If you're weighing whether DoorDash is worth it, or trying to figure out why your delivery revenue isn't turning into profit, the first step is understanding exactly what DoorDash charges. Here's the full breakdown, using DoorDash's own published partner pricing as of 2026, plus the math on what a real order actually nets you.
What are DoorDash's commission rates for restaurants?
DoorDash offers three marketplace partnership plans. Per DoorDash's published partner pricing as of 2026:
| Plan | Delivery commission | Pickup commission | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 15% | 6% | Smallest delivery area, no DashPass orders |
| Plus | 25% | 6% | Larger delivery area, DashPass customer access |
| Premier | 30% | 6% | Largest reach, included ads, growth guarantee |
A few important details:
- There's no monthly fee. DoorDash's plans have no subscription or contract. You pay commission per order.
- Commission is charged on the order subtotal, before taxes and tip.
- Higher tiers buy visibility, not lower costs. Plus and Premier put you in front of more customers (including DashPass subscribers), but every one of those orders costs you more.
DoorDash also offers commission-free ordering through its own "Online Ordering" white-label product, which charges payment processing instead of commission. That's worth knowing, though it keeps your ordering inside DoorDash's ecosystem.
What does a $40 order actually cost you?
Percentages hide the pain. Here's the math on a $40 delivery order at each tier:
| Basic (15%) | Plus (25%) | Premier (30%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order subtotal | $40.00 | $40.00 | $40.00 |
| DoorDash commission | −$6.00 | −$10.00 | −$12.00 |
| You receive | $34.00 | $30.00 | $28.00 |
| Food cost (~30%) | −$12.00 | −$12.00 | −$12.00 |
| Packaging & labor (est. ~$4) | −$4.00 | −$4.00 | −$4.00 |
| What's left before overhead | $18.00 | $14.00 | $12.00 |
That remainder still has to cover rent, utilities, insurance, and everything else. For many independents, a Premier-plan delivery order is close to break-even, and that's before promotions or ad spend on the platform.
Why do restaurants pay it anyway?
Because DoorDash delivers something real: new customers. Millions of people browse DoorDash when they're hungry and undecided. For a restaurant nobody has heard of, a 25% commission on a brand-new customer's first order can be a reasonable acquisition cost, comparable to what you might spend on advertising.
The problem is that DoorDash charges the same 25–30% on the tenth order from your regular as it does on the first order from a stranger. You're paying customer-acquisition prices for customers you already acquired.
How do restaurants reduce what they pay DoorDash?
The most effective strategies, in rough order of impact:
- Move repeat customers to direct ordering. Your regulars will order from your website if it's easy. Every order that shifts from DoorDash to your own site saves you 15–30%.
- Use pickup pricing to your advantage. Pickup is only 6%, so encourage it where you can.
- Choose the right tier. If most of your DoorDash orders come from existing fans searching your name, Basic may serve you fine. Premier's reach mainly matters if you need discovery.
- Put your direct ordering link everywhere: Google Business Profile, Instagram bio, box inserts, receipts.
We cover these in depth in How to Reduce Delivery App Fees.
What does direct ordering cost instead?
This is where the math flips. With Menuline, direct online ordering on your own website is 0% commission on every plan: you pay a flat $29/month (Starter) or $99/month (Growth), with a $1/month promo for the first 3 months and no long-term contracts.
Compare that on $5,000/month of online orders:
| Channel | Monthly cost on $5,000 in orders |
|---|---|
| DoorDash Plus (25%) | $1,250 |
| DoorDash Basic (15%) | $750 |
| Menuline Growth (flat) | $99 |
Same food, same customers, radically different economics. See full pricing.
Should you drop DoorDash entirely?
Honestly, probably not, at least not immediately. DoorDash is still one of the best discovery channels in food. The smart play for most restaurants is a hybrid: keep a marketplace presence for new-customer discovery, and systematically funnel repeat business to your own commission-free channel. We break down that decision in Are Delivery Apps Worth It?
The bottom line
Per DoorDash's published pricing as of 2026, restaurants pay 15–30% commission on delivery and 6% on pickup, with no monthly fee. That's a fair price for discovering new customers, and a terrible price for serving your regulars. If you want to see how much of your current volume could move to direct ordering, run the free Menuline AI grader. It audits your website, Google presence, and ordering setup in about a minute.