Every year at our annual customer event, Beyond4, I'm reminded of what makes this industry different. When I look out at a room full of restaurant operators—some of whom compete directly with each other for the same guests, the same delivery radius, the same Friday night traffic—and see them leaning in, sharing what works, and lifting each other up, I'm struck by something profound. This industry is a light in a world that often feels very dark.
That spirit—what we call "stronger together"—inspired our big announcement at Beyond4. What follows is an adapted version of the keynote I delivered at Beyond4—because a moment this significant shouldn't stay within the four walls of a conference room.
The current online ordering landscape
Digital ordering has always offered restaurants two choices, each with trade-offs.
First-party ordering—your own website or app—gives you everything you want: full ownership of the guest relationship, complete control over the experience, all the data, and all the profit. No intermediary taking a cut. When you want to reach your guests directly, you can.
But there are serious challenges. Guest acquisition through paid advertising can run up to $100 per new guest. Even then, Olo data shows that about 70% of first-time guests don’t return—so downloading a standalone restaurant app when their phones are already saturated with apps feels daunting and kills repeat visits. Maintaining your own app can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, sometimes more.
Third-party marketplaces solve the reach problem. Millions of guests are already there. Discovery is built in, and there’s one unified experience for guests to order and pay. But you're paying 15–30% commissions on every order, often adding advertising spend just to show up in search results. And worst of all: the marketplace owns your guest. That loyalty belongs to them, not you. You'll have to pay again and again to reach that guest.
Think of it like real estate. Rent checks disappear while mortgage payments build ownership. After years of renting, you have nothing. After 30 years of owning, you have an asset.
So, first-party offers full ownership with limited reach, while third-party offers broad reach with no ownership. For two decades, those were the only options.
Until now.
Introducing a second-party model and the Olo Network
Today, we're introducing something the restaurant industry has never seen before—not first party or third party, but what we're calling second-party ordering. This is what I believe is the future of digital ordering.
Second party is a coalition. A group of brands working together, sharing network-level data, while each brand maintains full ownership of the guest relationship. It combines the reach and discovery of a marketplace with the ownership and economics of your own app. It combines the reach and discovery of a marketplace with the ownership and economics of your own app.
That's the idea behind the Olo Network and the new Olo App.
We've worked for years building the most trusted network in the industry. Olo Accounts serves as the digital backbone of the Olo Network, comprising 40 million unified guest profiles (up from 15 million a year ago and 5 million a year ago. Read as: growing fast!).
When a guest opens the Olo App, they see your brand. They can follow you with a single tap. No lengthy sign-up form. No password to remember. Just one click, and they're connected to your brand. In the Olo App, "following" is the new install—without the friction.
Once a guest follows your brand, it's pinned to the top of their home screen—not buried in an algorithmic list controlled by a marketplace with its own interests. The guest curates their own experience, and you stay top of mind because they chose you.
How the Olo App will revolutionize online ordering
The Olo App isn't a marketplace. Within a framework optimized for conversion, your brand profile is yours to configure: your menu, your photos and videos, your story. You get a first-party brand experience inside a second-party network.
But here's what makes it truly revolutionary: when a guest orders from your brand, you don't just get their order history with you. You get access to Olo network-level data: payment details, delivery address, dietary preferences, and network intelligence drawn from over 40 million guests (and growing) who already use Olo Accounts across ordering and loyalty.
Think about what that means in practice. We know that 70% of first-time restaurant guests never return. What if you could serve a first-time guest as if you already knew them?
A guest who's shared through Olo that they're vegan shouldn't see a steak bowl special as your first recommendation. With network-level data, you can surface the personalized options that create a great first impression—and that's what turns a one-time visitor into a loyal regular. It flips the odds in your favor.
The guest doesn't have to reintroduce themselves every time they try a new brand. And your brand maintains full ownership of that guest relationship the moment the guest orders.
And the cost to your brand? Zero commission. Olo grows only when you process more orders, so our goal is simple: make this your most profitable digital ordering channel.
The future of the Olo Network
The Olo Network consists of the Olo App, coming later this year, and Olo Accounts, the passwordless login system now used by more than 500 brands. What began as a way to remove friction from the guest experience has evolved into the infrastructure for something much larger.
As AI agents increasingly help people manage their daily lives—from planning a trip to ordering lunch—structured network data becomes critical. The Olo Network makes your brand AI-readable by default. When AI agents start ordering for their humans, your menu will be the language they speak.
Every innovation we build within Olo Network will share the same principles: one-click acquisition, network-level data, brand differentiation, and zero commission.
What this means for restaurants
To recap:
- Reach and discovery of a network with millions of guests, without paying commissions
- One-click guest acquisition, so guest favorites are never buried
- Full ownership of the guest relationship and data
- Network intelligence that enables personalization from the very first order
- Seamless integration with your existing Olo tech—no new hardware, no retraining your team
We've spent 21 years building the building and enabling restaurant commerce. Now, together, we're building the future—one where you know your guests, keep your profits, and deliver hospitality that makes every guest feel like a regular from the moment they walk through the door.
A rising tide lifts all boats. I'm proud to be in this alongside you. We are stronger together. Now we will win together.
Ready to stop renting your guests? Visit the Olo Network page to learn more and connect with an Olo expert.
