A $30 delivery order hits your tablet. Another one right behind it. Busy night — great, right?
Then you check your DoorDash statement at the end of the month. Between commission fees, payment processing, packaging, and a promotional campaign you forgot you signed up for, that $30 order netted you somewhere around $11. Maybe less.
Commission tiers, delivery models, and optional marketing fees vary by platform. The numbers below are the published ranges as of early 2026; your exact rate can change by market, fulfillment method, and add-ons in your merchant portal.
This guide breaks down every fee, every hidden cost, and every strategy to make delivery actually profitable in 2026.
The Full Cost Stack of a Delivery Order
Every delivery order has five cost layers. Most operators only think about the first two.
| Cost Layer | What It Includes | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Platform commission | Percentage of food subtotal paid to the delivery platform | 15–30% |
| 2. Food cost | Ingredient cost of the menu items ordered | 25–35% |
| 3. Packaging | Containers, bags, utensils, napkins, stickers, tamper seals | $1.50–$5.00/order |
| 4. Payment processing | Credit card / digital payment fees | 2.9–3.5% + $0.30 |
| 5. Marketing / promotions | Promoted listings, discount campaigns, loyalty offers | 0–20% (optional) |
When you add all five layers together, the total cost of fulfilling a delivery order can reach 40–55% of the order value — before labor or overhead.
2026 Platform Commission Comparison (Published Rates)
DoorDash (Marketplace plans)
DoorDash lists three delivery commission tiers for restaurants with 75 or fewer US locations. Pickup commission is 6% across plans, and DoorDash notes no extra credit card processing fees on DoorDash app orders.
| Plan | Delivery Commission | Pickup Commission | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 15% | 6% | Lowest commission; standard in-app reach |
| Plus | 25% | 6% | DashPass access; expanded in-app reach |
| Premier | 30% | 6% | Highest reach + added marketing perks |
Source: DoorDash Merchant Pricing, DoorDash Commission Explained
Uber Eats (Marketplace plans)
Uber Eats lists delivery commission tiers at 20% / 25% / 30% for Marketplace plans. A self-delivery option is also listed at 15% (you deliver; Uber lists you), and pickup is published at 7% with validated parity / 10% without validation.
| Plan | Delivery Commission | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | 20% | Limited visibility |
| Plus | 25% | Standard visibility |
| Premium | 30% | Highest visibility |
| Self-Delivery | 15% | You deliver; Uber provides demand |
Source: Uber Eats Merchant Pricing
Grubhub (Marketplace pricing)
Grubhub’s published pricing breaks out marketing commission (5% / 15% / 20%), an order processing fee, and delivery fees starting at 10% if you use Grubhub delivery (self-delivery: 0% delivery fee).
| Fee Type | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing commission | 5% / 15% / 20% | Visibility and placement by package |
| Delivery fee | 10% (starting) | Only if using Grubhub delivery |
| Order processing | Additional | Covers payment processing |
Source: Grubhub Pricing & Fees, Grubhub FAQ
Quick Comparison: Delivery Commission on a $30 Order
| Platform | Plan | Delivery Commission | Fee on $30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DoorDash Basic | 15% | $4.50 | |
| DoorDash Plus | 25% | $7.50 | |
| DoorDash Premier | 30% | $9.00 | |
| Uber Eats Lite | 20% | $6.00 | |
| Uber Eats Plus | 25% | $7.50 | |
| Uber Eats Premium | 30% | $9.00 | |
| Grubhub (example) | 15% marketing + 10% delivery | $7.50 |
Grubhub example excludes the order processing fee and assumes a 15% marketing package + Grubhub delivery.
Real Example: A $30 Delivery Order, Fully Costed
What the Customer Paid
Food subtotal: $30.00
Delivery fee: $4.99 (paid to platform, not to you)
Service fee: $3.60 (paid to platform)
Tip: $5.00 (paid to driver)
─────────────────────────
Customer total: $43.59What You Actually Receive (DoorDash Plus, 25%)
| Line Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Food subtotal | $30.00 | What you sold |
| − Commission (25%) | −$7.50 | On food subtotal |
| − Payment processing (~3%) | −$0.90 | |
| Platform payout | $21.60 | What hits your bank account |
Some platforms bundle processing into the commission. If your statement doesn’t list it separately, treat this line as a conservative estimate.
What You Still Owe
| Cost | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Food cost (30%) | −$9.00 | Ingredients |
| Packaging | −$2.50 | Containers, bag, utensils |
| Your actual profit | $10.10 | |
| Profit margin | 33.7% | On food subtotal |
Compare that to the same $30 of food sold dine-in:
| Dine-In | Delivery (25% tier) | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $30.00 | $30.00 |
| − Credit card / platform fees | −$0.90 | −$8.40 |
| − Food cost | −$9.00 | −$9.00 |
| − Packaging | $0 | −$2.50 |
| Net profit | $20.10 | $10.10 |
| Margin | 67% | 33.7% |
Delivery profit is roughly half of dine-in profit, dollar for dollar. That’s the baseline you need to work with.
Packaging Costs: The Expense Nobody Budgets For
Packaging for delivery orders typically costs $1.50–$5.00 per order, depending on cuisine type, portion count, and material choices. Material and freight volatility can swing these costs quickly, so treat packaging as a fixed line item in every delivery order.
Average Packaging Cost by Cuisine Type
| Cuisine | Avg. Cost/Order | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pizza | $1.00–$1.50 | Simple box, minimal extras |
| Burgers / sandwiches | $1.50–$2.50 | Clamshells, fry containers, bag |
| Mexican | $1.50–$2.50 | Multiple components, sauce cups |
| Asian | $2.00–$3.50 | Soup containers, chopsticks, soy sauce packets |
| Indian | $2.00–$3.50 | Multiple curries, rice, naan = many containers |
| Fine dining / bowls | $3.00–$5.00+ | Premium containers, branded packaging |
Per-Item Packaging Costs (2026 US)
| Item | Cost Each | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 32oz deli container + lid | $0.25–$0.40 | Most common |
| Clamshell (hinged, 1-compartment) | $0.20–$0.35 | Burgers, sandwiches |
| Soup container (16oz, with lid) | $0.30–$0.50 | |
| Sauce cup (2oz, with lid) | $0.05–$0.10 | Adds up fast (3–4 per order) |
| Paper bag (kraft, medium) | $0.15–$0.30 | |
| Utensil set (fork, knife, napkin) | $0.10–$0.20 | |
| Tamper-evident sticker | $0.03–$0.08 | Required by some platforms |
| Hot/cold insulated bag | $0.50–$1.00 | Seasonal; premium option |
Eco-friendly packaging (compostable, plant-based) often costs more, but can support brand perception and repeat orders if you communicate it clearly.
Profit by Order Size: Where’s Your Break-Even?
The economics change dramatically with order value. Here’s how a DoorDash Plus (25%) restaurant with 30% food cost and $2.50 packaging fares:
| Order Value | Commission (25%) | Food Cost (30%) | Packaging | Processing (~3%) | Net Profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | $3.75 | $4.50 | $2.50 | $0.45 | $3.80 | 25.3% |
| $20 | $5.00 | $6.00 | $2.50 | $0.60 | $5.90 | 29.5% |
| $25 | $6.25 | $7.50 | $2.50 | $0.75 | $8.00 | 32.0% |
| $30 | $7.50 | $9.00 | $2.50 | $0.90 | $10.10 | 33.7% |
| $40 | $10.00 | $12.00 | $2.50 | $1.20 | $14.30 | 35.8% |
| $50 | $12.50 | $15.00 | $2.50 | $1.50 | $18.50 | 37.0% |
| $75 | $18.75 | $22.50 | $2.50 | $2.25 | $29.00 | 38.7% |
Key insight: Packaging is a fixed cost per order. On a $15 order, packaging ($2.50) is 16.7% of the order value. On a $50 order, it’s only 5%. This is why higher average order values are critical for delivery profitability.
The Minimum Order Threshold
At 25% commission + 30% food cost + $2.50 packaging + 3% processing:
- $10 order → Net profit: $1.40 (14% margin) — barely worth the disruption
- $15 order → Net profit: $3.80 (25% margin) — minimum viable
- $20+ order → Net profit: $5.90+ (29%+ margin) — where delivery starts making sense
Recommendation: Set minimum delivery order at $15–$20 if your platform allows it, or design your menu to encourage combo orders that naturally hit this threshold.
7 Strategies to Improve Delivery Margins
1. Price Your Delivery Menu Separately
Most platforms allow different pricing for delivery vs. dine-in. A 15–20% markup on delivery items is industry standard and offsets commission fees without shocking customers (they expect delivery to cost more).
Dine-in: Chicken Bowl $12.99
Delivery: Chicken Bowl $14.99 (+15.4%)At 25% commission, that $2.00 markup recovers most of the commission gap.
2. Build Combo Meals and Family Packs
Single-item orders have the worst margins because packaging cost is fixed. Design your delivery menu around bundles:
| Menu Design | Avg. Order Value | Packaging | Net Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single items only | $18 | $2.50 (14% of order) | ~27% |
| Combos (entrée + side + drink) | $28 | $3.00 (11% of order) | ~32% |
| Family packs (feeds 3–4) | $55 | $4.00 (7% of order) | ~37% |
Family packs are the highest-margin delivery format because the packaging-to-revenue ratio drops sharply.
3. Optimize Your Platform Tier
Not every restaurant needs the Premium/Premier tier.
| Your Situation | Best Tier | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New restaurant, building awareness | Plus (25%) | DashPass visibility and expanded radius drive discovery |
| Established, strong brand | Basic / lower-commission tier | Loyal customers search you by name; lower commission usually protects net margin |
| High volume, competitive market | Premier/Premium (30%) | Automatic ads and Growth Guarantee offset the extra 5% |
| Primarily pickup | Any tier | Pickup can be 7% with in-store parity validation (or 10% without validation), so verify status first |
Re-evaluate your tier every quarter. If you’re getting 200+ orders/month on Plus, test switching to Basic for one month and compare total revenue (not just per-order margin).
4. Use Direct Ordering to Bypass Commissions
Both DoorDash and Uber Eats now offer direct ordering products:
| Product | Commission | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| DoorDash Commerce Platform | 0% commission (subscription fee) | Your own branded ordering website |
| Uber Webshop | 2.5% + $0.29/order | Direct ordering site powered by Uber |
If even 20% of your delivery orders shift to direct, the savings are significant. On 500 monthly delivery orders averaging $30:
- 100 orders × $7.50 saved per order (25% → 2.5%) = $750/month in recovered margin
5. Develop Delivery-Optimized Menu Items
The best delivery items have:
- Low food cost (under 25%)
- High perceived value (looks generous in the container)
- Travels well (doesn’t get soggy, separate components)
- Fast prep time (doesn’t slow your kitchen during dine-in rush)
- Efficient packaging (fits in standard containers)
| ✅ Good for Delivery | ❌ Problematic for Delivery |
|---|---|
| Rice bowls, burritos | Delicate plated dishes |
| Wings, tenders | Fried items that steam in containers |
| Salads (dressing on side) | Composed salads with micro-greens |
| Pasta (sauce on side) | Thin-crust pizza (gets soggy) |
| Family-style proteins | Soufflés, tempura, anything crispy |
6. Track Delivery-Specific Food Costs
Your delivery food cost percentage is different from your dine-in food cost percentage because:
- You can’t upsell add-ons the way a server can
- Platform promotions (BOGO, free delivery) may require discounted pricing
- High-cost items may be ordered more frequently (customers browse differently on apps vs. in-person)
Track delivery food cost as a separate line item in your P&L. If your dine-in food cost is 28% but delivery is 33%, you have a delivery menu design problem.
7. Negotiate and Stack Platforms
- High-volume restaurants (300+ orders/month) can often negotiate 2–5% lower commission rates
- Being on multiple platforms gives you leverage: “Uber is offering us 20% — can you match?”
- Stack platforms strategically: Use Premium tier on your top platform (where volume justifies it) and Basic on secondary platforms (for incremental orders)
Delivery vs. Dine-In: When Delivery Makes Sense
Delivery margins are lower — that’s a fact. But delivery isn’t competing with dine-in for the same dollar. It’s incremental revenue that uses existing kitchen capacity.
| Factor | Dine-In | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue per $1 food sold | ~$0.67 profit | ~$0.34 profit |
| Kitchen capacity needed | High (plating, timing, service) | Medium (can batch orders) |
| Front-of-house labor | Full service required | None |
| Weather dependence | High (snow, rain = empty seats) | Low (bad weather = more orders) |
| Operating hours | Limited by staffing | Can extend with ghost kitchen hours |
| Customer acquisition | Walk-ins, word of mouth | Platform exposes you to 40M+ users |
| Brand building | Strong (ambiance, experience) | Moderate (packaging, food quality) |
The right mental model: Delivery orders should be measured against marginal cost, not fully loaded cost. If your kitchen is running at 60% capacity during off-peak hours, a delivery order that nets $10 profit on $30 of food is using capacity that would otherwise generate $0.
The Delivery Profit Formula
Net Delivery Profit = Order Value
− Platform Commission (15–30%)
− Payment Processing (2.9–3.5% + $0.30)
− Food Cost (25–35%)
− Packaging ($1.50–$5.00)
− Promotions (0–20%, if applicable)Monthly Delivery P&L Example
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly delivery orders | 400 |
| Average order value | $32 |
| Gross delivery revenue | $12,800 |
| − Commission (25%) | −$3,200 |
| − Processing (3%) | −$384 |
| − Food cost (30%) | −$3,840 |
| − Packaging ($2.50/order) | −$1,000 |
| − Promotions (5% average) | −$640 |
| Net delivery profit | $3,736 |
| Net margin | 29.2% |
That $3,736 is real profit — it’s revenue that wouldn’t exist without the delivery channel. The question isn’t “is delivery as profitable as dine-in?” (it’s not). The question is “is $3,736/month in incremental profit worth the operational complexity?”
For most restaurants: yes, if managed correctly.
Track Every Delivery Order’s True Cost
Manually calculating commission, food cost, and packaging for every delivery order is impractical — especially when ingredient prices shift weekly and you’re running on multiple platforms with different commission tiers.
A recipe cost calculator like KitchenCost lets you:
- Build recipes with current ingredient prices and see food cost per menu item
- Factor in loss rates and yield to get accurate per-portion costs
- Instantly see how a $0.50/lb ingredient increase affects your delivery menu
- Compare margins across menu items to design a delivery-optimized menu
- Set target margins and price items accordingly
When you know your actual cost per item, you can make informed decisions about which items belong on your delivery menu and which ones are losing you money with every order.
Key Takeaways
- A $30 delivery order typically nets $10–$15 after all costs (platform, food, packaging, processing)
- DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub use different fee structures — compare your exact plan and delivery model in the merchant portal
- Packaging costs $1.50–$5.00 per order and is a fixed cost that disproportionately hurts small orders
- Set minimum orders at $15–$20 or design combos that naturally exceed this threshold
- Delivery menus are often priced 10–20% higher than dine-in to offset fees — validate with your own margin math
- Direct ordering products (DoorDash Commerce, Uber Webshop) can reduce commission on a portion of orders but add their own fees
- Measure delivery as incremental revenue, not against dine-in margins — it’s using kitchen capacity that would otherwise be idle
Related guides:
- Uber Eats vs DoorDash vs Grubhub Fees Breakdown (2026)
- Food Cost Ratio: What It Is and How to Calculate It
- Cost Reduction Strategies: 5 Ways to Cut Costs Without Raising Prices
- Menu Engineering: Optimize Your Menu for Profit
- Delivery-Optimized Menu Design Guide
- Margin vs. Markup: The Difference and Why It Matters