Ghost kitchens win on speed and focus. But delivery-only math is unforgiving.
If you price like a dine-in restaurant, the fee stack quietly eats your profit.
This guide shows how to build delivery pricing that survives real-world fees.
Quick Summary
- Price from net revenue, not from your menu sticker price
- Track the fee stack: platform commission, promos, refunds, packaging
- Treat delivery as its own channel with its own target margin
- Fewer SKUs = fewer prep errors and less waste
The Delivery Fee Stack (What Eats Your Margin)
Delivery is not just “food cost + labor.” You also pay for visibility, logistics, and refunds.
Common line items:
- Platform commission
- Marketing/promotions (opt-in)
- Order cancellations or credits
- Packaging and utensils
- Extra labor for staging and bag checks
Real-World Commission Tiers (US)
Major platforms use tiered commission plans. For example:
- DoorDash Marketplace plans list 15% / 25% / 30% commission per delivery order depending on the plan.
- Uber Eats U.S. pricing pages currently show 20% / 25% / 30% marketplace tiers for operators, plus 15% self-delivery and pickup at 7% with parity validation (otherwise 10%).
Always confirm your current contract before final pricing.
Price Backwards From Net Revenue
Use this simple pricing model:
Net revenue = Menu price * (1 - commission rate) - promo - packagingIf your net revenue target is $9.00:
Menu price = (Net revenue + promo + packaging) / (1 - commission rate)Run this math per top item. That is how you stop underpricing high-volume sellers.
Build a Delivery-Optimized Menu
Ghost kitchens win with focus.
- Keep 12-18 core items max
- Avoid fragile garnishes and items that degrade in transit
- Standardize containers to cut packing time
- Separate “promo” items from “profit” items
Margin Protection Checklist
- Commission rates are current
- Packaging cost per order is tracked
- Refund/comp rate is logged monthly
- Portion sizes are weighed, not eyeballed
- Delivery pricing is separate from dine-in pricing
Do This Now
- Weigh and record 3 portions of your main ingredient
- Calculate the cost per portion using your supplier invoice
- Set a portion standard and train your team
- Review your current menu price against 28-35% food cost target
- Update your pricing if food cost is above 35%
- Schedule a monthly cost review with your team
Related Guides
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