Question 1

What is a restaurant aggregator app?

Accepted Answer

A restaurant aggregator app is a single platform that pulls menus, prices, and ordering from many restaurants into one place, so customers can browse, compare, and order across brands without installing each restaurant's own app. The aggregator typically also handles delivery (either through its own riders or partners), payment, ratings, and customer support, which is why most users in Africa rely on aggregators rather than individual restaurant apps.

Question 2

How is a restaurant aggregator different from a single-restaurant delivery app?

Accepted Answer

A single-restaurant delivery app belongs to one brand or chain (for example a fast-food chain's own app) and sells only that brand's menu. A multi-restaurant delivery app, or aggregator, lists many independent restaurants and chains side by side, lets users compare cuisines and prices, and usually owns or partners on the rider network so any listed restaurant gets delivery without having to build its own logistics stack.

Question 3

How do restaurant aggregators work in Africa?

Accepted Answer

A restaurant aggregator in Africa signs up restaurants in a target city, ingests their menu and pricing into a unified ordering platform, accepts customer orders through a mobile app and web, then routes each order to the restaurant for preparation and to a rider for delivery. Most African aggregators integrate local payment methods (mobile money, cards, cash on delivery), provide live order tracking, and earn from a commission on each order plus delivery fees.

Question 4

What is the difference between a restaurant aggregator and a restaurant marketplace?

Accepted Answer

The two terms overlap heavily. A restaurant marketplace in Africa usually emphasises the two-sided nature of the product (restaurants on one side, hungry customers on the other) and may include features like vendor onboarding, payouts, and storefront tools. Restaurant aggregator emphasises the consumer experience of browsing many restaurants in one app. In practice, most platforms are both, and the choice of term is largely marketing.

Question 5

What are the benefits of using a restaurant aggregator vs ordering from a restaurant directly?

Accepted Answer

Aggregators give customers more variety in one place, easier comparison of prices and ratings, unified payment and tracking across orders, and often promotions that are not available on individual restaurant apps. For restaurants, an aggregator brings demand without the cost of building their own ordering app or rider fleet, which is why many smaller restaurants in Africa rely on aggregators for the bulk of their delivery orders.

Question 6

How do restaurant aggregators in Africa handle payment and delivery?

Accepted Answer

Payment is typically handled inside the app using mobile money (M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, Orange Money), Visa and Mastercard through local processors, bank transfers, in-app wallets, and cash on delivery in many markets. Delivery is run either by the aggregator's own rider fleet, by third-party logistics partners, or by the restaurant's own riders, with the aggregator providing live tracking, ETA, and rider ratings.

Question 7

Do restaurant aggregators charge restaurants commission, and how do they make money?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The core revenue line is a commission on each order, usually 15 to 30 percent of the order value depending on country, restaurant size, and whether delivery is included. Aggregators also earn from delivery fees paid by customers, sponsored listings and ad placements paid by restaurants, subscription tiers that offer free delivery or discounts, and in some cases from operating cloud-kitchen brands they own directly.

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