{
  "slug": "delivery-app-commission-net",
  "title": "Delivery App Commission Net Calculator",
  "heading": "Delivery App Net Revenue Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/delivery-app-commission-net",
  "summary": "See what you actually keep after third-party delivery commission and fees.",
  "description": "Third-party delivery platforms typically take 15-30% commission depending on the service tier (marketplace-only vs. full-service delivery), plus sometimes a separate processing fee. This calculator takes an order subtotal, the commission rate, any flat processing fee, and your food cost percentage, then shows exactly what lands in your account and whether the order was actually profitable after ingredient cost. Many operators are shocked to learn that a $30 order at 28% commission plus a 3% processing fee and 32% food cost nets barely enough to cover the packaging and prep labor, let alone contribute to rent. This is why many restaurants price delivery-app menus 10-18% higher than dine-in menus — it's not price gouging, it's covering the commission that the platform, not the customer, is functionally being paid by. Run your real numbers here before assuming delivery volume is pure upside.",
  "formula": "Net to restaurant = order subtotal × (1 − commission % ) − flat fee. Profit = net − food cost.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=delivery-app-commission-net",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "orderSubtotal",
      "label": "Order subtotal",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "commissionPct",
      "label": "Platform commission",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 28,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 40
    },
    {
      "id": "flatFee",
      "label": "Flat processing fee",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.5,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "foodCostPct",
      "label": "Food cost % of this order",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 32,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 80
    },
    {
      "id": "packagingCost",
      "label": "Packaging cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1.2,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "net",
      "label": "Net after platform fees",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "profit",
      "label": "Profit after food & packaging",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "netPct",
      "label": "Net as % of order",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "commission",
      "label": "Commission taken by platform",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Order subtotal: 30 $",
      "Platform commission: 28 %",
      "Flat processing fee: 0.5 $",
      "Food cost % of this order: 32 %",
      "Packaging cost: 1.2 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Net after platform fees: $21.10",
      "Profit after food & packaging: $10.30",
      "Net as % of order: 70.3%",
      "Commission taken by platform: $8.40"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter order subtotal ($).",
      "Enter platform commission (%).",
      "Enter flat processing fee ($).",
      "Enter food cost % of this order (%).",
      "Enter packaging cost ($).",
      "Read your net after platform fees on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "orderSubtotal": 18,
        "commissionPct": 17,
        "flatFee": 0.3,
        "foodCostPct": 19,
        "packagingCost": 0.72
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "orderSubtotal": 30,
        "commissionPct": 28,
        "flatFee": 0.5,
        "foodCostPct": 32,
        "packagingCost": 1.2
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "orderSubtotal": 48,
        "commissionPct": 40,
        "flatFee": 0.8,
        "foodCostPct": 51,
        "packagingCost": 1.92
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why do commissions vary so much between platforms?",
      "a": "Marketplace-only listings (you handle your own delivery) run 15-20% since the platform is just providing discovery and ordering. Full-service plans where the platform provides drivers run 25-30%+ because they're covering courier pay, insurance, and dispatch logistics."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should I raise prices on delivery apps?",
      "a": "Most operators price delivery-menu items 10-18% above dine-in to offset commission, and this is standard practice, not deceptive pricing, as long as it's disclosed by the platform's menu display. Check the platform's policy on price parity before doing this."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is it ever better to lose money on delivery orders?",
      "a": "Sometimes, if delivery is purely for incremental volume during otherwise idle kitchen hours with staff already on the clock. But if delivery is cannibalizing dine-in covers you'd otherwise get at full margin, running it at a loss is a real problem, not a marketing investment."
    },
    {
      "q": "What's the biggest hidden cost beyond commission?",
      "a": "Packaging designed to survive transit (often 2-3x the cost of standard to-go containers) and the food cost inflation that happens when portions get sized generously for photos and reviews rather than standard dine-in specs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/food-cost-percentage",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pos-fee-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/food-truck-event-pnl"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Delivery App Commission Net Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/delivery-app-commission-net)"
}