Delivery app commission: what Just Eat, Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Wolt really cost restaurants

How delivery app commission works

Delivery apps charge a percentage of each order, and the percentage depends mainly on who delivers: you pay a lower rate when your own staff deliver (or the guest collects) and a much higher rate when the platform's couriers deliver.

• Own delivery (marketplace only): the platform lists your restaurant, takes the order and the payment, and you deliver with your own drivers. Uber Eats calls this self-delivery; Deliveroo calls it Marketplace+; Wolt calls it self-delivery.
• Platform delivery: the platform also supplies the courier. This is the expensive tier, usually around 30% of the order value.
• Pickup: the guest orders in the app and collects. This is not free: Uber Eats, for example, charges the same rate for pickup as for self-delivery in the Netherlands, UK and Ireland.

On top of the percentage, expect some of these extra costs:

• Fixed fee per order: Dutch trade magazine Entree reported that Thuisbezorgd moved from 13% to 14% plus €0.21 per order in summer 2022. German regional press reported Lieferando charging an extra €0.59 per order paid online by PayPal or card in 2022.
• Activation or set-up fee: Uber Eats publishes a one-off activation fee of €400 in the Netherlands, £650 (excl. VAT) in the UK and €650 in Ireland, deducted from your revenue in the first weeks.
• Paid visibility: a higher spot in the app's ranking costs extra on Thuisbezorgd, according to Entree.
• Other deductions: Wolt's own fee guide lists a platform fee on top of commission, penalties for late or incomplete orders and device repayments.
• VAT on the commission: commission is a service and VAT is charged on it, for example 21% in the Netherlands, 19% in Germany and 20% in the UK. Uber Eats states its UK fee percentages exclude VAT. If you are VAT-registered you can normally reclaim it, but it still costs you cash flow until you do.

Check your weekly statement for three things: which amount the percentage is calculated on, which fixed fees apply to every order, and which apply only to orders paid online.

Published commission rates per platform and country

Only Uber Eats publishes a full price list for restaurants in several European countries; Just Eat Takeaway.com, Deliveroo and Wolt agree terms individually, so the figures below for those platforms come from press reports and should be treated as indicative.

Two points help you read this table. First, Just Eat Takeaway.com announced in June 2022 that it was raising commission by about one percentage point in most European markets, its first rise in five years, which is why older articles quoting 13% for Thuisbezorgd and Lieferando are out of date. Second, Deliveroo and Wolt say on their own partner pages that they charge commission on completed orders and share commercial terms during onboarding, but they do not publish a rate card.

Worked example: 400 orders a month at €25

On €10,000 of monthly delivery sales, the gap between platform delivery and your own ordering channel is roughly €2,800 a month before your own delivery costs.

Assumptions: 400 orders a month, average order €25 including VAT, so €10,000 in sales. Platform rates use the Dutch figures above (14% + €0.21 own delivery, 30% platform delivery). Direct orders are paid by iDEAL at Mollie's published €0.32 per domestic transaction, and the ordering software costs €89 a month (excl. VAT). VAT on fees is shown separately because VAT-registered businesses can usually reclaim it. Food cost, VAT on your sales and your own drivers' wages are not included.

You do not need to move everyone. If 100 of those 400 orders (25%) move from scenario A to scenario C, you save about €750 in commission and pay about €32 in iDEAL fees: roughly €718 a month, or about €8,600 a year. Try your own numbers in the delivery commission calculator.

The real trade-offs: what the apps give you and what direct ordering asks of you

Delivery apps are expensive, but they solve two hard problems: finding new customers and getting food to the door; direct ordering keeps the margin but makes those problems yours again.

For most restaurants the answer is not either/or. Use the apps as a paid marketing channel for first orders, and give repeat customers a good reason to order direct the next time.

Check your contract first: price parity and customer contact rules

Before you promote direct ordering, check two clauses in your platform contract: the price parity clause and the rules on contacting customers.

• Price parity. Just Eat Takeaway.com's partner terms (Belgian version dated 1 November 2024) include a same-price guarantee: prices, discounts, offers, delivery fees and minimum order values on the platform must match what you offer through your own online channels. The Dutch competition authority ACM (2017) and Germany's Bundeskartellamt (2023, for Lieferando) both looked at such clauses and decided not to act, so assume they apply. A cheaper price on your website may breach the clause.
• Contact with customers. The same terms say you may communicate with customers only to prepare and deliver the order, may use order data only to perform the agreement, and may not use marketing material carrying competitors' branding when fulfilling orders. A flyer is not expressly banned in that version, but read your own country's terms before you put anything in the bag.
• Transparency. Under the EU platform-to-business Regulation (EU) 2019/1150, a platform that restricts you from offering different conditions elsewhere must state the grounds in its terms and conditions, so the restriction should be written down where you can find it.

If in doubt, compete on things a parity clause usually does not cover: speed, pickup convenience, loyalty rewards earned in your own channel and service in your shop. Ask the platform or a lawyer if a clause is unclear.

Playbook: move repeat customers to direct ordering

The most effective approach is to make direct ordering easy to find and slightly better for regulars, then measure how many orders move each month.

1. Set up your own ordering page with pickup and, if you have drivers, delivery zones. Payments should land in your own payment account. See online ordering.
2. Add the link to your Google Business Profile. In Business Profile, open Food ordering, choose Add a link, then Set as preferred for pickup and/or delivery. Many regulars search your name on Google Maps before they open an app.
3. Put the link everywhere you own: your website header, Instagram bio, the shop window, the counter and printed menus.
4. Reward pickup. Pickup saves you courier cost and commission. Offer a perk such as a free drink or side for collecting, after checking it does not conflict with any parity clause.
5. Start a loyalty scheme in your own channel: points per order that only work when guests order direct.
6. Use the bag carefully. Only add a flyer or card if your platform terms allow it. For in-shop and pickup orders you are free to promote your own channel.
7. Measure monthly: share of orders that are direct, average order value per channel, and commission paid. Aim for a steady shift rather than a big bang.

Mistakes to avoid

Most of the money is lost through small oversights rather than the headline rate.

• Looking only at the percentage. Add fixed per-order fees, payment fees, paid ranking and VAT to get your real cost per order.
• Forgetting VAT on commission. Reclaim it in your VAT return. In Germany, if the platform invoices you from another EU country, the reverse-charge rule in §13b UStG usually applies; ask your tax adviser.
• Undercutting the app on your website without reading the parity clause. It can lead to the platform charging you the difference.
• Switching off the apps overnight. You lose new customers before your own channel has traffic. Reduce dependence step by step.
• Starting own delivery without costing it. Drivers' wages, vehicles, insurance and idle time can cost more than the commission you save. Pickup is often the cheaper first step.
• Not reading the weekly statement. Check each week that the rate and fees match your contract.

Where Restaurant by DTS fits

Restaurant by DTS gives you your own webshop for pickup and delivery, with your own delivery zones and drivers, and payments go straight to your own Mollie, Stripe, PayPal or Paystack account. There is no commission on sales: the Free plan adds a small service fee paid by the guest by default (€0.50 on orders from €10 to €30), and Pro is €89 a month per venue (excl. VAT) with no service fee. See pricing. It does not supply couriers or customer traffic, so it works alongside the apps rather than replacing their reach.

Frequently asked questions