Grubhub commission fee for restaurants: what you really pay

Grubhub charges US restaurants a marketing commission on each order: 5% on its Basic plan, 15% on Plus and 20% on All-access [1] [2]. When Grubhub's drivers deliver the order, a delivery fee starting at 10% comes on top, and card processing of 3.05% + $0.30 is charged on every prepaid order [2] [3]. On a $25 delivered order that is about $4.81 on Basic and $8.56 on All-access.

There is no sign-up, monthly or maintenance fee to be listed on Grubhub Marketplace [1]. Below: what each plan buys, what you keep on a real order, a month worked out, how many more orders a higher plan must bring to pay for itself, how pickup compares with DoorDash and Uber Eats, and how to pay Grubhub less without leaving it.

1. Grubhub commission rates by plan (2026)

Grubhub splits its fee into two parts, unlike DoorDash and Uber Eats, which quote one number. The marketing commission pays for being listed and found in the app; it applies to every order the app sends you. The delivery fee applies only when a Grubhub driver carries the order. Card processing is charged on top of both [2] [3].

Grubhub's own page says "rates as low as 5%" and "no up-front costs or hidden fees" [1]. Read the 5% for what it is: a listing fee for orders you deliver yourself or that are picked up. Add a Grubhub driver and the same Basic order costs at least 15% before processing.

Old numbers are still around. Some guides still quote an older structure of 15%, 20% and 25% with delivery included, and one guide quotes both structures on the same page [3]. Grubhub's current split (5%, 15%, 20%, plus delivery from 10%) adds up to the same 15%, 25% and 30% when Grubhub delivers. The difference shows on pickup and self-delivery orders, where only the marketing rate applies.

New York City is priced on its own. Grubhub has separate pricing there [4], because the city caps what delivery apps can charge restaurants: 15% for delivery and 5% for other fees, a cap the council made permanent in 2021 [5].

2. What you keep on one $25 order

One $25 food subtotal, before your own food cost and before tax. Processing is 3.05% + $0.30, which is $1.06 on $25 [3].

Grubhub Direct is Grubhub's commission-free ordering site for your restaurant [1] [4]; the $23.94 assumes the same 3.05% + $0.30 processing, so check the rate in your agreement. The gap between the top of the table and the bottom is $4.81 to $8.56 an order. A regular who orders twice a week on All-access delivery costs you about $890 a year more than the same regular picking up from your own site.

3. Pickup on Grubhub: the trap on the higher plans

Grubhub's pricing page lists no separate pickup rate. Guides that work through Grubhub's own profit calculator treat a pickup order as the plan's marketing commission plus processing, with no delivery fee [2] [3]. That is cheap on Basic and expensive on the others:

DoorDash and Uber Eats rates from their own pages, as set out in our guides to DoorDash's commission fee for restaurants and Uber Eats commission for restaurants. If a large share of your Grubhub orders are pickups and you're on Plus or All-access, you may be paying three times what the other apps charge for the same order. Pull one month of statements and check what each pickup order was charged before you choose a plan.

4. A month of Grubhub orders, worked out

Say Grubhub sends you 300 delivered orders a month at an average $25 subtotal: $7,500 of food sales. Processing on 300 orders is about $319.

If you deliver yourself, the delivery fee falls away: 300 orders on Basic cost $375 in commission plus $319 processing, $694 a month. That is cheaper only if your own driver costs less than the $750 a month the 10% delivery fee would have been.

5. Is Plus or All-access worth it? The break-even

A higher plan is worth it only if it brings enough extra orders to cover the bigger cut. Work it out on what each order leaves you after food. Say your food cost is 30% of the menu price, $7.50 on a $25 order:

So Plus has to lift your Grubhub orders by a quarter just to break even, and All-access by more than two-fifths. Packaging and labor aren't in this sum, so the real bar is higher. How to test it:

1. Write down four normal weeks of Grubhub orders and average order size on your current plan.
2. Switch for a full month, avoiding holidays and the first week of any promotion.
3. Compare orders, not sales. If orders didn't rise by the share in the table, switch back.
4. Check where the extra orders came from. New names are worth more than regulars who moved from your phone line.

6. Other Grubhub costs besides commission

• Card processing: 3.05% + $0.30 on prepaid orders [3]. On a $12 order that's $0.67, over 5%. Small orders pay the most.
• Ads and promotions: sponsored listings and offers are extra and come out of your payout. Grubhub's page mentions a monthly ad credit for eligible restaurants on some plans [2]; read the terms before you count on it.
• Supplemental delivery: if you deliver yourself, you can hand Grubhub the orders outside your area or at busy times and pay its delivery fee only on those [2] [3].
• Refunds and adjustments: when a diner reports a missing or wrong item, the refund can come out of your payout. You have a window to dispute eligible adjustments in the Merchant Portal [3]. A photo of each sealed bag helps.
• Tablet and integrations: check whether you're paying for a tablet or a POS link you no longer use.

7. Grubhub vs DoorDash vs Uber Eats for a restaurant

On delivery the three are close once you add Grubhub's processing. On pickup, Grubhub's higher plans are the most expensive by far. Many independents keep all three on the lowest plan for the new diners each one brings, and send repeat diners to their own ordering page. DoorDash's own-site product and its monthly tiers are set out in DoorDash Storefront fees.

8. How to pay Grubhub less without leaving it

1. Start on Basic. Move up only after the test in section 5 shows the extra orders.
2. Look up your pickup share. If pickups are a big slice and you're on Plus or All-access, the plan may be costing you more than it brings.
3. Price the app menu for the cut, carefully. Many owners raise app prices by part of the commission. Diners compare, so keep the gap modest and your own site cheaper. For the sums, see how to price a menu item.
4. Put your own Order button on Google. Google Business Profile lets you add your own ordering link next to the apps [6]. People searching your name are mostly regulars.
5. A card in every bag. "Order direct next time, pickup with no app fees", with a QR code to your menu.
6. Make your website's first button "Order for pickup". Not a PDF, not a link to the app.
7. Turn off promotions you didn't choose, and check the adjustments line on each statement.
8. Count it monthly: direct orders, app delivery, app pickup, total fees. If direct orders aren't rising after two months, see which step you skipped.

If you don't have your own ordering page yet, you can build a free menu site with pickup ordering from a photo of your menu. Diners pay you at the counter, so there's no fee per order. The fees that remain with other direct options are set out in commission-free online ordering for restaurants.

Common mistakes

• Reading "as low as 5%" as the delivery rate. With Grubhub drivers it is 15% at least, plus processing.
• Paying a top-plan rate on pickup orders that would cost 6% or 7% on the other apps.
• Upgrading for a month with a holiday in it, then crediting the plan with the holiday's orders.
• Ignoring processing. On a busy small-order trade it can be a fifth of what you pay Grubhub.
• Sending regulars to the app. A link to Grubhub on your own website or Instagram pays a commission on diners you already had.

Questions

What percentage does Grubhub take from restaurants?

A marketing commission of 5% (Basic), 15% (Plus) or 20% (All-access) on every order, a delivery fee from 10% when Grubhub delivers, and 3.05% + $0.30 card processing [1] [2] [3]. On delivered orders that's 15% to 30% plus processing.

Does Grubhub charge restaurants for pickup orders?

Yes. There's no delivery fee, but the plan's marketing commission and processing still apply, as guides working from Grubhub's calculator show [2] [3]. Check one month of your statements to see the rate each pickup order paid.

Does Grubhub have a monthly fee for restaurants?

No. Grubhub says there are no initiation or ongoing maintenance fees to be listed on Marketplace; you pay per order [1].

Is Grubhub cheaper than DoorDash?

For delivered orders the plans line up at 15%, 25% and 30%, but Grubhub adds processing on top. For pickup, Grubhub Basic (5%) is cheaper than DoorDash's 6%; Grubhub Plus and All-access are far dearer.

What is Grubhub Direct?

Grubhub's branded ordering website for your restaurant, with no marketing commission [1] [4]. Card processing still applies to prepaid orders; check your agreement for the rate.

Can I negotiate Grubhub's commission?

Grubhub publishes its plans, so the main lever is choosing the plan. Larger groups and restaurants in capped cities such as New York have their own terms [4] [5].

Want regulars ordering from you, not the app? Build your menu site free from a photo of your menu, with pickup orders that ring your phone and no commission. More answers are in all our guides.

Sources

1. Pricing and fees, Grubhub for Restaurants, read Nov 3, 2026 ("rates as low as 5%", no initiation or maintenance fees, Direct; the plan table is an image, read through the guides below).
2. How much does Grubhub charge restaurants? (2026), Menuline, read Nov 3, 2026 (reports Grubhub's pricing page and profit calculator as of October 2026: 5/15/20%, delivery from 10%, processing, ad credit, supplemental delivery).
3. How much does Grubhub charge restaurants?, Restolabs, updated July 27, 2026, read Nov 3, 2026 (reported: 3.05% + $0.30, adjustments window, older 15/20/25% structure).
4. Grubhub for Restaurants, Grubhub, read Nov 3, 2026 (Direct: "your commission-free branded online ordering website").
5. New York City Council OKs cap on food delivery fees, Transport Topics, 2021.
6. Manage online ordering options, Google Business Profile Help, read Nov 1, 2026.