DoorDash fees exposed

A restaurant owner’s complaint about delivery apps taking as much as 30% of an order matches DoorDash’s own top-tier pricing for merchants. (merchants.doordash.com) DoorDash says restaurants on its Marketplace can choose a Basic plan with a 15% delivery commission, a Plus plan with 25%, or a Premier plan with 30%. The company says those higher tiers buy wider delivery range, lower consumer fees, DashPass access, and added marketing tools. (merchants.doordash.com) DoorDash also says pickup orders are charged at 6% across those plans, down from 15% under an earlier structure the company described in late 2025. That distinction matters for restaurants pushing customers to call or order direct for pickup instead of using the app. (merchants.doordash.com) The fee fight has persisted because most independent restaurants run on thin margins, while delivery apps sell reach, logistics, and customer acquisition. DoorDash told investors on February 18, 2026 that it generated nearly $75 billion in sales for local merchants in 2025 and ended the year with more than 56 million monthly active users. (ir.doordash.com) That same earnings release showed DoorDash’s 2025 revenue at $13.7 billion on $102 billion of Marketplace gross order value, with a 13.3% net revenue margin. Those figures show why restaurants and platforms can both point to different percentages when they argue over who keeps what from a delivery order. (ir.doordash.com) Complaints about cold food and long waits are harder to verify from public data, but DoorDash’s own help pages include separate workflows for orders that “arrived late” and for “poor food quality.” The company tells customers to report both problems through the app or website after delivery. (help.doordash.com, help.doordash.com) Cities have tried to limit how much platforms can charge. Seattle’s rules bar a food delivery platform from charging more than 15% for delivery services within city limits, though separate charges for advertising or other services can still be added. (seattle.gov) New York City moved in the opposite direction in 2025 after a settlement with delivery companies. A law enacted on May 31, 2025 kept the 15% cap for delivery service, plus 3% for credit card processing and 5% for other services, but created exemptions that let restaurants opt into additional paid services. (council.nyc.gov) DoorDash argues those commissions fund marketing, support, and delivery infrastructure that many restaurants cannot build on their own. Restaurant owners who urge customers to order direct are making the opposite calculation: keep the sale, avoid the commission, and control the handoff before the food gets cold. (merchants.doordash.com, merchants.doordash.com)