Short answer: Restaurants usually connect to delivery and online-ordering platforms through APIs. Orders flow from the platform into the restaurant system automatically, order status and item availability flow back, and payouts and commissions are reconciled in accounting. A good integration eliminates manual re-keying, deducts stock by recipe and shows delivery profitability separately from dine-in.
Why Channel Integration Is Now a Priority
Delivery is no longer a side channel in Saudi Arabia. According to the Transport General Authority, delivery orders exceeded 118 million in Q1 2026, up 49% year on year, then passed 132 million in Q2 2026, up 30.5%. Riyadh accounted for about 44% of orders, Makkah region about 22% and the Eastern Province about 16%.
At that volume, many restaurants still run a separate tablet for each platform and have staff retype every order into the till. The result: order errors, kitchen delays, inaccurate stock and reports that cannot separate dine-in profit from delivery profit.
How API Integration Works, Simply Put
An API is an agreed language between two systems. The platform publishes documentation describing the data format and how to send it, and the restaurant system speaks that language. Webhooks are commonly used, so the platform pushes each order to your system the moment it is created instead of your system polling every minute.
Common integration patterns
| Pattern | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Manual entry | Platform tablet in store; staff re-enter orders in the POS | New operations with low order volume |
| Direct API | Restaurant system connects straight to the platform’s API | High-volume outlets on one or two platforms |
| Middleware layer | A service aggregates orders from several platforms into one system | Chains active on multiple platforms |
| Own ordering channel | Branded website or app sending orders to the system | Restaurants wanting a direct customer channel |
What Data Flows, and in Which Direction
Platform to restaurant system
- Order number, time and target branch.
- Items, quantities, modifiers and special notes.
- Prices, discounts and promotions applied.
- Payment method (prepaid or cash on delivery).
- Periodic settlement data: gross sales, commissions, fees and amounts paid out.
Restaurant system to platform
- Order acceptance or rejection, and estimated prep time.
- Status updates: preparing, ready for pickup.
- Item availability: temporarily switching off sold-out items.
- Menu and prices, where the platform allows syncing from the system.
Inside the restaurant system after the order lands
- Routing to the kitchen display or printer.
- Deducting raw materials by recipe.
- Posting sales under a delivery channel and the branch cost center.
- Booking platform commission as an expense on receipt of the settlement statement, and matching the payout to the bank.
Know Your Delivery Margin Before You Scale
The example below assumes a 25% commission on the pre-VAT price for illustration; use the rate in your actual contract.
| Item | Dine-in (SAR) | Delivery (SAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-VAT meal price | 33.91 | 33.91 |
| Ingredients and packaging | 12.06 | 12.06 |
| Platform commission (assumed 25%) | 0.00 | 8.48 |
| Gross margin per plate | 21.85 | 13.37 |
The same dish can lose close to 40% of its margin on delivery. That is why many restaurants set separate delivery prices or a shorter, higher-margin delivery menu, and those decisions need accurate data from a connected system, not estimates.
Questions to Ask Your System Provider and Platform
- Does the platform offer an API to restaurants or system providers, and what are the terms for credentials and a sandbox?
- Does the integration cover only order intake, or also status, availability and menu sync?
- How are items mapped? Every platform item, including modifiers, needs a matching item and recipe in your system.
- What happens when the connection drops? Are orders retried, and how is staff alerted?
- How do settlement and commission data arrive, via API or periodic files, and can they be imported into accounting?
- Who issues the tax invoice to the end customer in your model? Check your platform contract and tax adviser, and make sure the system records it in line with e-invoicing rules.
- What customer personal data do you receive, and how is it stored and protected under applicable regulations?
- Who maintains the integration when the platform updates its API?
Running the Integration Project
- Map your channels: list each platform, monthly order volume and participating branches.
- Unify the item list: one name and code per item and modifier, mapped to each platform.
- Document recipes: without them, no integration can deduct stock accurately.
- Get technical documentation: API docs, sandbox access and certification terms.
- Build and test: normal, modified, cancelled and refunded orders, plus connection loss.
- Pilot in one branch for one to two weeks, then roll out.
- Reconcile monthly: platform reports against the system and the bank.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Integrating orders but not modifiers, so tickets arrive incomplete and add-on stock is never deducted.
- Booking sales net of commission, which hides the true cost of the channel.
- Ignoring cancellations and refunds, a leading cause of mismatches with platform reports.
- Relying on one person who knows how the integration is set up.
What This Means for Saudi Restaurant and Café Owners
- With tens of millions of orders every quarter, manual re-keying becomes a bottleneck at peak hours.
- Order concentration in Riyadh, Makkah and the Eastern Province makes automated integration most urgent for chains there.
- Integration is about stock accuracy and channel profitability, not just speed.
- Start by cleaning your data: one unified item list and documented recipes are the precondition for any successful integration.
How Riv-ERP Can Help
Riv-ERP brings POS, multi-warehouse inventory, accounting and cost centers into one system, which is the foundation any ordering-channel integration needs: unified items, recipes and separate accounts per channel and branch. Riv-ERP also has an exclusive integration with Salla and Zid e-commerce stores. For food delivery, Riv-ERP is integrated with HungerStation, Jahez, Keeta and Mrsool: orders flow into the system automatically and stock is deducted by recipe, with no manual re-entry. For any other platform, the team can assess an API integration and build custom solutions in .NET, C# and SQL Server. Request a quote and connect your delivery apps.
Run a restaurant? See Riv-ERP for restaurants and cafés, integrated with HungerStation, Jahez, Keeta and Mrsool.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does integrating a restaurant with delivery apps via API mean?
It is a programmatic link between the restaurant system and the platform: orders arrive automatically at the POS and kitchen, and order status and item availability go back to the platform, with no manual re-entry.
Do all delivery apps allow direct integration?
Not every platform opens its API to everyone; some require an approved system provider or a minimum order volume. Ask about access terms and a test environment before committing.
How is platform commission recorded in accounting?
Sales are recorded at their value, then commission and fees are booked as expenses when the settlement statement arrives, and the net payout is matched to the bank statement, taking VAT on the commission invoice into account.
Does integration deduct inventory automatically?
Yes, when every platform item maps to an item and recipe in the system. Each delivery order then consumes raw materials exactly like a dine-in order.
Can Riv-ERP integrate with the delivery platform I use?
Yes. Riv-ERP is integrated with HungerStation, Jahez, Keeta and Mrsool, with orders and inventory syncing automatically. If you use another platform, the Riv-ERP team can assess an API integration based on the documentation and access it provides.
Sources: Al Eqtisadiah – 132 million delivery orders in Q2 2026, Al-Madina – 118 million delivery orders in Q1 2026.
