Most restaurants should start by calculating what delivery costs per completed order, then compare charging the guest, absorbing the cost, and splitting it. A split fee is often a useful starting point when a full fee makes the checkout total hard to accept but absorbing delivery leaves too little contribution. The right answer depends on your costs and whether guests still complete their orders.
A delivery fee allocates a cost; it is different from a delivery minimum, which sets the smallest order you will accept. You can use either, both, or neither, but decide what each is supposed to accomplish.
Estimate the cost of a completed delivery
Start with a typical delivery order, not just the courier charge shown on an invoice. Ask your delivery provider for its current per-order charges, distance or time surcharges, and any fees for failed deliveries or other exceptions. If employees deliver orders, use your own payroll and operating records to estimate the labor and vehicle costs attributable to delivery.
Then gather the restaurant-side costs. Your POS or ordering reports can show average food and drink sales per completed delivery. Your recipe and purchasing records can help estimate food cost; packaging invoices and prep schedules can help with packaging and labor. Ask your payment provider whether a guest delivery charge changes the amount on which processing fees are calculated.
Separate costs that change with each order from fixed costs. A monthly ordering subscription does not rise with every order, but allocating part of it to each order can help you judge whether the channel covers its costs. Divide the monthly charge by the number of completed orders you expect to use it for. If fewer orders arrive, the fixed cost allocated to each one rises.
For a concrete pricing reference, Fleksa's plans, checked in November 2026, list Fix at $199 per month per location and 0% Fleksa commission on direct online orders. Processing, delivery or dispatch, hardware or add-ons, and applicable sales tax are extra. With an assumed 300 delivery orders per month and a $6 delivery cost per order, delivery spend would be $1,800. Adding the $199 base produces $1,999, or about $6.66 per order. This includes the assumed delivery cost but excludes processing, applicable tax, hardware, add-ons and other charges. That is a restaurant-side cost calculation, not a quote or a guest fee. Any guest delivery charge would offset some of the expense while increasing the guest's checkout total.
Compare three ways to allocate the fee
The following worksheet is a hypothetical illustration, not a prediction or a Fleksa pricing example. Assume the same $40 food basket and delivery cost under each option. The restaurant has $18 left from the basket after food, packaging, and order-preparation labor. That $18 is not profit: delivery and other costs still have to come out of it.
For each completed order, assume $6 for delivery, $1 for payment processing, $0.50 as an average allowance for delivery exceptions, and $0.66 for an allocated fixed ordering cost. The example holds processing at $1 across all three choices for simplicity; a real processor may charge more when the guest fee raises the payment amount. Other fixed restaurant overhead and applicable taxes are excluded.
| Allocation | Guest delivery fee | Restaurant cost after fee | Contribution per order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant absorbs delivery | $0 | $6.00 | $9.84 |
| Split delivery cost | $3 | $3.00 | $12.84 |
| Guest covers delivery cost | $6 | $0.00 | $15.84 |
The last column subtracts the restaurant's remaining delivery cost, $1 processing, $0.50 exception allowance, and $0.66 allocated fixed cost from the $18 basket contribution. For example, the split option is $18 minus $3, $1, $0.50, and $0.66, or $12.84. The guest's total before any other charges rises from $40 with no delivery fee to $43 with the split and $46 with the full fee.
On these assumptions, the full fee produces the most contribution per completed order. It does not necessarily produce the most contribution over a shift: some guests may leave when they see the higher total. Absorbing delivery gives the guest the lowest total but leaves the least contribution per order. A split is a reasonable option to test if both margins and checkout completion matter, not proof that $3 is the right charge.
Run the worksheet for more than an average basket. A small order, a distant address, or a busy-period surcharge can change the result. If a quoted delivery charge varies by distance, ask whether your ordering setup can show an appropriate fee before the guest commits. Do not assume every provider handles distance, exceptions, or fee changes the same way.
Consider what guests see at checkout
Guests decide based on the whole amount they are asked to pay, not on your delivery fee in isolation. Review the menu total, delivery fee, any other displayed charges, and the point at which each appears. A low advertised fee can still create a surprise if other charges appear late.
For a separate hypothetical example, suppose 100 comparable guests reach checkout with each fee option. If 70 complete at a $3 delivery fee, that is 70 completed orders. If 60 complete at a $6 fee, that is 60. The full fee brings in $180 more in delivery charges across those completed orders than the split option: $360 versus $210. But that comparison ignores the contribution on the 10 additional orders, any differences in their baskets, and costs. Delivery-fee receipts are not the same as sales or profit.
To make the comparison useful, calculate total contribution for each group using that group's completed orders, actual basket contribution, delivery expenses, processing, and exception costs. Also track cancellations and refunds consistently. If guests in one group order larger baskets or live closer, the apparent fee effect may reflect those differences instead.
Review abandonment alongside completed-order economics. A guest may leave because of a long delivery estimate, an unsuitable payment option, or an unexpected total. If the checkout changes in several ways at once, you will not know which change mattered. Your restaurant website and ordering flow should make delivery terms easy to find, but clarity alone does not guarantee a guest will order.
Run a controlled fee test before settling on a policy
First, check what your ordering and delivery providers can actually configure. Can you set a guest delivery fee, show it before payment, and report completed orders and cancellations by fee option? Can you change a fee by delivery area or time, if that is relevant? Ask how refunds and failed deliveries appear in reports, and whether changing the fee affects processing charges.
Before any live test, use a simulated or provider-approved test environment to check the displayed fee, order total, and reporting. Confirm that the practice scenario will not create a real card payment, guest message, or courier dispatch. Check a small basket and an address near the edge of the delivery area if your setup allows it.
For a live service pilot, choose a limited period and a comparison you can operate consistently. If your system supports a fair split of similar guests between fee options, use it. Otherwise, compare similar days and service periods and note changes in weather, promotions, staffing, delivery times, and menu prices. Avoid changing the delivery minimum or running a new promotion at the same time if you can.
- Set a floor. Decide the minimum contribution per completed order you need after the costs in your worksheet. Include an allowance for exceptions and decide which fixed costs you are allocating.
- Choose the options. Compare no guest fee, a partial fee, or a full fee based on your actual delivery quote. You do not need to test all three at once.
- Record both sides. Track checkout starts, completed orders, cancellations, average basket, guest fees collected, delivery expense, processing, and exception costs for each option.
- Calculate the result. Compare contribution per completed order and total contribution over comparable periods. Check whether either option falls below your floor on small or expensive deliveries.
- Review before expanding. If results are thin or conditions differed, run another comparable period rather than treating the first result as conclusive.
Use the result to choose a policy, not just a headline fee. If a full fee preserves contribution but completion falls enough to reduce total contribution, a partial fee may be better. If absorbing the cost brings more orders but those orders do not cover your floor, reconsider the fee or the delivery terms. Ask a qualified adviser about contract, legal, or tax treatment where needed.
Use this checklist on your current setup, then ask Fleksa about restaurant online ordering, fee configuration, reporting, and verified US availability for your location. Compare the answers with your delivery and payment quotes before committing.
Frequently asked questions
Is a delivery fee the same as a delivery minimum?
No. A fee adds an amount to the guest's order; a minimum requires the order to reach a specified value before delivery is available. Evaluate each against its own effect on costs and guest behavior.
Should a restaurant absorb delivery costs on large orders?
Possibly, if the contribution from those orders covers delivery and the other relevant costs. Calculate it using your actual basket mix and delivery quotes rather than assuming every large order is profitable.
Does a commission-free direct order mean free delivery?
No. A qualifying direct-order plan may have no provider commission while payment processing and courier or dispatch charges still apply. Check the plan terms and obtain current delivery and payment quotes.
