Cubes by Chefstin — direct-to-merchant ordering, no aggregator.

Cubes by Chefstin operated as a restaurant and lounge, and needed a system that let customers place orders online and pay directly — without funnelling every order through an aggregator marketplace that would take a commission and own the customer relationship.

Most restaurant ordering platforms at the time were either aggregators or generic e-commerce tools that didn't understand how a working restaurant handles a queue of incoming orders mid-service.

A direct-to-merchant ordering and payment platform on WordPress + WooCommerce, extended with custom theme work and a Stripe integration. Customers browsed, ordered, and paid by card directly. No aggregator, no commission per order.

Custom work where it mattered: an operator admin view designed around the operational rhythm of a restaurant, order state management tied to kitchen workflow, and payment reconciliation that closed out cleanly at end of service.

The system ran as the backbone of Cubes' online ordering operation throughout the life of the business. The pattern it proved — direct-to-merchant, no aggregator middleman — remains the right shape for restaurants that want to own their margins and customer relationships rather than rent them.