Skip to content
Tech News
← Back to articles

$188K in Delivery Fees Forced This Restaurant Owner to Ditch DoorDash and Uber Eats: ‘That’s Losses on Us’

read original get Restaurant Delivery Service Kit → more articles
Why This Matters

This case highlights the significant financial impact of high delivery app fees on restaurant owners, prompting some to abandon these platforms to improve profitability and operational control. As the industry grapples with rising costs, this shift underscores the need for more sustainable delivery models that balance consumer convenience with fair compensation for restaurants.

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways An Omaha restaurant owner dropped DoorDash, Uber Eats and other delivery apps after they collected about $188,000 in fees from his businesses in one year.

He said the fees made it harder to retain staff and sometimes left him with losses if no driver showed up.

DoorDash and Uber Eats generate billions in annual revenue, powered by the 15% to 30% cut they take on each order placed through their platforms.

An Omaha, Nebraska, restaurant owner revealed that he spent six figures paying delivery app fees last year, leading him to stop using services like DoorDash and Uber Eats.

Javier Trujillo told local news station First Alert 6 earlier this month that he shelled out $188,000 in commissions to delivery platforms last year. The charges were spread across his five restaurants: Javi’s Tacos, Time to Rise and Shine, Frosty Mug, Helados Locos and El Milagro.

“Any service that we use that does delivery and then pushes our menu to their customers, we have paid $188,000 last year,” Trujillo told the outlet.

He said eliminating those fees will free up funds to help him keep staff and cut losses from orders that sit untouched when drivers never arrive.

“Maybe there was not enough Dashers in the area and they took the order, we get the order, we made the food, but nobody comes to pick it up. That’s losses on us,” Trujillo said.

At the same time, in Dallas, chef Andrew Kelley runs a delivery-only kitchen with no dining room. He told the Dallas Observer earlier this month that apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats make it “very difficult” to turn a profit, because their commissions eat into margins on items like a $12 lunch special.

“It’s been very difficult with DoorDash and Uber Eats,” Kelley told the Observer. “Unfortunately, after DoorDash takes its commission, and I sell an Italian sandwich with a bag of chips and a homemade cookie or a potato salad for $12, my take-home is less than $10. And that doesn’t include the cost of food packaging and labor.”

... continue reading