The Short Answer
In Canada in 2026, third-party delivery apps charge restaurants between 15% and 30% commission per order, plus additional fees for payment processing, marketing placements, and tablet rentals. For a typical independent restaurant doing $30,000/month through these apps, that adds up to $4,500–$9,000/month leaving the business.
Here’s the breakdown for each major platform.
Uber Eats Canada — Fees Explained
Uber Eats offers Canadian restaurants three commission tiers:
Lite (15%): Marketplace listing, customer pays delivery fees. Lower visibility, fewer orders.
Plus (25%): Standard tier — most independent restaurants land here.
Premium (30%): Priority placement, “Top Eats” badge eligibility, in-app promotion.
On top of commission, Uber Eats charges:
6% commission on pickup orders
Payment processing fees (typically baked into the commission)
Optional advertising spend (sponsored placements)
A one-time activation fee in some markets
Real-world example: A $40 Uber Eats order on the 25% Plus tier costs the restaurant $10 in commission. The customer pays the delivery fee separately, but the restaurant nets $30 minus food cost.
SkipTheDishes — Fees Explained
SkipTheDishes (owned by Just Eat Takeaway) is Canada’s largest food delivery platform by order volume in most provinces. Their commission structure is closer to a flat rate:
Standard commission: 25–30% per delivery order
Pickup orders: typically 11–14% commission
Tablet rental fee (some markets)
Marketing fees for “Skip Premium” placement
SkipTheDishes also takes the customer relationship — the customer’s name, phone, and email belong to Skip, not the restaurant.
DoorDash Canada — Fees Explained
DoorDash entered Canada more recently and offers tiered pricing similar to Uber Eats:
- Basic (15%): Limited delivery radius, lower order volume
- Plus (25%): DashPass eligible, larger delivery area
- Premier (30%): Best placement, guaranteed delivery volume
Additional charges may include pickup commission (6%), credit card processing (typically built in), and optional ad spend through DoorDash’s promotion tools.
DoorDash also operates DoorDash Drive — a flat-fee delivery-only service (no marketplace listing) that some restaurants use to handle delivery for their own direct orders.
The Full Cost — Not Just the Commission
Commission is only part of what restaurants pay. The total cost includes:
- Commission — 15–30% per order
- Customer ownership — you don’t get the customer’s contact info, so you can’t market to them again
- Brand dilution — your menu sits next to 30 competitors on the same screen
- Discount pressure — third-party apps push restaurants to run BOGOs and free-delivery promos to stay visible
- Tablet management — staff time spent monitoring and accepting orders
What 25–30% Commission Actually Means for Your Business
Most restaurants run on 5–10% net profit margins. A 25% commission on a delivery order isn’t just an expense — it can wipe out the entire profit on that order. Many restaurants run delivery at a loss on third-party apps and absorb it as a customer acquisition cost.
The problem: those acquired customers belong to the app, not you. So you keep paying for them on every reorder, forever.
The Full Cost — Not Just the Commission
Commission is only part of what restaurants pay. The total cost includes:
- Commission — 15–30% per order
- Customer ownership — you don’t get the customer’s contact info, so you can’t market to them again
- Brand dilution — your menu sits next to 30 competitors on the same screen
- Discount pressure — third-party apps push restaurants to run BOGOs and free-delivery promos to stay visible
- Tablet management — staff time spent monitoring and accepting orders
The Alternative: Direct, Commission-Free Ordering
The fastest way to fix the math is to shift even a portion of your repeat customers off third-party apps and onto a direct ordering channel — your own website and branded mobile app.
With a direct ordering system like Avanto Eats, restaurants pay a flat monthly fee instead of a percentage of every sale. A restaurant doing $30,000/month in direct orders pays a fraction of what they’d pay in commissions — and keeps every customer relationship.
Most restaurants don’t replace third-party apps entirely. They use them for discovery (new customers) and shift repeat customers to direct ordering through:
“Order direct” inserts in delivery bags (“Save 10% next time — order at [yoursite].com”)
Their branded mobile app with push notifications
Loyalty programs that only work on direct orders
Better pricing for direct customers
How to Calculate Your Own Numbers
Want to see what third-party apps are costing your restaurant specifically? Here’s the formula:
(Monthly third-party revenue × commission rate) − what you’d pay for direct ordering = annual savings opportunity
For most independent restaurants in Canada, that number is between $40,000 and $100,000 per year.
Want a Real Number for Your Restaurant?
Book a free 15-minute demo. We’ll look at your actual third-party app statements and show you exactly what you’d save by moving repeat customers to direct ordering.