At a Glance: What Operators Actually Keep per $30 Order
| Platform | Advertised Commission | Real Take Rate | You Keep | Lost to Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DoorDash | 15-30% | 35-40% | ~$18-$19.50 | ~$10.50-$12 |
| Uber Eats | 15-30% | 30-40% | ~$18-$21 | ~$9-$12 |
| Grubhub | 5-20% | 25-35% | ~$19.50-$22.50 | ~$7.50-$10.50 |
Includes processing fees, promo deductions, refunds, and adjustments. Based on typical US restaurant operator statements.
A platform decision is a margin decision. If you compare tiers by advertised commission only, you will overestimate retained dollars.
Use this page as a working model: benchmark public plan structure, calculate effective take rate, then choose channel mix by contribution.
1) Context: Why “One Platform Is Cheaper” Is Usually Wrong
Operators lose visibility when fees are split across multiple labels (commission, processing, promo funding, adjustments). This creates two common mistakes:
- selecting a plan for demand volume without net-dollar checks
- keeping one menu price across all channels
Both increase order count while reducing contribution per order.
2) Table: Public Plan Structure Snapshot (US, referenced sources)
| Platform | Public delivery structure | Additional public notes | Operator risk if ignored |
|---|---|---|---|
| DoorDash | 15% / 25% / 30% marketplace tiers | 6% pickup in partnership messaging | Assume 15% economics while paying much higher effective take rate |
| Uber Eats | 20% / 25% / 30% marketplace tiers | 7% parity-verified pickup, otherwise 10%; self-delivery and Webshop listed separately | Misprice pickup and marketplace with the same margin target |
| Grubhub | Marketing commission packages, commonly shown in 5% to 20% range | Delivery and order processing components can be separate | Under-model the total deduction stack |
Public tables are starting points, not payout truth.
3) Formula: Standardize Comparison Across Platforms
Effective take rate = Total platform deductions / Order subtotalContribution per order =
Order subtotal
- Total platform deductions
- Food cost
- Packaging
- Channel labor
- Promo fundingChannel score (weekly) =
Contribution per order x Weekly order countRank channels by channel score, not by gross sales.
4) Worked Comparison on a $30 Item
Assumptions held constant across channels:
- Food cost: $9.00 (30%)
- Packaging: $2.00
- Channel labor: $1.00
- Promo funding: $0.90 (3%)
| Scenario | Effective take rate | Net after platform | Contribution per order | Contribution margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong execution | 18% | $24.60 | $11.70 | 39.0% |
| Mid-pressure | 25% | $22.50 | $9.60 | 32.0% |
| Promo-heavy / fee drift | 32% | $20.40 | $7.50 | 25.0% |
A 14-point take-rate swing can cut retained dollars by more than a third on the same menu item.
5) Interpretation: What to Decide by Business Type
| Operating profile | Primary goal | Usually preferred setup |
|---|---|---|
| New unit, low awareness | Acquire profitable first orders | Mid-tier marketplace + strict promo guardrails |
| High repeat local base | Maximize retained dollars | Pickup and direct-order emphasis |
| Multi-platform dependency | Reduce fee volatility | Split volume, compare weekly effective take rate |
| High AOV bundle menu | Scale contribution | Delivery-friendly bundles + minimum-order discipline |
No single platform is “best” across all profiles.
6) Action: 14-Day Platform Profitability Sprint
- Pull 30 days of statements from each platform.
- Calculate effective take rate per platform and per top SKU cluster.
- Identify orders with negative or near-zero contribution.
- Reprice low-margin SKUs or move them to pickup-first flow.
- Restrict promo spend to items with proven retained-dollar lift.
- Re-evaluate plan tier using channel score, not impressions.
- Lock a weekly operator review cadence (30 minutes).
7) Decision Rule to Keep
If a platform grows gross sales but lowers weekly contribution dollars, reduce dependency and shift mix. Revenue without contribution is a cash-flow trap.
Related Guides
- Uber Eats 15% Self-Delivery? Real Cost Is 25%+ (2026)
- DoorDash Real Take Rate: Why Your 30% Tier Costs 40%
- Your $30 Delivery Order Nets $11: The Real Fee Math (2026)
- Same Prices for Delivery and Dine-In? Here’s the Loss