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Restaurants · head to head

Caviar vs Lunchbox

Caviar logo

Caviar

Restaurants

Premium restaurant delivery service

From
$20/order
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lunchbox logo

Lunchbox

Restaurants

First party ordering websites, apps and loyalty for growing multi unit restaurant brands

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Caviar limited availability to 20 major metropolitan areas; Lunchbox the fee is charged per location per month regardless of how many direct orders you generate, so brands that do not fund marketing pay for a channel that stays quiet.
  • They diverge on capability: Caviar covers Premium delivery, Lunchbox covers Branded ordering web and apps.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Caviar and Lunchbox actually diverge.

Attributes where Caviar and Lunchbox differ
AttributeCaviarLunchbox
Starting price$20/orderOn request
Pricing modeltransactionquote
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Restaurants).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Caviar

  • Premium delivery
  • Curated marketplace
  • Order management
  • Quality-focused
  • Analytics
  • DoorDash
  • Toast
  • Square

Only in Lunchbox

  • Branded ordering web and apps
  • Loyalty and rewards
  • Guest data platform
  • Marketing automation
  • POS and delivery integrations
  • Catering and group ordering

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Caviar

  • Point of Salenot Lunchbox
  • Order Managementnot Lunchbox
  • Inventory Controlnot Lunchbox
  • Staff Schedulingnot Lunchbox

Lunchbox

  • A fast casual chain of ten to thirty units trying to shift volume away from delivery marketplacesnot Caviar
  • A brand that wants its own iOS and Android apps without commissioning a bespoke buildnot Caviar
  • An operator who needs guest order history for retention campaigns rather than anonymous marketplace ordersnot Caviar
  • A group launching catering that needs a separate ordering flow from standard checkoutnot Caviar

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Caviar

  • Limited availability to 20 major metropolitan areas
  • Service fee of 18 percent applied to all orders
  • Not available in all regions as standalone service

Lunchbox

  • The fee is charged per location per month regardless of how many direct orders you generate, so brands that do not fund marketing pay for a channel that stays quiet.
  • Moving customers off marketplaces requires sustained discounting and advertising that the restaurant funds, and none of that cost appears in the software quote.
  • The company has been through substantial restructuring since its peak funding, so integration maintenance and roadmap continuity are fair questions to put in writing before signing.
  • Native app launches involve app store review, brand assets and a build fee, so time to first order is measured in weeks rather than days.
  • The integration list is narrower than that of the large enterprise ordering vendors, and a group on an uncommon POS may find order injection limited or unsupported.

Pricing, plan by plan

Caviar

$20/order
  • Standard$25/percent
    • Premium delivery
    • Curated placement

Lunchbox

On request
  • Lunchbox$undefined/year
    • Priced per location per month with modules for ordering, loyalty and marketing
    • One time build and launch fee for web and mobile apps
    • App store submission and brand design handled during onboarding

Which should you pick?

Choose Caviar if

  • You need premium delivery.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want curated marketplace.
Caviar review

Choose Lunchbox if

  • You need branded ordering web and apps.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want loyalty and rewards.
Lunchbox review

Questions people ask

Is Caviar or Lunchbox better?
Neither clearly leads. Caviar starts at $20/order and Lunchbox at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Caviar or Lunchbox?
Caviar starts at $20/order and Lunchbox at On request.
Does Caviar or Lunchbox run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Caviar best used for?
Caviar is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling. Of those, point of sale and order management are not what Lunchbox is typically brought in for.
What can Caviar do that Lunchbox cannot?
Caviar covers Premium delivery, Curated marketplace, Order management, Quality-focused. Lunchbox covers Branded ordering web and apps, Loyalty and rewards, Guest data platform, Marketing automation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Caviar: What does Caviar charge for delivery?

A service fee of 18 percent is applied to each Caviar delivery order. The delivery fee ranges from $1.99 to $8.99 depending on distance and demand. Customers ordering for pickup pay no order minimums, service fee or delivery fee.

Source
Lunchbox: Does it stop me paying delivery commission?

Only on orders that move to your own channels. Orders still placed on DoorDash or Uber Eats carry their usual commission.

Caviar: Is Caviar available as a standalone service?

No. Caviar was acquired by DoorDash in October 2019 and now operates as part of the DoorDash platform. DoorDash members with DashPass enjoy waived delivery fees and reduced service charges on Caviar orders.

Source
Lunchbox: Do I get my own branded mobile app?

Yes, native iOS and Android apps under your brand, built and submitted during onboarding for a one time fee on top of the subscription.

Lunchbox: Who owns the customer data?

The restaurant. That is the central argument for first party ordering over marketplace ordering.

Lunchbox: What size of brand is it aimed at?

Multi unit groups, broadly five to fifty locations. Single sites usually do better with a cheaper ordering product.

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