Food Delivery Compare
Restaurant food at your door.
DoorDash
Order + 15-25% fees + tipBiggest. Most restaurants. DashPass $10/mo waives delivery fee on $12+ orders.
Best selection.
Uber Eats
Order + 15-25% fees + tipTied to Uber. Sometimes shows different restaurants than DoorDash.
Best if you already use Uber.
Grubhub
Order + 15-25% fees + tipOlder service. Better for sit-down restaurants. Amazon Prime members get Grubhub+ free.
Best perk for Prime members.
Instacart (groceries)
Order + ~$10 fees + tipGroceries from Aldi, Costco, Wegmans. $10/mo Instacart+ waives fees on $35+.
Best for groceries.
Real cost — typical $20 meal
- Food: $20
- Delivery fee: $4-6
- Service fee: $3-5
- Tip (15-20%): $3-5
- Total: $30-36 for a $20 meal.
Delivery is convenient but expensive. Use sparingly or get a subscription if you order weekly.
Save money
- Pickup instead of delivery — saves $7-10 per order. Many people forget this option.
- DashPass / Uber One / Grubhub+ — $10/mo, kills delivery fee. Worth it if 4+ orders/month.
- Order from restaurant directly — many use ChowNow or own app. No service fee.
- Family combos — split a $50 order across 2-3 people, fees stay the same.
- Avoid peak hours (6-8 PM) — surge pricing on delivery fees.
First-time order — easy
- Download app. Sign up with phone, email, credit card.
- Enter your delivery address.
- Browse restaurants. Filter by "fastest" or "best rated".
- Tap restaurant → menu → tap items → Add to cart.
- Review cart. Add tip (15-20% recommended).
- Checkout. Estimate appears (usually 25-50 minutes).
- App tracks driver in real time on map.
Tip generously
Drivers earn most income from tips. $3-5 minimum, $5-8 in bad weather or long drives. Pre-tip in app gets your order picked up faster — drivers see the tip before accepting.