How to Reduce Uber Eats and DoorDash Commissions in 2026 (The Real Math for Independent Restaurants)

Short version: the only way to actually reduce Uber Eats and DoorDash commissions is to grow your direct-ordering channel. There is little room to negotiate a marketplace's listed rate. But there are seven levers that, run together, move repeat orders to your own site. Our model assumes about 25% of marketplace orders move; at 3,000 to 12,000 orders a month that models out to $48,000 to $300,000 per location per year. The platform that runs all seven for you is Zayos.

The marketplace order of importance for US independents

Quick reality check before the math: for most US independent restaurants, the marketplace channel ranking by order volume is Uber Eats first, then DoorDash, then Grubhub. Uber Eats has the most active diner base in most metros. DoorDash dominates suburban delivery. Grubhub holds a chunk of the Northeast and college markets. If a vendor pitches you "marketplace ingestion" without mentioning Uber Eats first, ask why.

The math at three real volume tiers

Below is the savings math for shifting 25% of marketplace orders to direct, replacing middleware, and dropping commissions from ~30% to ~3% processing on the shifted share.

Busy single-location · 3,000 orders/mo

• 3,000 orders × $32 avg ticket × 60% via marketplace × 30% commission = $17,280/mo lost to commission today
• Plus middleware to pull the delivery apps into the kitchen (our working figure): +$300/mo
• Today's total bleed: $17,580/mo
• After Zayos shifts 25% to direct + replaces middleware: $13,563/mo
• Saved: $4,017/mo · $48,204/yr

Mid-volume independent · 6,000 orders/mo (this is most operators)

• 6,000 orders × $35 avg ticket × 65% via marketplace × 30% commission = $40,950/mo lost to commission today
• Plus middleware: +$300/mo
• Today's total bleed: $41,250/mo
• After Zayos shifts 25% to direct + replaces middleware: $31,315/mo
• Saved: $9,935/mo · $119,220/yr

High-volume / multi-brand ghost kitchen · 12,000 orders/mo

• 12,000 × $40 × 70% × 30% = $100,800/mo lost to commission today
• Plus middleware: +$300/mo
• Today's total bleed: $101,100/mo
• After Zayos: $76,203/mo
• Saved: $24,897/mo · $298,764/yr

The seven levers that actually shift orders to direct

1. Printable QR codes for your receipts and delivery bags. A code on the receipt or in the bag that opens your own ordering site steers diners back. The first order on the marketplace was the introduction. Every order after should be direct.
2. SMS to your own list. Two-cent texts. "Friday lunch is back, $4 off" beats paying a delivery app commission on the same customer. Most kitchens have a 4,000-person SMS list inside 6 months once they start collecting opt-ins on direct orders.
3. Email blasts to your customer list. Same logic, slower channel. Free if you own the list.
4. One-tap reorder. A past order goes back in the cart with the saved card and address, so the second order takes a moment.
5. Loyalty + win-back automations. Auto-trigger 15%-off SMS at day 30 of inactivity. Done in software, runs on autopilot.
6. Direct-only specials. Your $14 lunch combo only exists on the direct site. Diners learn the lesson fast: "if I want the deal, I order direct."
7. Reduce friction. A direct ordering site that takes 4 taps to checkout matches Uber Eats. A site that takes 8 taps loses the order. Sub-2-second loads, saved cards, Apple Pay, address autocomplete — all required.

What does NOT work (don't waste time on these)

• Negotiating the commission down. An independent has little room to negotiate a marketplace's listed rates. A self-delivery option can carry a lower rate, but it shifts the delivery cost to your own driver instead of removing it.
• "Going direct only." Marketplaces are an introduction channel — you keep them, you just stop paying them for repeat orders.
• Standalone direct-ordering sites with no kitchen integration. If your kitchen has 4 tablets (one per channel) plus a direct site, you'll abandon the direct site within 3 weeks because nobody can keep up with 5 screens.

What an integrated solution looks like

The seven levers above only work when they all run from one platform. That's what Zayos is — direct ordering site + kitchen tablet (one screen for direct + Uber Eats + DoorDash + Grubhub) + customer list + sales tax report + AI shift briefing + courier dispatch for delivery orders + push-to-POS via Otter. We build it for you in under a week. From $399/mo per location with no setup fee, plus a per-order fee ($0.99 pickup, $0.99 delivery) paid by the diner — operators keep 100% of food revenue.

Or if you'd rather see a live demo on a real customer, we'll show you Naya Grill, our first customer, live and taking orders alongside Shishka Lebanese Grill, Yummy Grill, Tacos Arabes and more, and run your savings math on your real menu. See the demo.

FAQ

Will Uber Eats and DoorDash punish me for steering customers to direct?

No. They've tested removing restaurants for "off-platform marketing" in court and lost. You're allowed to put a QR code on your own receipt. You're allowed to email and SMS your own customer list. The marketplaces don't own the dining relationship.

How long until I see the savings?

With zero setup fee, every dollar of marketplace commission you avoid past month one is straight margin recovery.

What if my POS is Toast?

Zayos sends orders into Clover, Square or Shift4 at no extra cost. Toast works too; Toast bills the restaurant its own $50 a month.

Is this only for restaurants?

Restaurants and ghost kitchens. Bars and cafes work too if avg ticket is above $15. Below that the math doesn't pencil.

Run your numbers — Zayos · live demo · pricing · phone 954-807-1509.