Delivery app fees: what restaurants really pay — and how to keep more.

The short answer: marketplace apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub typically charge restaurants a commission of roughly 15% to 30% per order, depending on the plan you choose and what's included (delivery, marketing placement, and so on). Plans and rates change, so always check your current agreement — but for most restaurants, it's one of the biggest costs after food and labor.

What the commission actually covers

Lower-commission plans usually mean less: pickup only, or a smaller delivery radius, or less visibility in the app. Higher plans add delivery and promotion. On top of commission, some restaurants also pay for in-app ads, promotions they fund themselves, and card processing — and many raise menu prices on the apps to compensate, which customers notice.

The math: one realistic example

Take a restaurant doing 300 delivery orders a month at an average ticket of $35, on a 25% commission plan:

	Monthly	Yearly
Order revenue through apps	$10,500	$126,000
Commission paid at 25%	$2,625	$31,500
Same orders direct (~3% card processing)	$315	$3,780

That's a difference of about $27,700 a year on the same food and the same orders — before counting the cost of your own ordering website. Your numbers will differ: run them in our free fee calculator.

Moving even a third of those orders to direct ordering would keep roughly $9,000 a year in the business.

The hidden cost: you don't own the customer

When someone orders through an app, the app owns that relationship. You often can't email them, reward them, or invite them back — and next time, the app may show them a competitor first. Direct orders turn one-time app customers into your regulars.

Should you quit the apps?

Usually, no. The apps are genuinely good at one thing: putting you in front of people who've never heard of you. The smart move is to use them for discovery, and move repeat customers to ordering direct, where you keep more of every order.

A practical plan to move regulars to direct ordering

1. Get a direct ordering website that's fast and easy on a phone — if ordering direct is harder than the app, people won't switch.
2. Put the link everywhere you control: your Google Business Profile order button, Instagram bio, and website homepage.
3. Add a QR code to every bag and receipt — "Order direct next time" with a simple reason to do it.
4. Give a small, real incentive for ordering direct — a free side or a few percent off still costs far less than a commission.
5. Track it monthly. Watch what share of orders comes through your own site, and grow it steadily.

What direct ordering costs

You'll typically pay standard card processing on direct orders, plus the cost of building and maintaining the ordering website. At FROMFARIS, restaurant sites start with our Launch package from $1,200, and full direct online ordering is scoped as a custom build from $3,500. For most busy restaurants, the commission savings cover that within months. See restaurant websites or read how we built direct ordering for Gyro Kitchens.