UberEats vs DoorDash vs Grubhub: Which Is Best for Restaurants in 2026?

If you're a restaurant owner considering third-party delivery, you've likely asked: "Which platform should I use—UberEats, DoorDash, or Grubhub?" The answer isn't simple. Each platform has different commission structures, customer bases, and features that may or may not work for your restaurant.

TL;DR

DoorDash has the largest market share (67%) and customer base, but highest commissions (15-30%). UberEats offers better international reach and Uber integration but similar costs. Grubhub has lower fees in some markets and stronger corporate ordering. All three take 15-30% in commissions—money straight out of your pocket. The smarter alternative? Platforms like RestauNax offer 0% commission direct ordering, AI-powered phone ordering, and 26+ free tools that help you keep more of every dollar while providing better service than any delivery app.

Quick Comparison Table

Market Share & Customer Reach

DoorDash: The Market Leader

DoorDash dominates the US food delivery market with approximately 67% market share as of 2026.

Key Stats:

• 37+ million monthly active users
• Available in 7,000+ cities in the US, Canada, and Australia
• 390,000+ restaurant partners
• DashPass members: 15+ million

What This Means for Restaurants:

• Largest potential customer pool
• More order volume opportunity
• Higher competition from other restaurants
• Algorithm heavily influences visibility

UberEats: The Global Player

UberEats holds about 23% US market share but has stronger international presence.

Key Stats:

• 81+ million monthly active users globally
• Available in 6,000+ cities across 45 countries
• Uber One members (shared with Uber rides): 19+ million
• Strong in major metropolitan areas

What This Means for Restaurants:

• Access to Uber's existing user base
• Cross-promotion with Uber rides
• Better for restaurants in urban centers
• International expansion potential

Grubhub: The Corporate Specialist

Grubhub has declined to about 8% market share but maintains strength in specific niches.

Key Stats:

• 33+ million active users
• Strong corporate ordering platform (Grubhub Corporate)
• Available in 4,000+ US cities
• Seamlessly works with Amazon Prime

What This Means for Restaurants:

• Fewer but often higher-value orders
• Corporate catering opportunities
• Less competition for visibility
• Declining user base overall

Commission Structures: The Real Cost

DoorDash Commission Plans

DoorDash offers three pricing tiers:

Additional Fees:

• Marketing/Promotions: 0-25% additional
• Storefront (if using their ordering widget): 2.9% + $0.30/order
• Payment processing: Included in commission

Hidden Costs:

• "Boost" for visibility during peak times
• Promotional campaigns you're pressured to join
• Error charges when drivers report issues

UberEats Commission Plans

UberEats also offers tiered pricing:

Additional Fees:

• Marketing/Ads: 0-30% additional
• Uber Direct (your own drivers): Lower commission
• Payment processing: Included

Hidden Costs:

• Sponsored listings (pay for visibility)
• Uber One member discounts (you may absorb some)
• Photo requirements and menu management time

Grubhub Commission Plans

Grubhub's structure is similar:

Additional Fees:

• Marketing: 0-20% additional
• Processing: ~3% often separated
• Delivery charges pass-through

Hidden Costs:

• Phone order charges ($0.25-$1.00 per call)
• Promotion participation expected
• Longer contract commitments

Feature Comparison

Order Management

Winner: DoorDash - Best POS integration options and most intuitive interface.

Delivery Logistics

Winner: Tie - DoorDash has more drivers but quality varies across all platforms.

Marketing & Visibility

Winner: UberEats - Uber's brand recognition and cross-platform marketing give it an edge.

Analytics & Reporting

Winner: DoorDash - Most comprehensive analytics and merchant tools.

Pros and Cons Deep Dive

DoorDash

Pros:

• Largest customer base = most order potential
• Best merchant app and analytics
• Extensive POS integrations
• Strong brand recognition
• Month-to-month flexibility

Cons:

• Highest competition from other restaurants
• Algorithm heavily controls visibility
• Aggressive marketing fee upsells
• Customer service can be poor
• Refund disputes often favor customer

Best For:

• High-volume restaurants
• Chains and franchises
• Restaurants prioritizing order quantity
• Suburban and nationwide coverage

UberEats

Pros:

• Strong urban market presence
• Cross-promotion with Uber rides
• Good international reach
• Uber One members are high-value
• Clean brand image

Cons:

• Smaller US market share than DoorDash
• Higher service fees frustrate customers
• Less suburban coverage
• Driver quality inconsistent
• Support can be slow

Best For:

• Urban restaurants
• Restaurants with international customer base
• Higher-end establishments
• Restaurants near airports/transit

Grubhub

Pros:

• Lower commission in some markets
• Strong corporate ordering
• Amazon Prime integration
• Generally better drivers
• More flexibility on menu pricing

Cons:

• Declining market share and user base
• Longer contract requirements typical
• Less visibility and marketing tools
• Smaller driver network = longer waits
• Outdated app experience

Best For:

• Restaurants near office districts
• Lunch-focused establishments
• Catering-heavy businesses
• Markets where Grubhub is still strong

Real Restaurant Experiences

Pizza Restaurant, Chicago (Uses All Three)

"We've been on all three for two years. DoorDash brings 60% of our delivery orders, UberEats about 30%, Grubhub 10%. DoorDash volume is highest but so are the headaches—more refund disputes, more customer issues. UberEats customers spend more per order. Grubhub sends us corporate lunch orders that are our most profitable."

Their Strategy: All three platforms, but different menus. DoorDash gets full menu, UberEats gets premium items only, Grubhub focuses on catering-friendly options.

Thai Restaurant, Austin (DoorDash Only)

"We tried all three and consolidated to DoorDash only. Managing three tablets was chaos, and 80% of our orders came from DoorDash anyway. Our staff is happier, errors are down, and we're not paying to be on platforms that barely sent us orders."

Their Strategy: Single platform for simplicity, investing saved time in direct ordering promotion.

Burger Joint, NYC (UberEats Focus)

"In Manhattan, UberEats dominates. The Uber brand is everywhere here. We get more orders from UberEats than DoorDash, which is unusual nationally. We use DoorDash as backup and dropped Grubhub entirely."

Their Strategy: Market-specific approach based on local customer preferences.

Sandwich Shop, Denver (Building Direct with RestauNax)

"We used all three apps to build awareness for our first year. Now we're pushing customers to order direct through RestauNax. We include a card in every third-party order offering 20% off their next direct order. Our direct orders went from 5% to 35% in six months. The AI phone ordering is a game-changer—we never miss a call now, and our staff isn't constantly interrupted. Goal is to get off the apps entirely."

Their Strategy: Use apps for customer acquisition, then convert to commission-free direct ordering. Leverage AI phone ordering to capture orders they used to miss.

How to Choose: Decision Framework

Choose DoorDash If:

• You want maximum order volume
• You're in suburban or smaller markets
• You have capacity to handle high volume
• You want the best merchant tools
• You're okay with heavy competition

Choose UberEats If:

• You're in a major urban market
• Your customers are younger/tech-savvy
• You serve higher-priced items
• You want Uber brand association
• International customers are important

Choose Grubhub If:

• Corporate ordering is important to you
• You're near office buildings
• You want potentially lower fees
• Your market still uses Grubhub heavily
• You do significant catering

Consider All Three If:

• You have staff capacity to manage multiple platforms
• You want maximum visibility
• Your POS integrates all of them
• You're new and discovering which works best
• You can create platform-specific strategies

The Better Option: RestauNax Direct Ordering

While comparing DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub, smart restaurant owners are asking a different question: "Why am I giving away 25-30% of every order?"

The answer is you don't have to. Platforms like RestauNax let you accept online orders with 0% commission—and offer features these delivery apps can't match.

The Math: Third-Party vs RestauNax

That's $30,000+ back in your pocket every year.

What Makes RestauNax Different

1. AI-Powered Phone Ordering Customers can call your restaurant and an AI assistant takes their order—24/7, no hold times, no mistakes. Your staff focuses on cooking, not answering phones. This feature alone can increase order capacity by 30%.

2. Zero Commission, Period Not 15%. Not "reduced" fees. Zero. Every dollar your customer spends goes to you (minus standard payment processing).

3. 26+ Free Restaurant Tools

• Food cost calculator
• Menu pricing optimizer
• Restaurant name generator
• Profit margin calculator
• And 22 more tools your competitors pay hundreds for

4. You Own Your Customer Data Every order builds YOUR customer database. Email addresses. Phone numbers. Order history. Preferences. Use this for marketing, loyalty programs, and personalized outreach—something impossible with delivery apps.

5. Branded Experience Your customers order from YOUR website, YOUR app, YOUR brand. Not a generic marketplace where you're competing with every restaurant in town.

6. More Features at Lower Cost For less than what you'd pay in ONE WEEK of delivery app commissions, RestauNax gives you:

• Online ordering system
• AI phone ordering
• Customer loyalty program
• Marketing tools
• Analytics dashboard
• Menu management
• All 26+ free tools

The Smart Hybrid Strategy

You don't have to quit delivery apps cold turkey. Here's what savvy restaurants do:

1. Keep apps for discovery - New customers find you on DoorDash
2. Convert to direct - Include a "Save 15% next time—order at [yourrestaurant.com]" card in every delivery bag
3. Make direct ordering irresistible - Exclusive deals, faster service, loyalty rewards
4. Track and optimize - RestauNax shows you exactly where your orders come from
5. Gradually reduce app dependency - As direct orders grow, scale back on commission-heavy platforms

Real Results: What Restaurants Are Seeing

Restaurants switching to RestauNax typically see:

• 40-60% of delivery app customers convert to direct ordering within 6 months
• $2,000-5,000/month saved in commission fees
• Higher average order values (no app fees means customers order more)
• Better customer retention (they're YOUR customers now)
• Increased phone orders with AI handling calls

Conclusion: Which Is Best?

Let's be real: comparing DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub is like choosing which hand you want to lose money from.

All three platforms take 25-30% of every order. That's not a partnership—that's a tax on your business.

If You Must Choose a Delivery App:

For Maximum Volume: DoorDash (largest customer base)

For Urban Markets: UberEats (stronger metro presence)

For Corporate/Catering: Grubhub (better B2B tools)

But Here's What Winners Actually Do:

For Maximum Profit: Skip the comparison entirely. Use RestauNax for commission-free direct ordering, then use delivery apps only for customer discovery.

The math is simple:

• Delivery apps: You keep 70-75 cents of every dollar
• RestauNax: You keep 97+ cents of every dollar

The Winning Strategy for 2026

The restaurants crushing it aren't debating DoorDash vs UberEats. They're:

1. Building direct ordering with RestauNax (0% commission, AI phone ordering, full customer ownership)
2. Using delivery apps strategically for discovery only
3. Converting every app customer to direct with incentives and better service
4. Leveraging free tools to optimize operations and marketing
5. Keeping $30,000+ per year that would've gone to delivery apps

DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub built billion-dollar companies on restaurant commissions. It's time to stop funding their growth and start building yours.

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Ready to stop paying 30% commission on every order? See how RestauNax gives you 0% commission ordering, AI phone service, and 26+ free tools—everything you need to compete with delivery apps while keeping your profits.