Delivery commissions: what do they really cost you?

Delivery platforms genuinely helped restaurateurs: they brought a turnkey sales channel. But that channel has a price, and it is rarely looked at squarely. Let’s break it down.

A 25–35% commission

Depending on the plan, the major platforms take between 25 and 35% of every order. On a €30 order, that is €7.50 to €10.50 that will never reach your till. And that commission applies to the sale price, not to your margin.

The real impact on your margin

A restaurant typically runs a food cost around 30%, with staffing and overhead absorbing most of the rest. Net margin often lands in the low single digits. In that context, a 30% commission does not trim your profit — it erases it, and can turn a sale into an outright loss.

Do the maths over a year

Take a realistic case: 20 online orders a day, a €25 average basket, that is €500 of daily sales through platforms.

• Yearly sales through platforms: around €182,000
• Commission at 30%: close to €55,000 a year
• With a flat subscription, this line becomes a known and far smaller cost

The question is not “is delivery profitable”, but “who actually keeps the margin on my delivery”.

The alternative: a direct channel

Having your own app and ordering website does not mean turning your back on delivery. It means keeping the margin. You offer the same convenience — ordering, payment, tracking — but with no middleman taking a cut. Commission becomes a flat subscription, and every euro collected stays with you.

Before deciding, one reflex: calculate what commissions truly cost you over a year. It is often the number that triggers the move.