Commission from delivery platforms (15-35%) dramatically reduces your profit margins. Calculate your real margin by subtracting both ingredient costs AND commission from your selling price. At 30% commission, you need 43% more orders to match your direct sales profit.
Most restaurant owners don't realize they're losing money on every delivery order. You calculate margins based on your regular prices, but forget that Uber Eats just took 28% commission. Your €12 profit just became €4.
Why commission destroys your margin
You think you have 30% food cost and you're making good money. But then the delivery platform's commission hits. Suddenly your margin is much lower than you calculated.
⚠️ Watch out:
Many restaurants still calculate with their normal margin, while paying 20-30% commission. This way you lose money on every order.
The formula for margin with commission
Your real margin gets calculated differently once commission enters the picture:
Real margin = Selling price - Ingredient costs - Commission
Or as a percentage:
Margin % = ((Selling price - Ingredient costs - Commission) / Selling price) × 100
💡 Example:
You sell a pizza for €18.00 via Thuisbezorgd (25% commission):
- Selling price: €18.00
- Ingredient costs: €5.40
- Commission (25%): €4.50
Real margin: €18.00 - €5.40 - €4.50 = €8.10 (45%)
Different commission rates per platform
Each platform charges different rates. You need to know this to calculate your margin correctly:
- Thuisbezorgd: 13-35% (depending on contract and services)
- Uber Eats: 15-30% commission
- Deliveroo: 25-35% commission
- Just Eat: 14-25% commission
Note: these are total costs, including payment fees and marketing fees.
💡 Comparison example:
Same pizza for €18.00 on different platforms:
- Thuisbezorgd (30%): €18 - €5.40 - €5.40 = €7.20 margin
- Uber Eats (25%): €18 - €5.40 - €4.50 = €8.10 margin
- In your restaurant (0%): €18 - €5.40 = €12.60 margin
Difference: €5.40 per pizza between platform and direct sales!
How to adjust your prices for platforms
Many restaurants raise their prices on delivery platforms to compensate for the commission. Here's how to calculate the right price:
Platform price = (Desired margin + Ingredient costs) / (1 - Commission %)
💡 Price adjustment example:
You want to keep €8.10 margin on your pizza with €5.40 ingredients at 25% commission:
- Desired revenue: €8.10 + €5.40 = €13.50
- Platform price: €13.50 / (1 - 0.25) = €18.00
You keep the same price, but your margin drops from 70% to 45%.
The impact on your total profit
Delivery platforms can be profitable, but you need to track the numbers carefully. Based on real restaurant P&L data, a lower margin can be compensated by higher volume - if you hit the right numbers.
⚠️ Watch out:
Calculate how many extra orders you need to make the same profit. Often it's more than you think.
At 30% commission you need 43% more orders to make the same profit as direct sales.
Tools to keep track of this
Manually tracking margins per platform gets complex quickly. Especially if you have different commission rates and change prices regularly.
Most restaurants use spreadsheets, but they break down once you start tracking multiple platforms with different rates and fees.
How do you calculate your margin with commission? (step by step)
Gather all costs per order
Note your selling price, ingredient costs and the platform's commission percentage. Check your contract for the exact percentage including all fees.
Calculate the commission in euros
Multiply your selling price by the commission percentage. At €20.00 sales and 25% commission you pay €5.00 to the platform.
Subtract all costs from your selling price
Selling price minus ingredient costs minus commission = your real margin. This is what you keep from that order.
Calculate your margin percentage
Divide your real margin by your selling price and multiply by 100. This shows you what percentage of your sales you actually keep.
Compare with direct sales
Check the same dish without commission. This shows you how much the platforms cost you and whether the volume compensates for it.
✨ Pro tip
Calculate your break-even commission rate by dividing your current profit margin by your selling price. If platforms charge more than this percentage, you're losing money on every single order.
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
Do I have to pay VAT on the commission?
No, you deduct commission before calculating VAT. You pay VAT on your selling price, the platform pays VAT on their commission.
Can I pass the commission on to the customer?
Yes, many restaurants raise their prices on platforms. But be careful: prices that are too high can scare off customers.
Which platform has the lowest commission?
This varies by contract and location. Thuisbezorgd can start from 13% if you have high volume, but often has higher rates for new restaurants.
How often do platforms change their commission?
Usually annually at contract renewal. Some platforms adjust marketing fees in between, so check your invoices regularly.
Should I calculate commission on discounted orders differently?
Yes, platforms typically take commission on the full menu price, not the discounted price the customer pays. This means your actual margin is even lower on promotional orders.
What happens if I get a chargeback through the platform?
Most platforms deduct chargebacks from your payout, but you've already paid commission on that order. You lose both the food cost and the commission fee, making chargebacks extremely expensive.
📚 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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