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An Omaha, Nebraska, restaurant owner revealed that he spent six figures paying delivery app fees last year, leading him to stop using services like DoorDash and Uber Eats.��

Javier Trujillo told local news station earlier this month that he shelled out $188,000 in commissions to delivery platforms last year. The charges were spread across his five restaurants: Javi’s Tacos, Time to Rise and Shine, Frosty Mug, Helados Locos and El Milagro.

“Any service that we use that does delivery and then pushes our menu to their customers, we have paid $188,000 last year,” Trujillo told the outlet.

He said eliminating those fees will free up funds to help him keep staff and cut losses from orders that sit untouched when drivers never arrive. 

“Maybe there was not enough Dashers in the area and they took the order, we get the order, we made the food, but nobody comes to pick it up. That’s losses on us,” Trujillo said.

At the same time, in Dallas, chef Andrew Kelley runs a delivery-only kitchen with no dining room. He told the earlier this month that apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats make it “very difficult” to turn a profit, because their commissions eat into margins on items like a $12 lunch special. 

“It’s been very difficult with DoorDash and Uber Eats,” Kelley told the Observer. “Unfortunately, after DoorDash takes its commission, and I sell an Italian sandwich with a bag of chips and a homemade cookie or a potato salad for $12, my take-home is less than $10. And that doesn’t include the cost of food packaging and labor.”

Food delivery services are more popular than ever

DoorDash and Uber Eats generate billions in annual revenue, powered in part by the 15% to 30% cut they take from each restaurant order placed through their platforms. For example, DoorDash’s revenue was approximately in 2025, a 28% year-over-year increase.

Americans placed through DoorDash last year, a 32% year-over-year growth. According to , DoorDash now commands roughly two‑thirds of the U.S. food delivery market, far outpacing Uber Eats and Grubhub.

A by the National Restaurant Association found that nearly half of all U.S. adults (47%) order takeout from restaurants at least once a week, for pickup or for delivery. More than a third order delivery at least once a week. 

An by digital ordering provider ActiveMenus discovered that delivery platforms may tack on an extra 1% to 5% in “marketing and promotional fees” to boost a restaurant’s placement in the app. They can also charge up to 3.5% for payment processing. 

To offset these additional costs, many restaurants mark up their menu prices on delivery apps by as much as 20%, per ActiveMenus. 

Moe Shrikian, executive vice-president of the Hungry Howie’s pizza chain, told the food industry news site earlier this month that “the key is meeting customers with the convenience they want.”

“We see third-party delivery as one tool in the toolbox,” he told the outlet.