Over the past two years, countless restaurants have watched delivery revenue soar while profit margins plummeted. Platform fees and packaging costs create hidden drains that can turn your busiest delivery nights into break-even disasters. If your delivery numbers look impressive but your bank account doesn't reflect it, you're hemorrhaging money in ways that aren't immediately obvious.
Why delivery eats into your profit
Delivery appears to be easy money. No extra staff, no dishes, no table service. But hidden costs devour your profit:
- Platform fees: Deliveroo and Uber Eats charge 15-30% commission
- Packaging costs: containers, bags, cutlery cost €0.80-€1.50 per order
- No drink sales: you miss out on profitable beverages
- Discount promotions: platforms push for discounts that eat into your margin
💡 Example: Pasta carbonara
In restaurant: €18.50 - food cost €5.10 = €13.40 profit (72%)
Via delivery:
- Order value: €18.50
- Platform fees (25%): €4.63
- Packaging: €1.20
- Food cost: €5.10
Profit: €18.50 - €4.63 - €1.20 - €5.10 = €7.57 (41%)
Check your real delivery margin
Most operators focus solely on revenue. You need to track every cost:
Formula for real delivery margin:
Profit = Order value - Platform fees - Packaging - Food cost - (Labor/order)
⚠️ Note:
Calculate platform fees on the order value including VAT. They take commission on the total amount the customer pays.
Which dishes actually work for delivery
Not every dish survives delivery economics. Focus on:
- Low food cost: under 25% (because packaging and platform eat into your margin)
- High order value: pastas, pizzas, sharing platters
- Travels well: no salad that gets soggy, no fries that get soft
- Easy to portion: no steaks you need to grill perfectly
💡 Example: Pizza vs. Salad
Margherita pizza (€14.50):
- Food cost: €2.90 (20%)
- Platform + packaging: €4.83
- Profit: €6.77 (47%)
Caesar salad (€12.50):
- Food cost: €4.20 (34%)
- Platform + packaging: €4.33
- Profit: €3.97 (32%)
Pizza delivers €2.80 more profit per order
Three scenarios to make delivery profitable
Scenario 1: Raise your prices for delivery
Many restaurants charge 10-15% extra for delivery. This partially offsets platform fees.
Scenario 2: Create a delivery-only menu
Select only dishes that travel well and have low food costs. Don't offer your full menu.
Scenario 3: Increase your average order value
Push for bundles, appetizers, desserts. Higher order values spread out your fixed costs (packaging). Based on real restaurant P&L data, operators who boost average order value from €18 to €28 see delivery margins jump from 12% to 23%.
💡 Example: Minimum order value effect
Order €15: packaging €1.20 = 8% of revenue
Order €30: packaging €1.20 = 4% of revenue
Double the order value and you halve your packaging costs as a percentage
When stopping delivery is worth considering
Sometimes delivery just isn't profitable for your concept. Stop if:
- Your net margin drops below 15% (after all costs)
- It overloads your kitchen so restaurant guests get worse service
- Your team gets stressed by the extra rush without extra profit
- Your average order value stays below €20 despite efforts
Delivery should generate profit, not just revenue. If it creates stress without profit, you're better off focusing on restaurant guests who deliver solid margins. And if you need to track these numbers precisely, tools like KitchenNmbrs can help you monitor real delivery profitability across all your dishes.
How do you calculate your real delivery profit? (step by step)
Gather all your delivery costs from last month
Add up: platform fees (commissions from Deliveroo/Uber Eats), packaging costs (containers, bags, cutlery), and any discount promotions you offered. These are your 'hidden' costs that don't show up in your food cost.
Calculate your real margin per delivery order
Take your average order value and subtract: platform fees (15-30%), packaging costs (€0.80-€1.50), food cost of those dishes, and a portion of labor cost. What's left is your real profit per order.
Compare with your restaurant margin and decide
If your delivery margin comes in under 20% while your restaurant margin is 40%+, then consider raising prices for delivery, creating a limited menu, or stopping delivery altogether. Focus on what brings in the most.
✨ Pro tip
Run a 48-hour delivery audit: track every order's true profit after platform fees, packaging, and food costs. You'll likely find 2-3 popular dishes that are actually losing money - remove them immediately and watch your weekly delivery profit jump by 15-20%.
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 commission do delivery platforms charge?
Deliveroo and Uber Eats typically charge 15-30% commission on the total order value including VAT. The exact percentage depends on your contract and volume.
What are realistic packaging costs per order?
Budget €0.80-€1.50 per order for containers, bags and cutlery. For larger orders with multiple dishes, costs can reach €2.50 per order.
Should I offer all my dishes for delivery?
No, focus on dishes that travel well and have low food costs under 25%. Salads, perfectly cooked steaks and delicate dishes often aren't profitable for delivery. Create a curated delivery menu instead.
📚 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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