💸 Uber Eats Took a Bigger Cut. Now What?

Uber Eats just hiked its delivery commissions — effective this week — and small and mid-size restaurants are absorbing the full hit. So this week you're going to calculate exactly what that costs you, look hard at which delivery orders are actually making you money, and set up one direct ordering channel that starts keeping that margin in your pocket.

1️⃣ The Signal

Uber Eats raised its rates. Your delivery margins just got thinner.

Here's what's really happening. Effective March 11 — this past Wednesday — Uber Eats raised commission rates by 5% across two of its three pricing tiers for small and mid-size restaurants. The Lite tier went from 15% to 20%. The Plus tier went from 20% to 25%. Pickup orders got hit too, rising to 7%. Restaurants with custom rates saw a 3% bump, capped at 30%.

This isn't random. Uber Eats cited "shifting operating conditions." Translation: their costs went up and they passed it straight to you. No negotiation. Just a notice and a new number in your payout report.

Here's why you should care: on a $30 order at 25%, Uber Eats takes $7.50 before you've spent a dollar on food, labor, or packaging. Add those in and you're often at break-even or below. You may be running a full kitchen operation to generate delivery orders that make you nothing.

And DoorDash hasn't commented yet on whether it's following. If history is any guide, it usually does.

What this tells us:

Uber Eats is raising delivery fees for some restaurants

2️⃣ 💰 The Margin Move

💰 This Week's Margin Move: Run a real delivery profit check — and start one direct channel

Most operators know their commission rate. Almost none know their actual profit per delivery order after food cost, packaging, and labor. That number is the one that matters.

Do this:

Step one: Pick your three most-ordered delivery items. For each one, write down the menu price, the food cost, packaging cost, and now apply your new commission rate. What's left? That's your actual margin per order. If it's under $2, you're essentially running that item for free — or at a loss.

Step two: Raise delivery-only prices on your worst performers by 10–15% this week. Most platforms allow you to set different pricing for delivery vs. in-store. Use it. You're not punishing your guest — you're covering the cost the platform is charging you.

Step three: Set up one direct ordering option this week. It doesn't have to be fancy. A link through your POS system, a simple Toast or Square online store, or even a text-to-order number for regulars. Put the link in your Instagram bio and on your receipts today. Start redirecting just 10% of your delivery orders to direct. That's money that stays with you.

Quick rule: use the apps to find new customers. Use direct ordering to keep them.

Why it works:

Moving even 10% of delivery orders to direct — at zero commission — can recover thousands of dollars a month in margin. It doesn't require a new customer. It just requires a better path for the ones you already have.

3️⃣ 🧠 Operator Edge

Beef costs jumped 32%. Burger prices only went up 14%. Someone's eating that gap — and it's you.

New data from Datassential this week puts the beef cost problem in plain numbers. Over the past two years, meat costs are up 32%. Burger prices on menus? Up just 14%. That 18-point gap isn't going anywhere on its own. Somebody is absorbing it — and for most independent operators, that somebody is the owner.

Burger King reported beef costs up 20% on their own. Texas Roadhouse said commodity inflation hit 9.5% last year and is guiding even higher for 2026. These are chains with massive buying power and dedicated procurement teams. If they're getting squeezed, your single-location operation is feeling it twice as hard.

Operator move: if beef is in your top five food cost items, this week is the week to look at two things. First — what's your actual food cost percentage on every beef item right now? Run the numbers. Second — do you have one chicken or plant-based alternative that covers the same menu slot at a lower cost? You don't have to pull your burger. You just need a profitable option alongside it that gives the kitchen and the guest another choice.

You can't control what beef costs. You can control what you charge and what you sell next to it.

Beef costs exceed burger prices, pressuring QSRs  +  Why beef costs are increasing so much

Why It Matters

Every platform fee hike is a reminder that you're renting their audience. Time to build your own.

Uber Eats moved the goalposts this week. They won't be the last. Every time a platform raises its rate, operators who depend entirely on those platforms take the hit with no recourse. The ones who've been building direct channels just shrug and move on.

Your move this week: run your real delivery margin numbers, raise delivery-only prices on your thinnest items, and get one direct ordering link live. Small move. Real protection.