The 2026 Restaurant Industry Trends Report: A 360° View Across Delivery & Dine-In

This is the right question to ask. A few things that affect the math: pickup orders are just 6% on every plan, not 30%. Many merchants run a mix of both. DoorDash orders are also often incremental — meaning customers who wouldn’t have found or visited you otherwise — so the comparison isn’t always delivery margin vs. your standard margin. It’s delivery margin vs. no order at all. That said, the math is different for every business, and it’s worth running your own numbers before committing to a plan. Also, you can set different prices for delivery orders if you want. Many restaurants do.

You pay a percentage of each order’s subtotal — that’s it. No activation fee, no subscription fee, no payment processing fee. The commission covers your store being listed and marketed on DoorDash, Dasher logistics, customer support, and credit card processing.

Most new merchants start with Plus. You can switch plans any time in the Merchant Portal, and changes take up to five business days to process. We’d suggest trying a plan for two to three weeks before switching — that’s usually enough time to get a representative picture of order volume.

There are no activation fees, subscription fees, software fees, or cancellation fees. The only additional costs come if you opt into extras: a DoorDash Tablet ($6/week after your trial) or optional marketing tools like Promotions and Sponsored Listings. Online Ordering orders are commission-free but do carry a payment processing fee.

DoorDash charges restaurants a commission on each order — a percentage of the subtotal, not a flat rate. For orders placed in the DoorDash App and delivered by Dashers, the commission rates are 15% for the Basic plan, 25% for the Plus plan, and 30% for the Premier plan. DoorDash pickup orders are 6% across all DoorDash plans, and orders placed through Online Ordering by DoorDash, available across all DoorDash plans, are commission-free. There are no monthly fees, signup costs, or cancellation penalties. You only pay when orders come in, so DoorDash fees for restaurants scale directly with your sales.

DoorDash offers three merchant plans—Basic, Plus, and Premier. The higher the plan, the more orders you are positioned to generate, due to increased customer reach and premium features. For instance, Basic has the lowest commission but is designed for local exposure. Higher tiers like Plus and Premier unlock a wider customer base, offer lower customer delivery fees to boost order completion, and provide valuable features like access to high-value DashPass members and automatic ads (Premier) to maximize your sales potential. You choose a plan and can switch any time in the Merchant Portal. Compare DoorDash pricing plans on the plan cards above.

Yes. You can switch DoorDash merchant plans any time through the Merchant Portal — no contract, no penalty. Changes take up to five business days to process. We'd suggest running your current plan for two to three weeks before switching, so you can see how your DoorDash merchant fee compares under real order conditions. Nothing is locking you in.

No. You only pay a commission when an order comes in: 15% on delivery for Basic, 25% for Plus, or 30% for Premier. No monthly fee, no subscription, no contract.