Business Planning

DoorDash & Uber Eats for Restaurants: Are They Worth It in 2026?

The Rezku Team

Feb 18, 2026

DoorDash & Uber Eats for Restaurants: Are They Worth It in 2026?

For most restaurants, DoorDash and Uber Eats feel unavoidable. Customers expect delivery. Search results reward it. Competitors are already there.

But “necessary” doesn’t automatically mean “profitable.”

Independent operators have now lived with third-party delivery long enough to ask better questions:

• Is this channel actually making money?

• Or is it quietly subsidizing convenience for customers and growth for apps?

The truth sits in the middle. DoorDash and Uber Eats can generate incremental revenue—but only when used intentionally. The operators who struggle most are the ones treating third-party delivery as a default, rather than a governed revenue channel.

What DoorDash & Uber Eats Really Provide (and What They Don’t)

At their best, third-party delivery platforms do three things well:

1. Demand generation – They put your menu in front of customers who may never search for your restaurant directly.

2. Logistics – They supply drivers without you managing a fleet.

3. Checkout & payments – Orders are frictionless for customers.

What they don’t do:

• Protect your margins

• Build your customer relationship

• Optimize your menu for profitability

• Tell you whether delivery is helping or hurting your business

That part is still on the operator.

The Real Cost Structure (Beyond the Headline Commission)

Most owners know the headline numbers:

• 15–30% commission on DoorDash and Uber Eats Marketplace orders

What’s easier to miss are the secondary costs that quietly compound:

Margin Compression

A 25% commission doesn’t just reduce profit—it often wipes it out entirely once food cost, labor, and packaging are included.

Quality Distortion

Some items travel poorly or take too long to prepare. When they’re ordered anyway, kitchens slow down and guests have a diminished experience.

Operational Drag

Missed modifiers, late drivers, order cancellations, all cost time and product—none of which show up neatly on a fee statement.

Customer Ownership Loss

You don’t own the customer relationship. You can’t market to them directly without paying again.

Delivery revenue without visibility is just activity, not strategy.

The Question Isn’t “Should You Use DoorDash?” — It’s “How?”

Smart operators treat DoorDash and Uber Eats as acquisition channels, not core infrastructure.

That mindset changes everything.

Instead of asking:

“How do we get more delivery orders?”

They ask:

“Which delivery orders are actually worth fulfilling?”

How to Get Better ROI from DoorDash & Uber Eats

Third-party delivery doesn’t have to be a loss leader. But it does require discipline.

1. Curate a Delivery-Specific Menu

Restaurants are fully within their rights to offer a different menu online.

High-ROI delivery menus:

• Favor items with strong margins

• Hold quality during transport

• Batch well with other orders

• Avoid excessive modifiers

Delivery menus should be engineered, not copied from dine-in.

2. Price for the Channel (Without Apologizing)

Customers already expect delivery pricing to be higher. Modest, intentional price adjustments are often the difference between break-even and profitable.

What doesn’t work:

• Blanket price hikes across the entire menu

• Guessing instead of calculating

What works:

• Adjusting only delivery SKUs

• Monitoring contribution margin per order

3. Use POS Integration to Eliminate Operational Bleed

Manual tablets create chaos. Orders get missed. Mods get lost. Kitchens fall behind.

This is where integration matters.

Through Rezku’s integration with Chowly, DoorDash and Uber Eats orders flow directly into the POS:

• One menu

• One ticket stream

• One source of truth for reporting

This reduces errors, labor overhead, and kitchen friction—three of the biggest hidden costs of third-party delivery.

The Bigger Opportunity: Owning the Order, Renting the Driver

This is where many operators unlock real leverage.

Commission-Free Online Ordering (Built Into the POS)

Instead of routing all demand through marketplaces, more restaurants are:

• Running their own branded online ordering

• Paying 0% commission

• Keeping full customer data

• Controlling menu and pricing completely

Rezku’s built-in online ordering supports this model without bolting on another system or subscription.

DoorDash Drive: The Best of Both Worlds

Here’s the part many operators miss.

You don’t have to give up DoorDash’s driver network to escape commissions.

With DoorDash Drive, restaurants can:

• Accept orders through their own online ordering

• Dispatch DoorDash drivers at a flat per-delivery fee

• Avoid percentage-based commissions entirely

This reframes DoorDash from marketplace owner to logistics partner.

It’s a reflection of something independent operators have always done well: adapt, unbundle, and keep what works.

Why POS Choice Matters More Than the Delivery Platform

Delivery profitability doesn’t live inside DoorDash or Uber Eats. It lives in:

• Menu control

• Labor visibility

• Channel-level reporting

• Real-time sales awareness

Rezku’s dashboards, labor reports, and sales breakdowns give operators the ability to see delivery as one channel among many—not a black box.

That visibility enables better decisions:

• When to pause delivery

• Which items to promote

• Whether volume is actually profitable

The technology doesn’t replace good judgment—but it makes it possible.

The 2026 Reality: Delivery Is a Tool, Not a Strategy

DoorDash and Uber Eats aren’t villains. They’re infrastructure.

Used passively, they erode margins.
Used strategically, they expand reach and fund growth.

The most resilient restaurants in 2026 will:

• Use marketplaces selectively

• Own their customer relationships

• Separate ordering from delivery

• Partner with POS providers that respect operator economics

That’s not about chasing trends—it’s about staying independent.

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FAQ: DoorDash, Uber Eats & Restaurant Delivery

Are DoorDash and Uber Eats profitable for restaurants?

They can be, but only with intentional pricing, menu design, and operational controls. Many restaurants lose money on Marketplace orders without realizing it.

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How much do DoorDash and Uber Eats take from restaurants?

Marketplace commissions typically range from 15% to 30% per order, depending on plan level and services used.

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Is commission-free online ordering better?

For repeat customers and loyal guests, yes. Commission-free ordering preserves margin and customer ownership, especially when paired with third-party delivery logistics.

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What is DoorDash Drive?

DoorDash Drive allows restaurants to use DoorDash drivers for a flat delivery fee while accepting orders through their own website or POS—no percentage commission.

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Can Rezku integrate with DoorDash and Uber Eats?

Yes. Rezku integrates with DoorDash and Uber Eats through Chowly, allowing orders to flow directly into the POS and kitchen workflow.

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Should restaurants stop using third-party delivery entirely?

Not necessarily. Most successful operators use a hybrid approach: marketplaces for discovery, owned ordering for profitability.

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How do I know if delivery is hurting my business?

If you don’t know your delivery margin per order, you don’t know yet. POS reporting that separates channels is essential.