Restaurants: what delivery platforms really cost you
The 20-second version: delivery platforms typically take 15 to 30% of every order depending on the plan. Over a month, that often adds up to a second rent. The answer isn't leaving them — they bring new customers — but adding a direct ordering channel for your regulars. Discovery on the platforms, loyalty direct.
Ask any restaurant owner who does delivery: the platforms are both their storefront and their most frustrating bill. They bring visibility and orders — undeniably. But every plate that leaves takes a slice of profit with it, and in a business where margins are counted in single percentage points, that slice changes everything.
Run the numbers — the real ones
The commission applies to the order total, not your profit. That's what stings. Here's an illustrative calculation — swap in your own numbers:
200
platform orders / month
$35
average order
25%
average commission
$1,750
per month in commissions
Illustrative example: 200 orders × $35 × 25% = $1,750 per month — $21,000 a year. Actual rates run from 15 to 30% depending on the platform and plan (full delivery, pickup, advertising).
Why "just leave the platforms" is bad advice
Let's be fair: Uber Eats, DoorDash and friends do one thing very well — discovery. A customer who doesn't know you finds you there, especially newcomers to the neighbourhood. Cutting that channel closes a tap of new customers. The real problem isn't being there; it's that your regulars — people who would order from you anyway — also go through the platform, and you pay a discovery commission on customers who were discovered long ago.
The strategy of restaurants that keep their margin
1
A website with direct ordering
Full menu, cart, payment — no per-order commission. It pays for itself within the first few dozen orders redirected from the platforms.
2
Bring your regulars home
A "Order direct" QR code on every bag and receipt, a welcome discount on the first direct order — and the habit changes.
3
Google listing connected
Your Google Business Profile can display your own ordering link. Customers who search you by name then order from you — not the middleman.
4
Platforms as the shop window
Keep them for what they do best: being discovered by new customers. Every new customer then becomes a regular… who orders direct.
What it takes in practice
A structured online menu (not a PDF) with photos and clear options; a simple ordering flow — no account creation required; automatic tax calculation; and a page that's fast on mobile, because restaurant orders happen on the couch, phone in hand. None of this is exotic in 2026 — it's exactly the kind of website we build, and the total cost is often less than one or two months of commissions.
Want to see it live? Our restaurant demo — full menu, allergens, online ordering — is in our portfolio. And to find out what it would cost for your restaurant: free quote within 48 hours.