of revenue disappears before food and labor costs are even considered.
  ‍
• Squeezed Profits: Imagine a $100 catering order with $80 in costs. Under normal circumstances, you would keep $20. After EzCater fees, nearly $18 of that is gone, leaving little to no profit. This is why many restaurants end up breaking even or adding staff just to keep up with marketplace volume.
  ‍
• Limited Control: Restaurants give up control over menus and pricing. Price changes are not instant, flash specials are difficult to run, and menu edits can take days to approve. EzCater also enforces price matching, which limits your ability to raise prices or experiment with premium offerings.
  ‍
• Lost Customer Data: Customers who order through EzCater belong to the marketplace, not the restaurant. Direct contact information is limited or unavailable, making follow ups difficult. Any marketing that sends customers to your EzCater page strengthens the platform, not your brand, and does nothing to build a long term relationship.
  ‍
• Extra Fees: Beyond base commissions, restaurants are often encouraged to spend more on premium placement or ezRewards programs. When these optional add ons are factored in, the effective cost of each order can climb to 20 or even 30%.
  ‍
• Operational Hassles: Restaurants still handle food preparation, delivery, and issue resolution. When something goes wrong, the burden falls on the operator, but support options are limited. Poor ratings or mistakes can impact visibility, and the platform offers little flexibility for upselling or personalization.

There is no single best EzCater alternative. Instead, restaurants have a few different paths to choose from, depending on their size, goals, and appetite for control.
‍

• Other Catering Marketplaces: Platforms like Fooda, CaterCow, ZeroCater, EAT Club, Forkable, or even Uber Eats for Business . Each taps corporate clients (through office pop-ups, concierge planning, group ordering, etc.), but each also imposes its own fees and keeps customer data. They can bring new leads, but don’t eliminate the commission trap.
  
  
• Direct Ordering + Rewards: This means taking catering orders directly (via your website, phone, or POS) and incentivizing clients with a loyalty program. For example, you might use a service like CateringRewards to issue points on each order that customers redeem as Amazon gift cards . By doing so, you keep nearly 100% of the sale and build your own customer relationships. You control pricing, menus, and promotions, and you reward clients for booking directly.
  
  
• Hybrid Strategy: A mix of both. Many restaurants keep EzCater (or other platforms) active to capture new clients, while also growing direct channels. For instance, you might run promotions on EzCater during slow seasons to gain leads, then guide repeat buyers to your own site with bonus points or discounts. Over time, more and more volume shifts to your in-house system. The key is using the marketplace for what it’s good at (acquisition) and then funneling the rewards of that business back to your own channels.

In short, restaurants often combine methods. The goal is consistent: keep orders coming while improving margins. In practice, the most profitable approaches involve owning as much of the customer relationship as possible (thus cutting out marketplace fees) 

‍

Converting Repeat Customers to Direct Channels
‍

How do you transition customers off EzCater? Use a step-by-step funnel:
‍

1. Gather contact info: During an EzCater order, either at delivery or in the confirmation process, ask for the customer’s email. Invite them to sign up for your rewards program for perks on their next order. Even a simple thank you note or business card can prompt them to share their contact details.
   
   
2. Enroll them in loyalty: Once you have their email, add them to your rewards program and offer a small sign up bonus, such as 50 points. This immediate reward helps demonstrate value and sets expectations early.
   
   
3. Offer a points multiplier: Encourage them to order directly next time by offering a points multiplier. For example, ordering through your website could earn five times the points per dollar. This makes the benefit of ordering directly immediately obvious.
   
   
4. Highlight gift cards: Clearly communicate that points can be redeemed for Amazon gift cards. This matters because corporate buyers value flexibility. Framing rewards as something close to cash makes them far more compelling than generic points.
   
   
5. Ensure a smooth ordering experience: Make sure your direct ordering experience is simple and reliable. The site should be mobile friendly, remember past orders, and allow quick reordering for repeat events or offices.
   
   
6. Shift behavior gradually: Over time, gently encourage more orders to move to your direct channel. As customers experience the convenience and personal rewards, most will naturally make the switch without resistance.
   
   

You Don’t Have to Replace EzCater Overnight. But You Must Outgrow It

EzCater doesn’t have to be cut off instantly. In fact, keeping it while you build your direct business can be wise. The key is to plan for gradually reducing reliance. Set targets: for example, aim for 50% of repeat catering revenue on your own channel in the next 6 months, 80% in a year, and so on. Track where orders come from and reinvest in your own system over time.

‍

Think of EzCater like a training wheel. It helps you balance early on, but you can’t ride forever with it. Each dollar you save by eliminating the 15% commission goes straight into profits. Focus on strengthening your direct ordering platform, customer service, and marketing (email lists, corporate sales outreach, loyalty programs).

‍

By building your own direct funnel, you’ll gain not just higher margins but also resilience. If EzCater’s policies change, you won’t be stranded. You’ll have a sustainable catering business that stands on its own.

‍

Bottom line: EzCater can stay part of the mix for now, but plan to shift more and more business onto your own turf. You don’t need to burn bridges immediately, but you do need to build a better bridge for the future.

CateringRewards: The Best EzCater Alternative

EzCater did not win because it had better food or better technology. It won because it understood the buyer. It made catering easy for busy professionals who just needed to place an order, get it right, and move on with their day.

CateringRewards flips that same insight in the restaurant’s favor without trying to replace EzCater outright. Instead of paying a marketplace 15% on every repeat order, restaurants can redirect that money toward the person actually placing the order.

When rewards are tied to direct ordering, the dynamic changes quickly. Restaurants keep the customer relationship. They control pricing and promotions. They decide when and how to reward behavior. Over time, repeat catering stops being unpredictable and starts behaving like a growth loop.

From the buyer’s side, the experience stays simple. They order directly from the restaurant. They earn cashback. They redeem it like cash when it suits them.

That last part matters more than most loyalty programs realize. When rewards can be redeemed through something universally useful like Amazon gift cards, they feel real. It is not free food at some point in the future. It is a personal value today.

This is why CateringRewards works so well as an EzCater alternative. It does not compete on discovery. It competes on economics and behavior.

EzCater is excellent at introductions. Catering rewards is what keeps the relationship going. Used together or as a transition strategy, it gives restaurants a practical way to reduce marketplace dependence without burning bridges or risking volume.

Frequently Asked Questions
‍

Why do restaurants use EzCater if fees are so high?

Because it is easy. EzCater brings instant orders with no upfront marketing spend. For new or understaffed catering programs, access matters more than margins in the early stages.

How much does EzCater actually cost?

About 18 percent per order. This includes a 15 percent commission plus payment processing fees. On a $500 catering order, roughly $90 goes to EzCater before food and labor.

What are the best EzCater alternatives?

CateringRewards is a strong alternative because it helps restaurants retain and own the customer relationship. Other options include catering marketplaces like Fooda and ZeroCater, which primarily help with visibility.

How do I get customers to order direct instead of EzCater?

Offer a better incentive. Capture the customer’s contact information and reward direct orders with higher points, gift cards, or exclusive perks. The value needs to be clear and easy to understand.

What is CateringRewards?

CateringRewards is a loyalty platform built specifically for catering. It allows restaurants to reward direct and high value orders with cashback that customers can redeem as Amazon gift cards.

Should we stop using EzCater completely?

No. EzCater can be used for discovery while you build your direct sales channel. The goal is not to quit overnight, but to gradually shift repeat business to channels you control.

‍