You paid $40 for a $25 meal. You deserve to know why. And how you can change that.

When you order food through a third-party delivery app such as DoorDash or Grubhub, you end up paying much more for food than the cost of menu items. Even if you never use these apps, you’re helping to cover their fees because restaurants have to increase prices for everyone when delivery apps keep 15–30% in commission fees for online orders. That contributes to food inflation. Long term, many of your favorite small businesses won’t survive this big squeeze, which just keeps getting worse.

Read and share these details about what delivery apps are charging — and what you can do about it.

Here’s what popular delivery apps charge

Comparison of Meal Delivery Fees: DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Instacart, and ChowNow.

Tip isn’t included above, but would add about $3.75 to the total at 15%. If you walk in or call to order, the restaurant you love gets 100% of what you pay. If you order via a delivery app, the restaurant gets less — even though you pay more.

*Standard Delivery App Fees include:

Menu markup (hidden): Restaurants often mark up their menu prices on delivery apps. Why? Because DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub charge restaurants a 15–30% commission just to be listed on their apps. Restaurants pass that cost on to you through higher menu prices.
Delivery fee: What the app charges to send a driver to your door.
Service fee: What the app charges for connecting you to the restaurant — typically 10–15% of your food cost.

**Additional fees: These are approximate based on national averages. Actual fees vary by location and app. They may include processing charges, location-based charges, and surge pricing. In some areas, delivery apps add an extra charge of $1.99–$4.99 per order because some cities passed laws that required drivers to be paid minimum wages. Apps call these “regulatory fees” but that money goes to the apps — not local governments.

All these fees may change without notice and you usually won’t see them until after you’ve chosen your menu items and you’re ready to hit “order” in the app.

Are you alarmed by this? Do you feel taken advantage of? Click now to share your opinions with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is asking for your input about “hidden and misleading fees.” Or keep reading to see how much you’re paying to third-party apps — not to restaurants — for an average dinner order.

See the fee breakdown for a popular meal

A meal of Pad Thai and spring rolls is one of the most popular meals to have delivered in the U.S. Find out how that $25 meal might cost you $40 or more.

Why your $25 meal can cost $40 or more on a delivery app \'97 Pad Thai + Spring Roll fee breakdown.
Order delivery 3 times per week? You’re spending $130–$150 a month in fees alone. That’s more than $1,500 per year — just on fees!

Totals are approximate because fees vary by location. Tipping would add about $3.75 to the total. If you walk in or call to order, the restaurant you love gets 100% of what you pay. If you order via an app, the restaurant gets less — even though you pay much more.

“Additional Fees” in delivery apps can trick consumers into paying more.

That’s why the FTC is investigating.

“Additional fees” usually don’t appear on any online menu and they might change frequently. Often referred to as “hidden” or “mystery” fees, most customers don’t see them until after they’ve spent time choosing their food and have entered payment info. At that point, many people feel cheated by the extra fees, but they are already counting on getting their meals.

That’s why the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants to hear from anyone who has been impacted by a third-party marketplace that has “tricked its customers, deceived its drivers and unfairly damaged the reputation and revenues of restaurants.”

We’ve made it easy for you to share your opinions with the FTC on the next page.

More about the “junk” fees charged by delivery apps

In some metro areas, DoorDash and Uber Eats add an extra charge of $1.99–$5.00 per order because they’re required to pay drivers a minimum wage. In most places, drivers are not guaranteed to earn minimum wage. These app charges are not required by law — they are created by the app companies to make more money for themselves.
Instacart has been caught charging different customers different prices for the exact same item — sometimes up to 23% more. A federal investigation forced them to stop, but fees still vary and aren’t always shown up front.
ChowNow charges restaurants $7.98 per delivery. The restaurant decides how much of that charge to pass on to customers. You won’t know until checkout.
Apps sometimes advertise “free delivery” but still add service fees and other charges at checkout. The federal government is currently investigating this practice.
All apps may charge extra during busy times or during bad weather. They don’t always tell you upfront.

Finally, nobody is saying you should never order food delivery. But you deserve to know what and who you’re actually paying. Chances are, you’ve paid too much — and your experience matters. Tell the FTC about it.

We’ve done the hard work, so you can do this quickly.

Share your views with the FTC
Public comments close May 18, 2026 · Takes about 5 minutes
Want to dig deeper? The links and research behind the information on this page are on our Research page.
Information researched and published by Big Deal Digital.
Scroll to Top