Small restaurants lose money on delivery apps and can't tell what price to list
LINE MAN keeps about 30% of each order plus 7% VAT on that cut, so a 100 baht dish listed at 100 pays the shop 67.9 baht. A Pantip post says listing at the in-store price x 1.48 breaks even. One smoothie seller reported 45 baht taken from a 150 baht order and felt they were losing money. Owners are working out the markup themselves in forum posts.
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5 ways to tackle it
Hardware and sensors
Plate Scale: a kitchen scale that shows what each plate costs and what to list
A cook weighs the pork, basil and rice for one plate on a scale with three ingredient buttons. The screen adds up the cost, then shows the delivery price that still pays the shop after the 30% cut and the VAT on it. No notebook, no calculator, done at the wok.
Build with ESP32, HX711 load cell, 2.9in e-ink, 3 push buttons, price list in a JSON file
Camera and vision
Menu Re-Pricer: photo of your paper menu becomes a delivery price sheet you print
The owner photographs the in-store menu board. Claude vision reads every dish and price, applies the app's 30% cut plus VAT, rounds to a clean 5 baht, and makes a two-column A4 sheet: in-store price, price to list on the app. Tape it next to the tablet so whoever updates the app copies the right number.
Build with Claude vision, Next.js, PDF print stylesheet, any home printer
Hardware and sensors
Bag Stuffer: a receipt printer that adds a direct-order coupon to every delivery bag
A small thermal printer next to the pass prints a coupon slip with the customer's first name and a PromptPay QR for a direct order at 10% off. The price still beats the app after its 30% cut, so the shop earns more and the customer pays less. A cook presses one button when the rider picks up the bag.
Build with Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, 58mm thermal printer, big arcade button, PromptPay QR generator, Google Sheet of direct orders
Voice and phone
Price Line: call a number, say the dish cost in Thai, hear the price to list
A cook who never types calls a phone number and says 'kra pao moo, cost 38 baht'. A Thai voice answers 'list it at 78 baht, you keep 14 after the app cut' and offers to read the next dish. The owner can call from the kitchen with greasy hands.
Build with Twilio Voice or Vonage, Whisper Thai, Claude, Thai TTS (Google or Botnoi)
AI agent
Rival Menu Spy: an agent that checks five nearby shops for prices you can hold
The agent opens the delivery app pages for five similar shops within 1 km, reads their listed prices for the same dishes, and compares them with the break-even price. It tells the owner which dishes can sit at x1.48 without losing orders and which need a smaller portion or a combo instead.
Build with Playwright, Claude, Google Maps places, Google Sheets
What people reported
Worked example: 30% GP + 7% VAT leaves 67.9 of 100 baht; suggests in-store price x 1.48
pantip.comSmoothie seller: 45 baht GP on a 150 baht order, 'where do shops like us end up'
pantip.com