Reduce Delivery Commission: 7 Strategies Against Platform Fees

Every delivery order through a platform costs you 25 to 35% commission — often your entire profit on that dish.

Delivery is no longer a luxury but a basic expectation. The problem is not demand, but margin: delivery platforms such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Takeaway.com and Wolt give you reach, but take a hefty slice of your revenue in return. Many restaurants run plenty of orders online yet end up with hardly anything on the bottom line. In this article we line up 7 concrete strategies to reduce your delivery commission: from smarter negotiating and an ordering channel of your own to menu engineering, operational savings and steering on data. Work through them one by one and delivery becomes profitable again.

First, below, why commissions hit so hard — then the 7 strategies in detail.

Why platform commissions eat your margin

A delivery platform feels free: you only pay when an order comes in. But 30% commission on a dish is not 30% of your profit — it is often your entire profit. Do the maths: on a €40 dish, roughly 30% goes to food costs and 30% to staff and overhead. What is left is your margin. Subtract 30% platform commission from that and you sometimes literally make nothing on it, or you lose money. Revenue grows, but your profit does not.

That makes the heart of this story simple: never look at your gross online revenue, but at your net margin per channel. The example below shows how much of an order you actually keep through a platform versus through your own channel.

The difference is no detail: the same dish, the same kitchen, but several times more profit the moment the commission disappears. That is why this article is about two moves: using the platform more cheaply or more selectively, and shifting as many orders as possible to your own, commission-free channel.

Strategy 1: Negotiate and rethink your platform mix

The commission on the standard contract is rarely the only option. Just as with negotiating with suppliers, it pays to keep asking and comparing:

• Ask about rate options: many platforms have different packages — a lower commission rate in exchange for less visibility, or a fixed monthly fee. Work out which model suits your volume.
• Negotiate on volume: if you run a lot of orders, you have room to negotiate. Explicitly ask for a better rate or commission-free promotional periods.
• Cut what does not pay off: running three platforms with overlapping reach? Keep the best performer and drop the rest. Fewer platforms means less fragmentation and simpler management.
• Watch the hidden costs: payment fees, "free delivery" promotions and extra advertising costs pile up on top of the commission. Ask for a full cost breakdown.

See the commission that remains as a marketing budget: you are paying for visibility and new customers. That is only justified as long as you can then tempt those customers to a cheaper channel (strategy 3).

Strategy 2: Build your own commission-free ordering channel

The most powerful way to reduce delivery commission is to receive orders without any commission. Your own ordering module on your website or in an app of your own charges no percentage per order, only a predictable fixed fee and payment costs.

• No commission, but data: you keep the full margin and the customer details — linked to guest profiles and a loyalty programme.
• Full control: your branding, your menu, your prices and promotions, with no algorithm deciding how visible you are.
• Connect it to your systems: let online orders flow together with your POS system and automation, so your kitchen has one clear stream of tickets.
• Make it easy: a QR code on the table, on the storefront and on your packaging sends guests straight to your own ordering page.

Read this alongside our broader guide to online ordering for your restaurant: your own channel is not a day-one replacement for platforms, but it is the channel your margin and repeat orders come from.

Strategy 3: Shift platform customers to ordering directly

Every guest you move from a platform to your own channel raises your margin for good. Make the difference visible and attractive:

• Flyer in every delivery bag: slip a card with a QR code and a concrete reason to order directly into every platform order — a discount, a free item or faster delivery.
• Reward direct ordering: offer 10 to 15% off or exclusive dishes only through your own channel. The benefit costs you less than the commission you save.
• Build a customer base: ask permission for email or WhatsApp and use it for targeted marketing and repeat orders.
• Be consistent: mention your own ordering option everywhere — on the menu, on social media, in your emails and on your website.

Strategy 4: Optimise your menu and prices for delivery

Not every dish travels well and not every price accounts for delivery costs. With targeted menu engineering you protect your margin:

• Choose travel-proof, high-margin dishes: bowls, pastas, curries and stews travel excellently and often have a favourable food cost. Put them up front in your delivery menu.
• Use separate delivery prices: build packaging and commission into your online price. A price 10 to 20% higher than in-house is usually acceptable for the convenience of delivery.
• Work with combos and set menus: fixed formulas raise the average order value and make your kitchen more efficient.
• Prune the difficult dishes: drop items that arrive cold, soggy or unsellable — they cost you your reputation and your reviews.

Strategy 5: Lower your delivery costs in operations

Beyond commission, there is money to be found in your operation. Whoever delivers (partly) themselves or encourages takeaway cuts costs structurally:

• Encourage takeaway: takeaway has no delivery costs and no platform commission. Give a small benefit for collecting and set up a smooth pickup zone.
• Deliver yourself within a small radius: within a limited zone, your own courier or bike rider is often cheaper than platform delivery — and you keep quality in your own hands.
• Set a minimum order value: this makes every delivery run worthwhile and lowers your cost per order.
• Limit your delivery area: the further out, the more expensive and the higher the quality risk. A tight zone keeps runs short and food warm.
• Bundle peaks smartly: cap the number of simultaneous online orders during rush hours so kitchen and delivery do not seize up.

Strategy 6: Steer on data and net margin

You can only reduce what you measure. Use your figures to steer sharply on margin instead of revenue:

• Net margin per channel: what do you really earn after commission, packaging, payment and labour — per platform and on your own channel?
• Margin per dish: which items are profitable online and which cost you money? Steer your menu and promotions on this.
• Share of direct vs. platform: track what percentage of your orders comes in commission-free and set a goal to grow it.
• Repeat orders: how many delivery customers order again, and through which channel? That is where your real long-term profit lies.

Strategy 7: Raise the average order value

A higher order value dilutes the impact of fixed costs and makes every run more profitable:

• Upsell smartly: suggest a drink, dessert or side at the moment of ordering — online upselling works at scale and without pressure.
• Bundle into sharing menus: menus for two or for the family raise the bill and fit delivery perfectly.
• Work with thresholds: "free delivery from €X" or a little extra above a certain amount nudges customers towards a bigger order.
• Reward loyal customers: a points system through your own channel encourages both larger and more frequent repeat orders.

Calculate your real margin per channel

Before you make big choices, lay out the numbers. Calculate per channel and per dish what you really keep:

• Platform commission: 25-35% of the order value at most aggregators.
• Payment fees: 1-3% per online transaction, on your own channel too.
• Packaging: €0.50-2.00 per order depending on quality.
• Own delivery: wages, fuel, insurance and maintenance per run.
• Fixed system costs: the monthly fee of your own ordering module, spread across your orders.

The goal is not to swear off delivery, but to weigh every euro of revenue on net margin. Once you know what an order really earns you on each channel, all seven strategies above become concrete decisions instead of gut feeling.

Common mistakes

• Steering on revenue instead of margin: a full order screen that yields no profit is not a success.
• Not building your own channel: whoever stays fully dependent on platforms keeps handing over 30% and does not own their customers.
• The same prices online as in-house: then you pay the commission out of your own margin.
• Too many platforms at once: fragmentation costs you oversight and quality. Start focused.
• Quitting platforms without an alternative: first build your own channel and guest relationship, only then scale back.

Conclusion: reduce delivery commission

Delivery does not have to be a loss-maker. The key is steering on net margin instead of gross revenue, and shifting as many orders as possible to a commission-free channel of your own. Work through the 7 strategies: negotiate and prune your platform mix, build your own ordering channel, shift customers to direct, optimise menu and prices, cut your operational costs, steer on data and raise the order value.

Start by measuring, pick one or two strategies to begin with and build out step by step. Done well, delivery turns from a margin leak into a profitable channel that strengthens your customers, your data and your brand — instead of the platform.