An ordering app for Chinese restaurants that does not take a cut
A Chinese restaurant can take orders in its own app instead of paying DoorDash 15% to 30%. Nomback builds your takeout app with your full menu, combos and lunch specials, so regulars reorder in a couple of taps and earn stamps. It costs $99 a month and $399 setup, with no commission on any order.
How it works
- Send us your menu, including combos, family dinners and lunch specials; we build the app in about two weeks.
- Put the QR card in every takeout bag and delivery order.
- Send a push at 11 a.m. for the lunch special, and let stamps do the rest.
What it costs
| Nomback plan | Monthly | One-time setup |
|---|---|---|
| Your own ordering and rewards app (iPhone and Android) | $99 | $399 |
| App and website | $129 | $399 |
| Website only | $79 | $149 |
No commission on any order and no fee added to your customers. Card payments go through Stripe at 2.9% + 30¢. Apple charges $99 a year and Google $25 once for the developer accounts, which are in your name. Month to month, and live in about two weeks. Full pricing.
Built for a takeout menu
Chinese takeout menus are long: soups, appetizers, a dozen chicken dishes, combination plates, family dinners and a lunch menu that changes the price before 3 p.m. The app carries the whole menu, and a regular's last order is saved, so the same General Tso's combo with an egg roll is two taps away.
Takeout is most of the business already. In a National Restaurant Association survey, 56% of people who eat Chinese food at least a few times a year get it as takeout or delivery (NRN). Across all restaurants, nearly 75% of traffic is now off-premises (NRA).
What a busy takeout kitchen pays a delivery app
Take an example kitchen doing 400 delivery-app orders a month at $35. That's $14,000 in sales.
| DoorDash plan | Commission a month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Basic, 15% | $2,100 | $25,200 |
| Plus, 25% | $3,500 | $42,000 |
| Premier, 30% | $4,200 | $50,400 |
Commission rates from DoorDash. If a quarter of those orders are regulars who move to your app, that's 100 orders at $0 commission. On the Plus plan that keeps $875 a month, against $99 for the app.
Phone orders, too
Many Chinese restaurants still take a lot of orders by phone, which ties up whoever is at the counter. An app order arrives written out and paid, so there's no mishearing "no onions" during the rush. Customers who like calling can keep calling.
Questions owners ask
Can the app handle combos and lunch specials?
Yes. Combination plates, family dinners and lunch specials go in as menu items with their own prices and choices.
Will my regulars actually download an app?
Some will, especially for a reward. A QR card in the bag with a free item on the first app order is how most owners get started.
Do I need a new POS?
No. Orders arrive on a tablet or your kitchen printer.
Does Nomback charge per order?
No. It's $99 a month and $399 setup. Card payments cost Stripe's 2.9% + 30 cents.
Can I keep DoorDash?
Yes. Keep it for new customers and move the repeat ones to your app.
Can the menu show Chinese characters?
Yes. Menu item names can be written in any language you want to show.
Related: How to lower third-party delivery fees, Commission-free online ordering in your own app, An ordering and rewards app for Mexican restaurants and taquerias.
Sources
- NRN: consumers rely on restaurants for Chinese food (NRA survey), 2015
- National Restaurant Association: off-premises dining, Apr 16, 2025
- DoorDash merchant pricing
- Stripe pricing
- Nomback pricing
Prices and fees were checked on October 30, 2026. They change, so check the source before you decide.