Quick answer: DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub charge roughly 15-30% commission per order. You can cut that by driving direct online ordering (your own site at 0% commission), choosing the lower-commission marketplace tiers, adding a modest delivery fee, pricing your delivery menu separately, offering pickup incentives, and using the apps mainly for discovery while moving repeat customers to direct ordering.
Third-party delivery is a great way to get discovered — and a fast way to watch your margin disappear. On a 30% commission, a $30 order nets you $21 before food and labor cost. Here is how US restaurants claw that back in 2026, without disappearing from the apps entirely.
How much commission do DoorDash and Uber Eats charge?
Commission depends on the plan you pick. The marketplaces offer tiers — typically around 15%, 25% and 30% — where higher commission buys more visibility and wider delivery radius. Add payment processing and optional marketing and the effective take can climb further. The key insight: you choose the tier, and the highest one is not always worth it.
| Channel | Typical commission |
|---|---|
| DoorDash / Uber Eats / Grubhub marketplace | 15-30% + fees |
| Third-party "delivery-only" (you drive traffic) | ~10-15% |
| Your own online ordering + own driver / DoorDash Drive | 0% commission (delivery cost only) |
9 ways to reduce delivery commission
- Launch direct online ordering. A commission-free ordering page on your own site is the single biggest lever — you keep 100% minus card processing.
- Use QR-code ordering for dine-in and pickup so on-premise orders never touch a marketplace.
- Right-size your marketplace tier. Test whether the 30% tier actually drives enough extra orders to beat the 15% tier.
- Add a small delivery fee to marketplace orders to offset commission (within the app rules).
- Price a separate delivery menu so app orders carry the commission, not your dine-in guests.
- Incentivize pickup — a small discount for pickup shifts orders to a cheaper channel.
- Use "self-delivery" or DoorDash Drive for orders you generate yourself — fulfilment without the marketplace commission.
- Convert repeat customers to direct. Add a flyer or QR to every delivery bag pointing to your own ordering page and a first-order discount.
- Own your customer data. Direct orders give you the email/phone; marketplaces keep it. That is worth more than one order.
Should you pass the fee to customers?
Menu "price-ups" on delivery apps are common and allowed within each platform's policy — many restaurants set delivery-menu prices 10-15% higher to protect margin. The trade-off is customer perception, so keep it modest and consistent. For pickup and direct orders, keep prices lower to reward the cheaper channel.
Is direct online ordering actually worth it?
Yes, once you have repeat customers. The apps are excellent for discovery; they are expensive for loyalty. The winning play is to use marketplaces to get found, then move regulars to your own online ordering at 0% commission. A POS with built-in direct ordering makes this seamless — DineOpen includes commission-free online ordering, QR dine-in, and DoorDash/Uber Eats/Grubhub integration in one place.
Frequently asked questions
How much commission does DoorDash take from restaurants? DoorDash marketplace commission typically ranges from about 15% to 30% per order depending on the partnership tier you choose, plus payment processing and optional marketing fees.
Can restaurants avoid delivery commission? You cannot avoid it on marketplace orders, but you can avoid it on direct orders. Building your own commission-free online ordering and moving repeat customers to it is the most effective way to cut total delivery costs.
Is it legal to charge more on DoorDash than in-store? Menu price-ups on delivery apps are widely used and permitted within each platform's policies. Keep the increase modest and check the current terms of each app.