TRIO Bar & Grill received compensation in exchange for their participation in this study.
Serving Up Southern Comfort in Huntsville
Founded in 2023 TRIO Bar & Grill has quickly become a Huntsville, Alabama staple. Known for their "Eat. Drink. Vibe." philosophy, they serve bold American and Southern comfort food, ranging from crispy fried catfish to their famous lollipop lamb chops.
As a young business, the team at TRIO understood that while visibility on third-party delivery apps is the key to winning new customers, building direct relationships with their guests was what they needed to do to sustain long-term success.
The Challenge: Protecting Margins Against Rising Costs
In an era of rising food prices and changing economic conditions, every dollar counts for small businesses. According to Jarek Taylor, Operations Manager at TRIO Bar & Grill, the primary challenge was finding a way to win new customers while improving their margins.
Taylor recognized that TRIO needed a strong restaurant website designed to win direct orders to protect their hard-earned margins.
Building a Direct Ordering Channel with DoorDash Commerce Platform
TRIO launched DoorDash Commerce Platform to create a professional, branded website that includes a built-in online ordering system. The site was built, hosted, and search-optimized by DoorDash — giving TRIO an easy way to grow online without adding more to their plate.
Best of all, direct orders placed through the branded website are commission-free, which means TRIO keeps more of what they earn through their site.
The website gives customers the same experience as visiting in person, with features like:
Commission-free Online Ordering: Direct orders placed through TRIO's Branded Website have zero commission fees — only standard payment processing fees apply — improving margins on every order.
Simplified Operations: DoorDash Commerce Platform builds off TRIO's existing Marketplace profile, so menus, photos, and order management stay in sync across both channels without extra work from the team.
Direct ordering links: TRIO can share a direct link to their ordering page with customers instantly — through social media, in-store, and more — making it easy to drive traffic to their commission-free channel at any time.
Results: More Orders, More Money, More Growth
The impact of the new restaurant website was almost immediate. Within just three weeks of launch, TRIO saw a massive 111% lift in direct online sales. Beyond the volume of orders, the quality of those orders improved as well, with a 17% increase in Average Order Value (AOV) on direct online orders.
“With our branded website, we've seen a huge increase in the direct orders we've been receiving"
By giving customers a direct way to support the business, TRIO has created a sustainable path forward where their online ordering is as bold as their flavors.
Looking ahead, the Commerce Platform will be core to TRIO’s strategy as they continue to grow their footprint in the Huntsville community.
"Being able to save money with zero commission fees is great. Especially with the food prices driving so high... all money that small businesses can receive, they should be able to get."
¹Based on DoorDash data Aug'25-Dec'25, comparing 3-28 days before implementation, and 3-28 days after implementation.
