Merchants push back on delivery platform commissions: what has happened?

Restaurants and regulators have pushed back on delivery platform commissions through city fee caps, lawsuits and federal action. New York City caps what platforms may charge restaurants, and the FTC settled with Grubhub for $25 million in 2024. This round-up lists each development with its date and public source.

Updated 4 October 2026 · public sources only, each linked

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What has happened, in date order?

12 August 2026

FTC sends more than $23.8 million to drivers and diners in the Grubhub case

The Federal Trade Commission said it was sending payments totaling more than $23.8 million to 640,038 drivers and diners, following its 2024 settlement with Grubhub.

Source: Federal Trade Commission, press release, https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/08/ftc-sends-more-238-million-drivers-diners-harmed-grubhubs-deceptive-advertising-claims-other, read 4 Oct 2026.
14 April 2026

FTC asks for public comment on fee practices in online food and grocery delivery

The FTC asked for public comment on whether a nationwide rule is needed on unfair or deceptive fee practices by online food and grocery delivery platforms. Its questions cover total-price disclosure and the difference between prices on a platform and prices at the store or restaurant. The request concerns fees shown to consumers, not the commissions platforms charge restaurants.

Source: Federal Trade Commission, press release, https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/04/ftc-seeks-public-comment-unfair-deceptive-fee-practices-online-food-grocery-delivery-services, read 4 Oct 2026.
4 June 2025

DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats settle with New York City over fee caps and delivery pay

Reuters reported that DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats agreed to dismiss, with prejudice, their lawsuits against New York City over its delivery worker minimum pay and its cap on what the companies may charge restaurants. The original law limited them to 15% for delivering orders and 5% for advertising and other services.

Source: Reuters, via Yahoo Finance, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/doordash-grubhub-uber-eats-settle-215635192.html, read 4 Oct 2026.
31 May 2025

New York City changes its fee cap: an enhanced service fee of up to 20%

New York City enacted Local Law 2025/079 (Int 0762-2024). It lets a third-party delivery service charge a restaurant an enhanced service fee of up to 20% of the purchase price of each online order, in addition to the existing caps of 15% for delivery, 5% for basic service and 3% for credit card processing.

Source: New York City Council, legislation record, https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6632578&GUID=874ADD05-D520-4896-BA03-79A18349EADD, read 4 Oct 2026.
17 December 2024

FTC and Illinois: Grubhub to pay $25 million; restaurants were listed without permission

The FTC and the Illinois Attorney General announced that Grubhub would pay $25 million to settle charges. The complaint said Grubhub added unaffiliated restaurants to its platform without their permission, as many as 325,000, and that searches for those restaurants often pointed diners to Grubhub instead of to ordering direct. The order requires Grubhub to stop listing unaffiliated restaurants.

Source: Federal Trade Commission, press release, https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/12/ftc-illinois-attorney-general-take-action-against-grubhub-harming-diners-workers-small-businesses, read 4 Oct 2026.

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What do the platforms list as their rates today?

Each company's own published rate for an order it delivers, read 4 Oct 2026. The source link is on each fee page.

Listed delivery commission by platform and plan, read 4 Oct 2026
Platform	Listed rate on a delivered order, by plan	Detail
DoorDash	Basic 15%, Plus 25%, Premier 30%	DoorDash fees, calculator
Uber Eats	Lite 20%, Plus 25%, Premium 30%	Uber Eats fees, calculator
Grubhub	Basic 15% or more, Plus 25% or more, All-access 30% or more	Grubhub fees, calculator

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What do the apps cost your restaurant?

Enter your own orders and the rate on your payout statement. The share moved to direct is an estimate you set, not a promise.

Orders a month, per location

Average order ($)

Share of those orders that come through delivery apps

60%

That is 1,800 app orders a month per location (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub).

What the apps charge

30%

15% to 30% is the base commission. 25% to 35% is the blended real cost once delivery, marketing and processing fees stack. The default, 30%, is the top of the base range and the middle of the blended one. Your payout statement has your real number. Read my delivery statement

Share of app orders you expect to move to direct

30%

An estimate you set, not a promise. It starts at a cautious 30%. How fast regulars move depends on your customers, your bag inserts and your offers. Move it to see your own case.

Locations

Zayos plan

Plans are per location, per month. No setup fee, month to month.

What the apps charge

a year, at today's volume

$0 a month

What Zayos costs

a year, flat

$0 a month

Money you keep

a year, after the Zayos plan, at 30% moved to direct

$0 a month

A modeled estimate from the numbers you entered. Not a promise.

Break-even

0 app orders a month per location pays for the plan.

The $0.99 service fee on pickup and delivery is paid by the diner, so it is not a restaurant cost and is not in these numbers.

How we got this

What the apps charge: Orders × share through apps × average order × commission rate × 12 months × locations.
What Zayos costs: Plan × locations × 12 months. Nothing per order.
Commission you stop paying: App sales × share moved to direct × (commission rate minus 3% card processing, which a direct order still pays).
Total: $0
Money you keep: Commission you stop paying, minus what Zayos costs.
Break-even: Plan ÷ (average order × share moved to direct × (commission rate minus 3%)).

One measured example: Farooj Abo Alabed, live on Zayos, is on pace for $40k+ a year in commission not paid to a marketplace: its direct food sales after discounts from 10 Aug to 3 Oct 2026 (55 days), annualized at a 35% blended marketplace cost.

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What do owners ask about commission rules?

Is there a legal cap on delivery app commissions?

Not nationally. Some cities set their own. New York City caps what a third-party delivery service may charge a restaurant at 15% for delivery, 5% for basic service and 3% for credit card processing, and since Local Law 2025/079 allows an enhanced service fee of up to 20% on top. Check your own city and your own agreement.

What do the delivery apps list as their commission today?

On delivery orders, DoorDash lists 15%, 25%, 30%, Uber Eats lists 20%, 25%, 30%, and Grubhub lists a 5%, 15%, 20% marketing commission plus a delivery fee starting at 10%. Each figure is from the company's own pricing page, read 4 Oct 2026.

What can one restaurant do about commissions?

Read your payout statement to see your real take rate, pick the plan that fits how much the app actually brings you, and move repeat customers to your own ordering site, where a direct order pays no commission. Keep the apps for diners who have not found you yet.

How often is this page updated?

Monthly, and the date of the last update is at the top. It was last updated on 4 October 2026. Every item links to a public source, and nothing here is an estimate of ours.