How Açaí, Por Favor Turned 77% of Deliveries into Profit with Their Own App
104%
increase in app store views
900%
increase in app downloads
250%
increase in app sessions
.svg)
In the spring of 2022, Açaí, Por Favor was born out of a simple idea—to bring real, authentic açaí to Los Angeles. Tired of watered-down, overly sweet blends dominating the city, the founders set out to craft something better. The goal wasn’t just to create another smoothie shop but to establish a place where customers could experience açaí the way it's meant to be—rich, natural, and true to its Brazilian roots.
Since launching, they’ve expanded into multiple locations and built a loyal customer base drawn to their clean branding, superfood-focused menu, and commitment to quality. But like many fast-casual concepts and cafes, they faced a common challenge in scaling their delivery operations profitably—especially in a market like Los Angeles where convenience drives consumer behavior.
Platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats are an easy way to acquire new customers. For small and mid-sized restaurant brands, they offer exposure to a wide audience, convenient fulfillment, and immediate order volume. Açaí, Por Favor used DoorDash for just that—it helped bring in a steady stream of new customers, especially during their early growth phase.
But the cost was high. Third-party platforms typically take 20% to 30% commissions, sometimes even more. For a business selling carefully sourced ingredients like organic açaí, granola, and fresh fruit, these margins were unsustainable. The more delivery orders they fulfilled through these platforms, the harder it became to remain profitable.
Customer acquisition was happening, but customer retention and profitability were being eroded.
While pickup helped avoid delivery fees, it wasn’t the preferred option for their target audience. In a fast-paced, mobile-first city like Los Angeles, the majority of customers wanted convenience—and that meant delivery.
That’s where Per Diem became helpful.
Açaí, Por Favor partnered with Per Diem to shift their strategy from third-party reliance to owning the customer journey end to end. With a white-label ordering app branded specifically for Açaí, Por Favor, they gained the ability to:
Instead of losing revenue on every delivery, they now make a profit because Per Diem enables first-party ordering with integrated delivery fulfillment.
The app is integrated with DoorDash’s logistics network. This means Açaí, Por Favor can still use DoorDash drivers to fulfill the deliveries, but customers place their orders through the app—not through DoorDash's marketplace. The delivery experience stays seamless, but the profits go back to the business.
Since launching their Per Diem-powered mobile app, over 77.8% of Açaí, Por Favor’s first-party orders are delivery-based. That number is unusually high for fast-casual restaurants and speaks to two things:
Customers get the delivery experience they want, while the business retains control, reduces commission costs, and boosts margins. It’s a win-win.
Most customers don’t want to browse a website, enter credit card details, and go through multiple pages just to get a smoothie bowl. Mobile apps simplify that journey. From quick tap-to-reorder functions to stored payment info and push notifications, Per Diem’s app design is built for speed and ease.
This has made a significant difference in Açaí, Por Favor’s customer behavior. People are not just ordering once—they’re coming back regularly because ordering is now a habit.
Açaí, Por Favor also leverages Per Diem’s Square Loyalty integration, allowing them to seamlessly reward customers for app downloads, repeat purchases, and referrals. These rewards show up instantly in the customer’s account, encouraging re-engagement and frequency.
This in-app loyalty program is crucial for competing in a crowded market. It doesn’t just attract customers—it retains them. And retention is where profitability truly lies in the delivery economy.
With third-party platforms, restaurants rent access to customers. They get orders, but no insights. No way to follow up. No direct channel to drive repeat purchases or offer targeted promotions.
With Per Diem, Açaí, Por Favor shifted to a direct-to-consumer model. They now own the customer experience from the first tap to the final delivery. This has unlocked new ways to market, communicate, and grow without relying on paid ads or expensive third-party promotions.
Instead of chasing customers across platforms, the brand now brings customers into its own ecosystem—an environment fully branded, fully controlled, and optimized for repeat business.
The mobile app functions as a central marketing hub. Açaí, Por Favor can:
This kind of direct, targeted engagement is not possible on third-party platforms. It’s one of the main reasons Açaí, Por Favor has seen higher retention, repeat ordering, and smoother day-to-day operations since adopting Per Diem.
And from the customer’s perspective? It’s more convenient, faster, and actually rewarding.
As Açaí, Por Favor continues to grow, the Per Diem platform gives them the flexibility to scale on their own terms. They can open new locations and instantly make them available in the app. They can test menu items, offer promotions, and track performance in real-time.
Every customer who downloads their app becomes an owned asset—not a shared user profile on someone else’s network.
This positions the brand to grow beyond just operational success. It allows them to build long-term equity in their name, rather than being a name buried in a list of results on someone else’s app.
At its core, this shift from third-party to first-party ordering is about one thing: profitability. With Per Diem, Açaí, Por Favor doesn't have to choose between offering delivery and protecting their margins. They get both.
They’ve cut out high commissions, improved the ordering experience, and added loyalty mechanics—all while keeping customers happy and engaged. In a delivery-driven market like LA, that’s a huge competitive edge.
It’s a small shift in how you take orders—but it can make a big difference to your bottom line. Book a free demo today.
For fast-casual restaurants, cafés, smoothie bars, and similar local food businesses, the demand for delivery isn’t slowing down—and neither are customer expectations for convenience and speed. Açaí, Por Favor’s journey highlights that there’s a smarter, more profitable way to meet this demand. By shifting from third-party platforms to a first-party branded app powered by Per Diem, they reduced their reliance on high-commission marketplaces, increased the share of direct delivery orders, and created a seamless mobile ordering experience that keeps customers coming back. The integration with Square Loyalty further strengthened customer retention, while app-based ordering simplified operations and enhanced engagement. This case demonstrates that owning your delivery channel is not only possible but essential for building long-term brand value and maintaining healthy profit margins. With the right technology in place, convenience becomes a growth engine rather than a cost center—just as it has for Açaí, Por Favor.
.svg)
.svg)
