Uber Eats vs. SkipTheDishes vs. DoorDash: What They Really Cost a Canadian Restaurant in 2026
The apps want you to look at the headline commission rate. That number leaves out most of the cost. Below are the fees, the fine print, and the cost that never shows up on the invoice, using 2026 numbers for Canadian restaurants.
If you run an independent restaurant in Canada, you've seen it: a $40 order comes in, the app takes its cut, and the deposit in your account is well short of what the customer paid. Over a month, the delivery apps can turn into the most expensive "marketing" you buy.
The apps do bring volume and new customers, and this post isn't telling you to quit them. You need the whole cost in front of you before you decide how much to lean on them, so here it is, platform by platform.
The quick answer
The table shows 2026 rates for Canadian restaurants on the three major platforms. These rates change, and Skip negotiates its rates one restaurant at a time, so treat every number as a snapshot.
| Platform | Delivery commission | Pickup commission | Your-own-driver option | Notable 2026 change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uber Eats | 20% / 25% / 30% (Lite / Plus / Premium) | 7% validated, 10% if not | 15% self-delivery | First fee hike in ~a decade (Mar 2026); new +5% surcharge on Uber One member orders |
| SkipTheDishes | 20–30% (negotiated) | ~11–14% | SkipGo flat ~$7–9/order | Most negotiable platform; rates depend on volume, cuisine, location |
| DoorDash | 15–20% / 25% / 30% (Basic / Plus / Premier) | 6% | DoorDash Drive (flat fee) | Basic tier rose toward 20% in Canada; check your agreement |
Most Canadian independents on a standard tier pay 25–30% on delivery, before add-ons. If you push $30,000 a month through these apps, that's roughly $4,500–$9,000 a month in fees.
How delivery commissions actually work in Canada
Each platform takes a percentage of your order subtotal (before tax and tip) on delivery orders. Your effective rate, meaning what you lose per order, runs higher once you add:
- Payment processing (sometimes bundled into commission, sometimes separate)
- Marketing and promoted placement (sponsored listings, "featured" spots, deal participation)
- Discount pressure: the apps push you into BOGOs and free-delivery promos to stay visible, and you cover the difference
- Refund and adjustment deductions for missing items or complaints
- Tablet rentals on some platforms and in some markets
Some provinces have put commission caps on what platforms can charge. Check whether yours has one.
Uber Eats: what it really costs
Uber Eats runs three marketplace tiers in Canada:
- Lite (20%): Basic listing; customers pay more of the delivery fee. (This tier rose from 15% to 20% in March 2026.)
- Plus (25%): Where most independents land. Since 2026, orders from Uber One members carry an extra 5%, so those orders cost you 30%.
- Premium (30%): Top placement and promotional eligibility.
Pickup orders cost 7% if you've validated that your in-app prices match your in-store prices, and 10% if you haven't. A lot of owners skip that step during onboarding. If you use your own drivers, the commission drops to about 15%.
The cheapest Uber option is one many owners don't know about: Uber Direct / Webshop. Customers order through your website, and Uber charges roughly 2.9% payment processing with no marketplace commission. We'll come back to that model below.
March 2026 was Uber Eats' first marketplace fee increase in about ten years. If you haven't checked your rates since, you're probably paying more than you think.
SkipTheDishes: what it really costs
Skip (owned by Just Eat Takeaway) started in Canada and leads on volume in many provinces. Its costs vary the most of the three, because Skip negotiates rates with each restaurant instead of publishing fixed tiers.
- Delivery commission: 20–30%, depending on your location, cuisine category, order volume, and any promotional commitments.
- Pickup: roughly 11–14%.
- SkipGo (delivery-as-a-service): a flat courier charge of about $7–9 per order. On orders above roughly $35, a flat fee often costs less than a percentage commission.
- A Skip tablet (you can sometimes use your own) and optional Skip Premium marketing placement.
Because Skip's rates are negotiable, a phone call to renegotiate can lower your rate, especially if your volume has grown since you signed.
Skip doesn't advertise this: Skip keeps the customer's name, phone, and email, not you. More on that below.
DoorDash: what it really costs
DoorDash has three partnership plans, laid out much like Uber Eats:
- Basic (15–20%): The entry tier. The Canadian Basic rate has crept up toward 20%, so if you signed expecting 15%, check your current agreement.
- Plus (25%): DashPass eligibility and a wider delivery area.
- Premier (30%): Best placement and guaranteed delivery volume.
Pickup orders cost 6%, the lowest pickup rate of the three. DoorDash also offers DoorDash Drive, a flat-fee delivery service with no marketplace listing. Some restaurants use it to deliver their own direct orders, which gets them DoorDash couriers without the marketplace commission.
The real-world math: one $40 order
Take a single $40 delivery order, assuming 30% food cost and $1.50 in packaging.
Through a marketplace at 25% commission:
- Commission: –$10.00
- Food cost: –$12.00
- Packaging: –$1.50
- You keep: ~$16.50 (before labour, rent, and overhead)
Through your own direct ordering channel at ~3% processing:
- Processing: –$1.20
- Food cost: –$12.00
- Packaging: –$1.50
- You keep: ~$25.30
You keep about $8.80 more per order on a direct channel. At 300 orders a month, that's about $2,640 a month, or over $31,000 a year, that stays in your business.
Why this hurts more in 2026 specifically
Independent restaurants already run on thin margins, and food costs have gone up. On many orders, a 25–30% commission takes the whole margin. Give the delivery channel the same scrutiny as any other line item, even if every restaurant on your street is on the apps.
The cost that never appears on the invoice
On the marketplace apps, you don't own your customers.
When someone orders your food through Skip, Uber Eats, or DoorDash, the platform keeps the relationship. You don't get their phone number or email. You can't text them a Tuesday-night offer, sign them up for your loyalty program, or win them back when they stop ordering. You paid 25–30% to get that customer, and the app keeps the means to bring them back. Next month they open the app, see 30 competitors next to you, and you pay the commission again.
Over a year, that costs more than the commission. You pay rent on every order and never build a customer list of your own.
What smart Canadian operators are doing in 2026
For most restaurants, quitting the apps cold turkey isn't realistic. Treat the marketplaces as a paid way to find new customers, then move your repeat customers to a direct channel you own.
Every regular you move off a 25–30% marketplace and onto your own ordering at roughly 3% processing puts that difference back in your pocket, every month. Move a third of your repeat business and the apps become one channel among several instead of your biggest expense.
To make the move, you need a direct ordering channel customers will use (your own branded app or site, not a clunky web form), a way to capture customer contact info so you own the relationship, and a loyalty or marketing system that gives people a reason to order direct next time.
Menuro does this for independent restaurants. You get your own branded app and online ordering with 0% commission on direct orders, plus a built-in loyalty program and marketing automation so the customers you won become regulars who order direct. You own the customer data, and we set it all up for you in 2–3 days.
Keep the apps for discovery, and stop paying them a commission every time a regular orders. Here's how moving regulars to your own app works.
Make the apps work for you, not the other way around
See what your restaurant looks like with its own commission-free ordering app and a loyalty program that turns app customers into direct regulars.
Book a free Menuro demo. No long-term contracts. Set up in 2–3 days. 0% commission.
Frequently asked questions
Which delivery app is cheapest for Canadian restaurants? On pickup, DoorDash (6%) is lowest. On delivery, all three sit at 25–30% on standard tiers. For restaurants with a high average order, Skip's flat-fee SkipGo can cost less than a percentage commission. Your own direct ordering at ~3% processing costs less than any of them.
Do delivery apps give me my customers' contact information? No. On the marketplace apps, the platform keeps the customer's name, phone, and email. To own that data, you need a direct ordering channel.
Did delivery commissions go up in 2026? Yes. Uber Eats raised marketplace fees in March 2026 (its first increase in about a decade), moving the Lite tier to 20% and adding a 5% surcharge on Uber One member orders. DoorDash's Canadian Basic tier has also risen toward 20%. Confirm your own rate in your platform dashboard or agreement.
Should I leave the delivery apps entirely? For most restaurants, no. They help new customers find you. Keep them for that, and move your repeat customers to a commission-free direct channel you own.
Sources & verification: Commission structures reflect publicly reported 2026 Canadian rates from platform announcements and restaurant-industry trade coverage, including Uber Eats' official marketplace fee notice and Restaurant Dive's reporting on the March 2026 increase. Rates vary by market, volume, cuisine, and contract. Confirm your exact rate in your Uber Eats Manager, DoorDash Merchant Portal, or SkipTheDishes partner agreement.
