Think of platform commissions like having a business partner who takes 15-30% of every sale without lifting a finger. Many restaurant owners use identical prices online and in-house, unknowingly bleeding money on every delivery order. You need to calculate exactly which prices maintain your margin after these fees.
Why platform prices need to be higher
Delivery platforms charge commission on your entire order value. You must pass these costs on to your prices, otherwise you'll earn less on every order.
💡 Example:
Margherita Pizza in your restaurant: €12.50
- Delivery platform commission: 25%
- Extra cost per order: €3.13
- New price needed: €16.67
Difference: €4.17 per pizza
Without price adjustment, you lose €4.17 margin per pizza. With 50 pizzas per week via platforms, that's €10,842 per year in lost profit.
Calculate your break-even platform price
Your new selling price must maintain your original margin after deducting all platform costs.
Formula:
New price = Old price / (1 - Platform commission %)
💡 Example calculation:
Steak in restaurant: €28.00
- Uber Eats commission: 30%
- Calculation: €28.00 / (1 - 0.30) = €28.00 / 0.70
- New price: €40.00
After commission you receive: €28.00 (same as in restaurant)
Include additional costs
Besides platform commission, you have extra costs that don't exist in your restaurant. You need to pass these on as well.
- Packaging: €0.50 - €1.50 per order
- Plastic bags and stickers: €0.20 - €0.40 per order
- Extra staff for packing: €1.00 - €2.00 per order
- Delivery costs (if you deliver yourself): €3.00 - €6.00 per order
⚠️ Note:
Calculate these costs per order, not per dish. An order of 3 dishes has the same packaging costs as 1 dish.
Psychology of higher online prices
Customers accept higher online prices because they value the convenience of delivery. Research shows that 70% of consumers willingly pay 10-20% more for home delivery.
- Communicate transparently about delivery costs
- Offer free delivery above a minimum order value
- Use round prices (€15.00 instead of €14.67)
- Create online-exclusive dishes with higher margins
From years of working in professional kitchens, I've seen restaurants lose thousands annually by not adjusting their platform pricing strategy. The math doesn't lie - you can't absorb these costs indefinitely.
Different prices per platform
Each platform has different commission rates. Adjust your prices per platform for optimal margin.
💡 Example multi-platform pricing:
Pasta Carbonara (base price €16.00):
- Delivery platform (25% commission): €21.33
- Uber Eats (30% commission): €22.86
- Deliveroo (28% commission): €22.22
- Your own website (5% payment fees): €16.84
With different prices per platform, you maintain the same net revenue of €16.00 per dish.
Monitor and adjust
Check your average order value and margin per platform monthly. Platforms can adjust their commissions, so keep monitoring your prices. Tools like KitchenNmbrs can help track these metrics across multiple platforms.
- Compare net revenue per platform with restaurant sales
- Watch for seasonal fluctuations in orders
- Test price increases gradually (€0.50 at a time)
- Monitor customer reactions and reviews after price adjustments
How do you calculate your platform prices? (step by step)
Gather your current prices and commissions
Note your restaurant prices and the exact commission from each platform. Delivery platforms usually charge 20-30%, Uber Eats 25-35%, depending on your contract.
Calculate your extra costs per order
Add up: packaging, bags, stickers and extra labor for packing. This is usually €1.50 - €3.00 per order that you need to distribute across your dishes.
Apply the formula per dish
New price = (Old price + Extra costs per dish) / (1 - Platform commission %). Test with a few dishes and monitor reactions.
✨ Pro tip
Test a €1.50 price increase on your 5 most popular dishes over the next 2 weeks. Monitor if order frequency drops more than 10% - if not, you've found your sweet spot.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
How much higher can my platform prices be?
Customers usually accept 15-25% higher prices online. With 30% platform commission, this is necessary to maintain your margin.
Should I charge packaging costs separately?
You can choose: charge separately or build into your dish prices. Building into the price provides more transparency to customers. Most restaurants find it easier to include packaging in the item price.
Can I keep the same prices and accept lower margins?
You can, but then you'll earn 15-30% less per dish. With high platform sales, this can undermine your overall profitability.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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