Single-Vendor vs Multi-Vendor Food Delivery Apps: What Should You Build in 2025?

There’s a quiet revolution happening in how we eat.
It’s not just about flavors or convenience anymore — it’s about who delivers our food and how.

If you’re dreaming about launching a food delivery app in 2025, there’s one big decision you’ll need to make early:

Should you build a single-vendor or multi-vendor food delivery platform?

The answer can shape your business model, user experience, marketing strategy, and growth potential.

Let’s break it down — clearly, simply, and with zero tech jargon.

First, What Do These Two Models Actually Mean?

Single-Vendor = One Seller, One App

A single-vendor platform is basically your restaurant or cloud kitchen’s own branded app. Customers order only from you, and you handle everything from menu updates to delivery (or partner with a logistics service).

Think Domino’s or your favorite local pizza place with its own delivery app.

You control the entire experience.

Multi-Vendor = A Marketplace of Eateries

A multi-vendor platform is what most people think of when they hear “food delivery app.”

It’s like a digital food court — users browse a bunch of restaurants, compare prices and ratings, place an order, and the platform handles the rest.

Think Uber Eats, DoorDash, Swiggy, Zomato.

The platform becomes the middleman — and often, the money-maker.

When a Single-Vendor Model Makes Sense

This model works best when you are the brand.

Maybe you’re:

• A local restaurant wanting to go digital
• A home chef with a loyal base
• A cloud kitchen targeting one cuisine
• A D2C health food business

Why people love it:

You keep more profits (no third-party commissions)
You own the customer relationship
You can build loyalty features like rewards, push notifications, or exclusive deals
You control delivery standards

But there’s a flip side.

You’ll need to:

Handle your own marketing (no shared platform traffic)
Deal with delivery logistics (or outsource it)
Scale slowly — it’s just you, after all

Still, for focused food entrepreneurs or niche brands, it’s a clean and powerful model.

When a Multi-Vendor Platform Makes Sense

If you’re not a restaurant — but a tech-savvy entrepreneur dreaming of building the next Uber Eats in your region — this is your playground.

You’ll be creating a space where restaurants can sign up, customers can explore, and your platform becomes the go-to destination for food delivery.

Why founders love it:

Massive scaling potential
Multiple revenue streams (commissions, delivery fees, ads)
The more vendors you add, the more users you attract
Build once, earn forever (theoretically)

The challenges?

You’ll need serious tech: order tracking, dashboards, delivery routes
Customer support can get messy fast
You’re betting on other people’s food and service quality
Competition is fierce (but also means opportunity)

Still, if you have the vision, tech resources, or funding — it can become a very lucrative game.

Let’s Talk Money: How Each Model Makes Revenue

Single-Vendor Platforms:

• Direct food sales
• Delivery charges
• Loyalty programs
• Upsells and combos
• Exclusive offers

It’s pretty straightforward — you sell, you earn.

Multi-Vendor Platforms:

• Vendor commissions (15–30%)
• Delivery fees per order
• Paid listings for restaurants
• Subscription models for users (free delivery, priority support)
• Ad placements inside the app

More complex, yes — but also more diverse in terms of income streams.

DoorDash (Multi-Vendor):

DoorDash is more than an aggregator now. It launched DashMarts — mini convenience stores it owns. That’s the kind of control you get once you dominate the logistics and platform layer.

Still Confused? Ask Yourself These 3 Questions

1. What kind of business are you starting?
   A food brand → Go single-vendor
   A platform to connect others → Go multi-vendor
2. How much do you want to control?
   Want branding and end-to-end control → Single-vendor
   Want to scale fast with many sellers → Multi-vendor
3. How much can you invest?
   On a tight budget? → Single-vendor MVPs are easier
   Got funding or technical cofounders? → Multi-vendor is a bigger (but riskier) bet

A Hidden Third Option: Hybrid Models

Some startups are mixing it up.

Start as a single-vendor app. Once you nail the experience and grow an audience, invite partners or expand into a multi-brand platform.

Or launch a multi-vendor platform but only allow handpicked partners at first — to control quality and build trust.

Flexibility is the secret weapon here.

Tech Tips for Beginners

Not a coder? No problem. Here’s what to know:

For Single-Vendor Apps:

• Build fast with tools like Shopify, GloriaFood, or Flutter
• Outsource delivery or use tools like ZasApp, Pickrr, Dunzo APIs

For Multi-Vendor Apps:

• You’ll need:
• Restaurant dashboard
• Customer app
• Admin panel
• Delivery integrations (real-time tracking, delivery boy app)
• Tools like FoodTiger, Ordering.co, or custom app development teams can help

Don’t try to DIY unless you’re technical — food delivery apps are complex and need to be reliable.

Final Thoughts

Food delivery is no longer just a luxury — it’s infrastructure.

The model you choose will define how your business grows, how much control you have, and how much money you make.

• Single-vendor = control, brand-building, steady growth
• Multi-vendor = scale, complexity, potential big wins

Pick the one that fits your vision — not just the trend.

And remember: even giants like Uber Eats started small. What matters most is starting smart.

Planning to build your own delivery app?
Platforms like Oyelabs specialize in building both single and multi-vendor food delivery systems. Worth checking out if you’re serious about getting it right the first time.