If you are on Bolt Food, you already know the good and the bad. The app brings customers. It also takes around 20% of every order, decides how your food ranks, and owns the relationship with everyone who orders from you.
The good news? Bolt Food is not the only option in Ghana anymore. Let's walk through the honest alternatives, and which mix makes the most sense for your kitchen.
The quick answer
There are three real alternatives in Ghana right now:
- Chowdeck — the fast-growing marketplace, strong in Accra.
- Hubtel — the payments company with a food and delivery arm.
- Your own store — and this is where Dingo comes in: zero commission, your customers, your rules.
The smartest restaurants in Accra do not pick one. They use a marketplace for discovery and their own store for profit. More on that below.
Option 1: Chowdeck
Chowdeck is the Nigerian delivery company that picked Ghana as its first market outside Nigeria, launching across areas like Osu, East Legon and Madina. It is young, hungry, and its brand is growing fast among Accra customers.
- Best for: restaurants in covered Accra neighbourhoods who want a second source of discovery.
- Cost: marketplace commission, commonly around 20 to 30%. Confirm your exact rate during onboarding.
- Watch out for: same marketplace maths as Bolt — you are renting customers, not owning them.
We put together a full Chowdeck vendor guide for Ghana if you want the step-by-step.
Option 2: Hubtel
Hubtel is the Ghanaian payments giant, and its consumer app lets customers order food, groceries and more. Their restaurant partner page claims restaurants see a sales boost of up to 42% in the first 90 days. That is their own marketing claim, so take it with a pinch of salt, but the reach of the Hubtel app in Ghana is real.
- Best for: businesses that also want payments and business tools in one ecosystem.
- Cost: merchant terms are set with Hubtel directly.
- Watch out for: it is still a marketplace. The customer belongs to the platform, not to you.
Option 3: Your own store with Dingo
This is the option nobody advertises to you, because nobody earns a commission from telling you about it.
Dingo is the Ghanaian platform built on a different idea: instead of renting you customers, it gives you your own online store in about 3 minutes. Your customers order directly from you. The WhatsApp selling AI answers questions, takes the order and sends a payment link, all inside the chat, day and night.
- Cost: zero commission on every order, on every plan. The free plan includes your store page, the WhatsApp AI, a POS for in-person sales, and unlimited orders. The Pro plan is GH₵250/month and adds a custom website plus Instagram and Facebook selling.
- Best for: keeping every cedi you earn, and building a customer list nobody can take from you.
- Watch out for: you bring your own customers. Marketplaces help with discovery; your store is where the profit lives.
Remember what happened to Jumia Food and Glovo
If you think one app is forever, remember Ghana's recent delivery history. Jumia Food shut down. Glovo packed up and left the country. Restaurants that built everything on one platform had to start over overnight.
Platforms come and go. Your own customer list survives every market change. That is the strongest argument for owning your store, and it is exactly why we wrote how to move your restaurant off Bolt Food.
The mix that actually works
Here is what we recommend after watching Ghanaian kitchens closely:
- If you are new: start with your own Dingo store first (it is free), then add one marketplace for discovery.
- If you are on Bolt Food now: stay, but stop being dependent. Push your regulars to order direct on Dingo, where you keep 100%.
- If commission is eating you: see exactly what it costs in our Bolt Food commission breakdown, then do the maths for your own numbers.
And if you want the WhatsApp side set up properly, read WhatsApp ordering systems for Ghanaian businesses — or let us handle it for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is cheaper than Bolt Food for restaurants in Ghana?
Your own store. Dingo charges zero commission, so your only possible cost is GH₵250/month on the optional Pro plan. Every marketplace takes a percentage of every order forever.
Should I leave Bolt Food completely?
Not necessarily. Marketplaces are good for discovery. The mistake is depending on one for survival. Use the app for new eyes, and grow your direct orders until the direct side is your main income.
Which alternative gets me the most customers?
Marketplaces win for raw discovery. Your own store wins for profit and repeat orders. That is why the winning mix is one marketplace plus your own store.
Can Brand Afro set all of this up for me?
Yes. We set up stores, WhatsApp ordering and the whole marketing engine for Ghanaian businesses. Have a look at our services or keep it DIY with Dingo — both routes work.
Ready for an alternative that pays you everything?
Create your Dingo store at madingo.store, claim your shop name, and keep 100% of every order. It takes about 3 minutes, and the free plan costs nothing forever.