What delivery apps really cost.and the direct alternative.

Delivery apps bring customers you wouldn't otherwise get. That part is real. The part that gets lost is how much of each order never reaches you — and that many of those "new" customers are your own regulars, ordering through an app because it was the only link they could find.

The headline rates in Australia (2026)

• Uber Eats: 30% commission on delivery orders on the standard plan. Pickup orders are lower.
• DoorDash: tiered plans, commonly 15% to 35% depending on how much visibility you buy inside the app.
• Menulog: closed its Australian operations on 26 November 2025. Two marketplaces remain.

Those are the numbers on the brochure. The real cost is higher once you add the things that don't appear as a percentage: "order error adjustments" when a customer reports a missing item and the platform refunds them from your payout, in-app promotions you feel pressured to run, and the packaging you buy for an order that pays 30% less than a walk-in.

The mistake: sending regulars through the app

The apps earn their fee on genuinely new customers. The expensive orders are the ones from people who already love you — they searched your name, found the Uber Eats link first because you have no website, and paid you 70 cents on the dollar for the privilege. That's not a marketing cost. That's a leak.

The direct alternative

A simple ordering page on your own website lets regulars order pickup (or delivery, if you have a driver) and pay by card. The card fee is around 1.75% plus 30 cents — on a $40 order, about a dollar, instead of twelve. You keep the customer's phone number and email, which the apps never give you.

What it doesn't do: it won't bring you strangers the way the apps do. So the sensible setup for most restaurants is both — stay on one app for reach, and move your regulars to direct ordering.

How to move regulars across (it's mostly signage)

1. A sticker on the door and a card in every bag: "Order direct at [yourname].com.au — same menu, and we keep the whole price."
2. Put the direct link in your Google listing's "Website" and "Order" fields, and in your Instagram bio.
3. A small reason to switch: a free drink on the first direct order, or 10% off pickup. Even at 10% off you keep far more than through an app.
4. Ask. When a regular orders through the app, the next time they're in, tell them. Most simply didn't know.

Rates as published for the Australian market in 2026 and reported by Packedout, Windsor Digital and Oddle. Plans change; check the platform's current merchant terms before deciding. Restaurant Web builds commission-free ordering pages ($490) but has no affiliation with any delivery platform.