Boba Cafe Simulator Delivery Platform Contracts
Commission, subsidies, duration, and traffic — how to pick partners without starving your counter.
Boba Cafe Simulator’s Takeout app lets you sign contracts with competing delivery platforms — fictional stand-ins for the gig-economy apps milk tea shops use in real cities. Each contract bundles commission rates, possible subsidies, duration, and implied order volume. Signing unlocks the digital ticket flow once you own a delivery label printer, but it also commits you to fees on every bagged cup that leaves through that brand.
Choosing platforms is a business decision tied to menu margin from Menu and Pricing, prep capacity from Best Cafe Layout, and weather-driven traffic spikes from Seasonal Drinks.
Opening the Takeout app
Press B, open Takeout, and browse available partners. The UI presents negotiable terms rather than a single default app — compare rows before clicking accept. Contracts differ enough that the cheapest commission is not always the best net profit if order volume is thin.
After signing, purchase the delivery label printer from Mr Wong or phone order — platforms cannot push tickets without hardware. Station the printer in your delivery corner, not beside dine-in labels.
Key contract variables
While exact numbers shift with patches, watch these levers:
Commission rate — percentage skimmed per delivery order. High-margin boba drinks absorb commission better than discounted lemonade loss leaders.
Contract length — longer lock-in stabilizes traffic modeling but traps you if prep was not ready. Short trials suit learning manual accept discipline.
Subsidies and promos — some platforms temporarily boost customer demand or offset fees during launch events. Subsidies feel great on reports until they expire — replan prices before renewal shock.
Traffic profile — implied order frequency vs walk-ins. Heavy traffic platforms stress pearls and sealing film; light platforms may not justify courier wages.
Document active terms on a notepad when running multiple contracts — confusing commission tiers causes mistaken renewals.
Signing your first contract
First contract checklist:
- Counter service hits consistent Perfect ratings on a small listed menu.
- Delivery corner exists per Best Cafe Layout.
- Delivery printer purchased and tested.
- Bags stacked; map familiarity from tutorial building runs in How to Deliver.
- Manual accept enabled — auto-accept waits until you win at manual mode.
Sign one platform before juggling two. Learn commission impact on net daily profit with clean data.
Multi-platform strategy
Later saves may run multiple platforms simultaneously. Benefits: diversified traffic, weather resilience. Costs: ticket bursts, label confusion, commission stacking on overlapping menu items.
Assign each platform a mental priority tier:
- Primary — highest volume, acceptable commission, menu aligned with your best prep loop
- Secondary — fills rainy-day gaps; pause manually during counter meltdown
- Experimental — short contract testing new drink categories or promo subsidies
Never let combined tickets exceed the physical cup queue your layout supports.
Commission versus menu pricing
Delivery fees eat margin on cheap drinks faster than premium boba. After signing, revisit prices in the Recipes app — happiness meter still matters because platforms pull listed prices.
If commission plus ingredients plus labor leaves pennies, either raise price inside happy range, delist the drink from delivery-heavy days, or drop the platform during that menu phase.
End-of-day reports separate walk-in gross from delivery lines when evaluating renewals.
Couriers and contract economics
Platforms deliver tickets; couriers deliver physical bags. Early game you carry orders yourself — zero wage, high time cost. Mid game hiring couriers frees the register but adds a fee per trip.
Hire when average counter queue length stays above your comfort threshold and delivery fees still beat lost walk-in sales from leaving the shop. Co-op friends substitute for couriers without AI wages — coordinate in How to Deliver.
Renewals, cancellations, and mistakes
Before renewing, compare last period:
- Net delivery profit after commission and courier costs
- Refund rate on bagged orders
- Popularity trend — bad delivery sugar levels hurt ratings like dine-in mistakes
- Menu changes — new festival drinks may not travel well
Letting a bad contract expire while you fix prep beats renewing out of habit.
Weather and platform load
Rain and extreme weather often shift orders toward apps while walk-ins drop. Platforms signed before monsoon season pay off; platforms signed during clear weather weeks may look underwhelming until the sky changes.
Sync seasonal menu listings before weather spikes so tickets request drinks you can seal and bag quickly.
Relationship to shop popularity
Platforms increase visibility but amplify failures. Ten delivery refunds from mislabeled boba hurt popularity like ten counter refunds. Popularity gates recipe unlocks in Unlocking Recipes — treat delivery quality as part of your brand, not a side minigame.
Decor from Decor and Popularity does not fix wrong ice levels in a bag.
Related guides
Hub: Delivery. Workflow: How to Deliver. Menu math: Menu and Pricing. Equipment: Equipment from Mr Wong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for new and returning cafe managers.
Where do I sign delivery platform contracts?
Press B, open the Takeout app, and review available partners. Compare commission, duration, and subsidies before accepting a contract.
What do I need after signing a contract?
Buy a dedicated delivery label printer and set up a separate delivery corner with bags and staging space away from dine-in pickup.
Is the lowest commission always best?
Not necessarily. A slightly higher commission platform with more orders or better subsidies can net more profit than a cheap quiet partner.
Can I run multiple delivery platforms at once?
Yes, but multiple active platforms increase ticket volume and label complexity. Master one partner manually before adding others.