Delivery App Markup: What You Actually Pay Extra

Ordering through a delivery app rarely costs the same as the menu price at the counter. Restaurants typically raise their delivery-app menu prices to help absorb the commission the platform charges them — commonly somewhere in the 15–30% range — before any delivery fee, service fee, or tip is even added on top.

What independent studies have found

A widely cited FinanceBuzz analysis of 11 restaurant chains found delivery-app pricing plus fees added anywhere from roughly 40% to well over 100% to an in-store order, with the exact gap varying a lot by chain and platform. A separate New York Times analysis of a Subway order alone (menu prices only, before fees) found markups ranging from about 25% on one platform up to over 90% on another for the identical order.

The pattern across these studies is consistent even though the exact numbers vary: the menu prices you see in a delivery app are usually not the same prices posted in the restaurant, and the gap can be substantial before delivery fees, service fees, or tips are added.

How to avoid overpaying

• Check the restaurant's own app or website first — most chains price their own ordering channel at or near in-store pricing, unlike third-party delivery apps.
• Choose pickup instead of delivery when the app offers both — pickup usually skips the delivery fee, though the marked-up menu price often still applies.
• Call the restaurant directly for carryout when in doubt — phone and walk-in orders are almost always priced at the true in-store menu.

Restaurants on this site sourced from a delivery platform

For the restaurants below, the prices listed on this site were pulled from an online ordering/delivery platform rather than the restaurant's own in-store menu — expect in-person or direct-app pricing to run noticeably lower.