Delivery Commission Calculator for Restaurants

What this tool does

The delivery commission calculator quantifies how much third-party marketplaces can take from your restaurant compared with a direct-ordering scenario you define. You supply realistic averages—orders per day, typical ticket size, the app’s commission percentage, and a modest fee assumption for orders that come through your own menu or QR flow. The interface highlights monthly and yearly fee exposure, shows implied commission rates, and contrasts marketplace totals with direct fees so you can visualize savings. It is intentionally simple: no logins, no POS integration, just transparent arithmetic you can repeat whenever a platform changes pricing or you test a new promo.

Who should use it

Operators who rely on Uber Eats, DoorDash, Deliveroo-style partners, or regional aggregators will use this weekly. It is equally relevant for ghost kitchens balancing multiple brands and for traditional dining rooms that only see spikes on apps during slow seasons. Finance-minded owners can export the mental model into investor conversations, while general managers can explain to staff why pushing direct QR orders protects margin. If you are evaluating whether to pause a marketplace or renegotiate, start here before you rework the entire menu.

How to use it

Collect a recent week’s average order value and order count so inputs reflect reality, not the best day you remember. Enter the commission percentage your contract lists—including any marketing or service add-ons if you fold them into one blended rate. Then estimate what you pay to serve a direct order: payment processing, packaging, or a small loyalty discount. Run the calculation and read both panels: marketplace totals versus direct totals, plus the difference line that signals potential savings. Adjust commission up or down to stress-test future scenarios, and repeat whenever you launch a new virtual brand or change delivery radius fees.

Example

A takeaway averages 95 delivery orders daily at $18.50 per check while the marketplace keeps 28%. That is roughly $491 in commission per day, or about $14,700 over a 30-day month. If direct orders cost 3% in processing plus $0.35 per order, the same volume might incur near $560 monthly in fees—a dramatic gap that funds marketing, labor, or menu upgrades if you convert even a fraction of guests. Seeing the annual column makes it easier to justify branded QR menus, staff training on upselling direct links, and follow-up with the menu price calculator to protect item-level margin.