Per DoorDash’s published 2026 partnership plans, restaurants pay roughly 15% (Basic), 25% (Plus), or 30% (Premier) commission per delivery order, plus about 6% on pickup orders. But the headline rate understates it: processing, promotions, and advertising stack on top, and industry analyses put many restaurants’ real all-in cost at 30–40% of the order.
The published plans
| Plan | Delivery commission | What the higher tiers buy |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | ~15% | Smallest delivery area, customers pay higher fees |
| Plus | ~25% | Larger area, access to DashPass subscribers |
| Premier | ~30% | Largest area, lowest customer fees, growth guarantee |
| Pickup | ~6% | Applies across plans |
Note the design: the tiers do not sell different software — they sell visibility and customer-fee relief. Choosing Basic to save commission means your restaurant reaches fewer customers who each pay higher fees, which quietly suppresses orders. That is why so many restaurants end up at 25–30% even after intending to stay at 15%.
What stacks on top of the commission
- Promotions: discounts and “free delivery” offers are largely restaurant-funded on top of commission.
- Advertising: sponsored placement is a separate budget, and organic visibility without it keeps declining as more restaurants pay.
- Processing and error costs: payment processing on some order types, plus disputed or refunded orders that come out of your side.
- Menu-price inflation backlash: raising app prices to absorb the commission works until regulars notice the same burrito costs 20% more — then it damages the direct relationship too.
The math on a real month
Take a restaurant doing 300 delivery orders a month at a $30 average ticket ($9,000 of app volume):
The same $9,000 of volume on a flat 5% channel costs $450. The difference — roughly $2,700–$3,150 every month — is the “30% problem” in one line.
What to do about it (without quitting DoorDash)
DoorDash’s demand is real, and for many restaurants walking away outright means losing orders. The play that works is hybrid:
- Keep a marketplace listing for discovery — new customers, tourists, people who live inside one app.
- Move repeat customers to a low-cost channel. Box inserts, a QR on the receipt, and a “order direct and save” line do most of the work — a regular who orders weekly is worth far more at 5% than at 30%.
- Own the customer data on that channel, so win-back and loyalty automation can run against your own list.
For restaurants in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, JetFood is built to be that second channel: a local marketplace with real demand, a flat 5% commission, same-day payouts, and your customer data stays yours. See the full JetFood vs DoorDash comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Does DoorDash charge restaurants a monthly fee?
No — the marketplace plans have no monthly fee. The cost is the per-order commission (roughly 15–30% by plan), plus payment processing on some order types, plus whatever you spend on ads and promotions to stay visible.
What does DoorDash charge for pickup orders?
About 6% per pickup order on the published plans (2026).
Can I raise my menu prices on DoorDash to cover the commission?
Many restaurants do (where allowed by plan and local rules), but inflated app prices push price-sensitive regulars away and can violate plan terms that require price parity. The more durable fix is moving repeat customers to a lower-commission channel.
What is the cheapest way to keep DoorDash’s demand without the 30%?
The hybrid setup: stay listed on DoorDash on a lower tier for discovery, and give regulars a direct or local channel for repeat orders. For restaurants in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, JetFood’s flat 5% marketplace is that channel; elsewhere, a direct ordering page plays the same role.
Keep the demand, drop the 30%
Free to apply, $0 to start, no monthly fee, month-to-month — cancel anytime. Most applications are reviewed within one business day.
- DoorDash plan rates are its publicly published partnership pricing as of August 2026; the 30–40% all-in estimate reflects 2026 industry analyses of commission plus promotions, ads, and processing. Rates change — confirm current terms with DoorDash.
- Worked examples use a $30 average ticket for arithmetic clarity; substitute your own numbers.