Rent, staff and ingredients are hard to cut. Commission is different. It is often the biggest cost a restaurant can change in a single month, because it depends on one thing you control: where your regulars press the "order" button.
This guide puts real numbers on it: what the apps charge in 2026, what your own ordering page costs, and how much a small, a busy and a very busy restaurant save in a year.
What the delivery apps charge in 2026
Uber Eats publishes its US rates in its restaurant terms. Delivery orders cost:
- Lite: 20% of the order
- Plus: 25%, rising to 30% on orders from Uber One members
- Premium: 30%
Pickup orders through the app cost less, but they still carry a fee.
DoorDash has three similar Marketplace plans. Industry guides report delivery commissions of 15% (Basic), 25% (Plus) and 30% (Premier), and the cheaper plans give you less visibility in the app. In Canada, the UK and Europe the structure is similar, and rates in the 25% to 35% range are common.
Rates change and depend on your contract, so open your own dashboard and note your real percentage before you do the maths below.
The one number to remember
On a 25% plan, every $1,000 of orders through an app costs you $250 in commission.
The same $1,000 of orders through your own website costs about $30 in card fees (roughly 3% per order).
That is $220 saved on every $1,000 of orders. On a 30% plan it is $270 saved on every $1,000.
What your own ordering page costs
There are only two costs:
- Card processing: about 3% of each order, paid to the payment company.
- A monthly fee for the website and ordering system. Providers range from about $100 to $500 a month. Our Growth plan, which includes the website, ordering and your Google profile, starts at $99 a month.
There is no commission, no per-order fee to a marketplace, and no charge for showing up higher in a list.
Three worked examples
These examples assume a 25% app plan, 3% card fees and a $99 monthly plan. "Moved to your own site" means the sales from regulars who now order from you directly instead of through the app.
| Small restaurant | Busy restaurant | Very busy restaurant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales moved to your own site, per month | $3,500 | $9,000 | $13,000 |
| Commission you no longer pay (25%) | $875 | $2,250 | $3,250 |
| Card fees instead (3%) | − $105 | − $270 | − $390 |
| Monthly plan | − $99 | − $99 | − $99 |
| Saved each month | $671 | $1,881 | $2,761 |
| Saved each year | $8,052 | $22,572 | $33,132 |
For the small restaurant, $3,500 a month is about a hundred orders from regulars. That is three or so orders a day, and it already pays for the plan several times over.
Where the extra savings hide
The table only counts commission. Owning your orders saves money in three more places.
Menu markups. Many restaurants raise their prices on the apps to cover the commission. On your own site you can charge your normal menu prices, so your regulars pay less and you still keep more.
Promoted listings. Apps charge extra to appear higher in search. Regulars do not need to find you again, so you stop paying to reach people who already know you.
Your own customer list. Every direct order gives you a name, a number and an order history. A simple "it's quiet tonight, here's a free side" text to your regulars costs almost nothing and fills empty evenings. On an app, that customer belongs to the app.
Which orders to move (and which to keep on the apps)
Do not leave the apps. They are good at one thing: bringing you new guests. Pay commission for that.
Move the repeat orders:
- Put a card in every delivery bag: "Order direct next time, same menu, no app fees", with a QR code to your ordering page.
- Point the Order button on your Google Business Profile to your own site, not to an app. Our Google Business Profile checklist shows how.
- Add your ordering link to Instagram, your receipts and your window.
- Thank regulars with something small for ordering direct, like a free drink on their next order.
Our guide on moving repeat orders off the apps goes through this step by step.
One honest caveat: delivery
Pickup orders through your own site cost almost nothing to run. Delivery is different: you need your own driver or an on-demand courier, and that has a cost. Many restaurants start with direct pickup for regulars and keep app delivery for everyone else, then add their own delivery once direct orders grow.
Work out your own number
Take your monthly app sales from repeat customers (most app dashboards show new and returning customers), then:
Saved per month = moved sales × (your commission % − 3%) − your monthly fee
Or use the savings calculator on our restaurants page: enter your monthly app sales and commission, and it shows what you would keep.
Want us to do the maths for you?
We run a free audit for independent restaurants in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe. We look at your current apps, your Google profile and your website, and send back one page with your numbers and what we would change first. Ask for a free audit, no strings attached.
Commission rates are from Uber Eats' published restaurant terms and from industry guides on DoorDash plans, checked in October 2026. Your contract may differ, so always check your own dashboard.
