Direct ordering guide - updated 2026-05-28
DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub take 15-30% of every order they handle - more than most restaurants earn in profit on that order. Here is exactly what each platform charges, why the math is so punishing, and the practical way to keep the discovery while moving the margin back to your side.
The commission math
The headline problem is simple: the commission is bigger than the margin. Every figure below is cited to its public source so you can audit the math against your own tickets.
DoorDash's marketplace delivery commission ranges from 15% on Basic to 30% on Premier; pickup is listed separately at 6%.
Source: DoorDash Merchant Pricing (public site) · 2026Uber Eats charges restaurants 15-30% commission per delivery order depending on plan tier (Basic, Plus, Premium).
Source: Uber Eats Merchant Pricing · 2026Grubhub marketing commissions run from 5% to 20% by plan; using Grubhub Delivery adds a delivery fee starting at 10%.
Source: Grubhub Pricing and Fees · 2026The average independent restaurant runs on a 3-5% net profit margin. Giving 25-30% of online order revenue to a third-party app erases the margin entirely on those orders.
Source: National Restaurant Association Operations Report · 202460% of consumers say they order delivery or takeout at least once a week, and digital channels now account for the majority of off-premise restaurant transactions.
Source: National Restaurant Association State of the Restaurant Industry Report · 2025Stripe's standard online card processing fee is 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction — the platform-agnostic baseline cost of accepting card payments online.
Source: Stripe Pricing · 2026The breakdown
Each marketplace structures its fees a little differently, but the effect is the same - a double-digit percentage of every order leaves before food cost, labor, or rent is paid.
DoorDash's marketplace delivery commission runs from 15% on Basic to 30% on Premier, with pickup listed separately at 6%. Higher delivery tiers buy more reach and placement, so the more you want to be seen, the larger the cut.
Uber Eats charges 15-30% commission per delivery order depending on whether you are on the Basic, Plus, or Premium plan, with higher tiers promising more placement and marketing.
Grubhub marketing commissions run from 5% to 20% by plan. If you use Grubhub's drivers, Grubhub Delivery adds a delivery fee starting at 10%, which is how a full marketplace-and-delivery setup can reach the same double-digit commission range.
On top of the restaurant's commission, customers usually pay delivery fees, service fees, and sometimes small-order fees. The platform earns from both the restaurant and the diner on the same transaction.
Honest comparison
The marketplaces genuinely win on discovery - that is the one job worth paying for. On everything after the first order, a channel you own keeps the margin and the customer. “Partial” means supported with limits.
| Feature | Direct ordering (Orderitto) | DoorDash Marketplace | Uber Eats | Grubhub |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Per-order platform commission | 0% | 15-30% | 15-30% | 5-30% |
Payment processing fee | 2.9% + 30¢ | Included in commission | Included in commission | Included in commission |
You own the customer data | ||||
Branded app + website under your name | ||||
Built-in new-customer discovery Discovery is the real value the marketplaces provide | ||||
Keeps your existing POS (Square / Clover) | Partial | Partial | Partial |
The playbook
The answer is not to quit the marketplaces - it is to use them for what they are good at and stop overpaying for what they are not.
Marketplace commission is a fair price for a genuinely new customer the app brought you. The waste is paying that same 15-30% on the same customer's repeat orders for years.
A branded website and app, loyalty rewards, and the occasional direct-only promo give repeat customers a reason to order from you instead of the marketplace - where they often pay more anyway.
For fulfillment, offer pickup, use your own drivers, or use a flat-fee delivery option on direct orders instead of commission-based marketplace delivery. Each removes the percentage cut from the order.
A platform like Orderitto adds branded web, iOS, and Android ordering on top of your existing Square or Clover POS, with no per-order platform commission on direct orders - so the margin you protect stays protected.
How DoorDash's own direct-ordering product works and where it still keeps you inside its ecosystem.
Separate platform fees, processing, and delivery fees so you can compare like-for-like.
The branded app that turns marketplace-discovered customers into direct, repeat orders.
Marketplace commissions generally run 15-30% of each order's value, depending on the platform and plan tier. DoorDash's marketplace delivery commission ranges from 15% on Basic to 30% on Premier, while pickup is listed separately at 6%. Uber Eats charges 15-30% per delivery order across its Basic, Plus, and Premium tiers. Grubhub marketing commissions run from 5% to 20% by plan, and Grubhub Delivery adds a delivery fee starting at 10% when you use its drivers. These are commissions on the order subtotal, separate from any fees the customer pays.
Because the average independent restaurant runs on a 3-5% net profit margin, while marketplace commission takes 15-30% of the order. Giving away 25-30% of revenue on an order can erase the entire profit on that order, and sometimes turn it into a loss. The fee is not coming out of profit at the edges - it is larger than the profit margin itself on most orders.
You avoid the commission by moving repeat customers to a direct ordering channel you control - your own website and branded app - where there is no per-order platform commission. The practical playbook: use the marketplace for new-customer discovery, then convert those customers to direct ordering for their repeat orders. You still pay standard card processing (around 2.9% + 30¢) on direct orders, but not the 15-30% marketplace commission. For delivery itself, you can offer pickup, use your own drivers, or use a flat-fee delivery option instead of commission-based marketplace delivery.
Both, deliberately. Third-party marketplaces are genuinely good at one thing: putting you in front of new customers who are browsing the app. That discovery is worth paying commission for - once. Direct ordering through your own site and app is where you keep the customer, the data, and the margin on every order after that. The mistake is paying 15-30% commission on the same customer's twentieth order. The goal over time is to shift repeat volume from the commission channel to the channel you own.
Both sides usually pay. The restaurant pays the marketplace commission on the order subtotal, and the customer typically pays delivery fees, service fees, and sometimes small-order fees on top. That double-charging is part of why marketplace orders feel expensive to customers and unprofitable to restaurants - the platform is monetizing both ends of the same transaction.
Yes. A direct-ordering platform like Orderitto is a layer on top of your existing point of sale, not a replacement. It integrates with Square POS and Clover POS, so you keep the system your kitchen already uses and add branded web, iOS, and Android ordering with no per-order platform commission on direct orders.
See how a branded ordering site and app under your own name moves repeat orders off the 15-30% marketplace fee and onto a channel you control.