Review your delivery charge when the evidence shows that the current fee no longer fits the cost of fulfilling orders, the experience guests receive, or the terms under which you operate. A single complaint or an expensive Saturday may call for a closer look, but neither proves the fee should change.
Set triggers before you need them. Track delivery costs, failed deliveries, checkout completion, guest feedback and contract changes against a recent baseline. When a trigger fires, investigate the cause and decide whether to keep the fee, change it or fix another part of the service first.
Track the cost and reliability of fulfillment
Start with the cost of getting an order to the guest. Depending on your setup, that may include courier or dispatch charges, driver pay, mileage, packaging and the cost of handling failed deliveries. Keep the guest delivery charge separate: it is money collected from the guest that can offset expense, not the expense itself.
Ask the person who reconciles bills to supply courier invoices and credits. Ask the delivery manager for failed-delivery records and the reason for each failure. If staff use their own vehicles, include the delivery-related costs the restaurant actually pays. Record the number of completed delivery orders for the same period so you can compare costs per completed order.
Use this simple measure: delivery fulfillment expense minus guest delivery charges, divided by completed delivery orders. It shows the delivery gap per completed order. It does not show total order profitability: food, labor outside delivery, payment processing, software and other overhead may sit elsewhere in your books. Compare those separately before making a broader decision. The guide to comparing direct and marketplace contribution can help frame that wider calculation.
For example, assume a restaurant completes 100 delivery orders in each of two comparable four-week periods. In the first period, variable courier and packaging costs are $620, failed-delivery costs are $30, and guest delivery charges collected total $500. The gap is $150, or $1.50 per completed order. In the second period, variable costs rise to $700 and failed-delivery costs to $40, while charges collected remain $500. The gap is $240, or $2.40 per completed order.
That $0.90 increase is a reason to review the fee, not an automatic instruction to raise it. This example includes variable fulfillment and exception costs but excludes fixed costs, processing, food and other operating expenses. Check whether the increase came from a lasting courier price change, longer trips, unusually poor weather or avoidable failures. A dispatch problem may need an operational fix more than a higher guest charge.
Define a failed delivery consistently. For instance, count orders that left the restaurant but were not delivered, and record refunds or replacement costs separately. Also track late deliveries if that information is available; a late order can reach the guest and still generate a complaint.
Read guest complaints alongside completion trends
A fee can cover more expense while making the total price harder for guests to accept. Look at both sides before deciding. Record complaints about delivery charges separately from complaints about late orders, cold food or unexpected charges. Include the date, ordering channel and what the guest actually objected to. A few detailed comments can reveal a disclosure problem even when the total count is small.
For completion, use a consistent funnel: delivery checkouts completed divided by delivery checkouts started, for the same channel and comparable periods. Ask your ordering provider what each event means and whether the report excludes canceled or test orders. If you cannot see checkout starts, use the measures you do have, such as completed delivery orders and fee-related complaints, but do not call that a checkout completion rate.
Compare periods with similar opening hours, service areas and promotions. A drop in completed orders after a fee change might reflect the charge, but a holiday, menu change or temporary closure could also explain it. Check whether the total price is visible before the guest gets deep into checkout. Ask staff whether guests are surprised by the fee or confused about what it covers.
Trade-offs matter. A lower charge may make checkout more attractive but leave the restaurant paying a larger share of fulfillment. A higher charge may reduce that gap while discouraging some orders. Before changing either, consider whether clearer pricing, a smaller delivery area or fewer dispatch errors would address the actual problem. Review the full guest journey through your restaurant website, not just the final fee field.
Set a delivery fee review trigger scorecard
The scorecard below uses illustrative thresholds, not industry standards. Choose limits that fit your order volume and tolerance for cost changes, then write them down before the next review period. Compare the same ordering channel and service area against a recent, representative baseline.
| Signal | Example review trigger | First question to answer |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery gap | Gap per completed order rises by at least $0.50 for two comparable periods. | Is the increase ongoing, and which cost caused it? |
| Failed deliveries | Failure rate rises by 2 percentage points for two periods. | Are address, dispatch or handoff problems driving it? |
| Guest friction | Checkout completion falls by 5 percentage points, or fee complaints become a recurring theme. | Did the total price, promotion or ordering process change? |
| Terms or conditions | A signed price change takes effect, or a recurring seasonal pattern materially changes costs. | How much changes per order, and for how long? |
For the failure rate, divide failed deliveries by deliveries dispatched. For checkout completion, use completed delivery checkouts divided by delivery checkouts started. A move from 70% to 65% is a five-percentage-point drop. Keep counts beside rates: at low volumes, one or two orders can move a percentage sharply.
In the cost example above, the gap rises by $0.90 per completed order. That meets the size of the example trigger, but one comparison alone does not meet the two-period rule. Check another comparable period unless an immediate contract change or serious service problem calls for an earlier review. Log the decision even if you leave the fee unchanged, and set a date to look again.
Account for contract changes and seasonal shifts
Put renewal dates, notice periods and scheduled courier price changes on a calendar. When a provider sends new terms, translate the quote into an expected cost using your own recent order mix. Separate fixed monthly charges from per-order charges and any exception fees. A quoted processing rate is not the all-in cost of operating delivery.
Consider a separate hypothetical quote change: a courier adds $0.40 per dispatched order. At an assumed 250 dispatches in a month, that is $100 in additional variable expense. The estimate excludes fixed charges and exception costs; compare those separately if they also change. It assumes the same dispatch volume and does not predict how many guests will order. Ask whether the new rate applies to every dispatch, whether failed attempts are charged and when the terms take effect.
Seasonality needs a different check. Compare a busy or difficult delivery period with a similar period from a prior year if your records allow, while noting changes in hours, territory and menu. If you lack a useful prior comparison, monitor weekly costs and service outcomes through the season. A short-lived weather expense may justify a temporary operational response rather than a permanent fee change.
If terms are unclear, request a written breakdown. Ask a qualified adviser about contract or tax treatment when needed. Keep the operational decision separate: what will the restaurant pay, what will the guest see, and can the team deliver reliably under those conditions?
Compare a revised fee before making it permanent
When the scorecard points to a fee review, write down the proposed change and the reason for it. Pick a baseline period and a comparison period of equal length. Keep hours, delivery area, promotions and menu as consistent as practical, and note anything that changes. Decide in advance which results would lead you to keep, reverse or revisit the fee.
Compare the delivery gap per completed order, checkout completion if available, failed-delivery rate and fee-related complaints. Also watch completed order counts and the wider contribution from those orders. A smaller delivery gap is not enough by itself if substantially fewer guests complete checkout. Equally, a dip in one short period does not establish that the fee caused it.
Before any live change, use a simulation to check the guest-facing total, fee label and staff workflow. Configure the practice so it cannot create a real payment, send a guest message or dispatch a courier. Ask the provider how to do that safely. A simulated check verifies the setup; it does not tell you how guests will react.
If the simulation looks right, a live service pilot is a separate decision. Choose a limited period your team can monitor, tell staff what to record, and make sure real orders follow the normal fulfillment process. Review the results against your baseline and acceptance criteria rather than changing the fee again after one unusual day.
Use the scorecard to review your current setup, then ask Fleksa whether its restaurant online ordering is available for your US location and which reports and safe practice options support your review. The online ordering buying guide can help you prepare the rest of your questions.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a restaurant review its delivery fee?
Set a regular review cadence that fits your order volume, and review sooner when a meaningful cost, service or contract trigger fires. Low-volume restaurants may need longer periods to see a useful pattern.
Should one guest complaint trigger a fee change?
Not by itself. Record the complaint and check whether it reveals a confusing charge or a repeated problem. Then compare it with completion, cost and service trends before deciding.
Does a higher courier bill always mean a higher delivery fee?
No. First determine whether the increase is lasting and what caused it. The restaurant may choose to absorb some cost, improve delivery operations or change the fee after weighing the effect on guests.
