I like food delivery services. They are convenient; they help me discover restaurants and, on a busy night, having dinner arrive at my door can be worth paying a little extra for. But sometimes I look at the final bill and wonder why the customer seems to be getting squeezed from every direction. The restaurant has its costs, the delivery service has its costs, and somehow my $30 meal can become a much more expensive dinner before it reaches my table.
Canada’s Competition Bureau has already taken action over this issue. In 2025, the Bureau sued DoorDash, alleging that customers were shown prices and discounts that did not include mandatory fees added later in the ordering process. The Bureau calls this drip pricing, and the case is ongoing, so these remain allegations rather than a final finding against the company.
But here’s the part that really gets me. If I avoid the food delivery service, order directly from the restaurant and drive there myself, why am I still paying the same price? One major delivery service currently lists Canadian restaurant commissions of 20%, 25% and 29% on delivery orders, while pickup is 8% or 10%, and direct online ordering through a restaurant’s own channels can be commission-free. On a $30 order, the average of those three delivery rates is about 24.7%, or roughly $7.40. That’s not $7.40 of pure profit because the service says those commissions cover delivery-driver costs, marketing, customer support and technology, but it shows that there is meaningful money attached to getting that food to my door.
And here’s where I think the customer deserves to be part of the conversation. When I get in my own car and pick up my $30 meal, I’m doing the driving myself. I’m using my time, my fuel and my vehicle to get that food from the restaurant to my house. I’m not asking the restaurant to give me the entire delivery cost, but if I’m removing that part of the transaction and making the trip myself, I think there should be some recognition of it.
My family orders every weekend, and this is where my own pizza place gets it right. When we order directly and pick it up, they give us a discount. It may only be a couple of dollars, but an average $2.50 discount every weekend would put $130 back in our pockets over a year. At the same time, the restaurant gets 52 orders directly from my family instead of sending those orders through a delivery service. They’re basically saying, “We know you’re feeling the pinch too. Here’s a little relief, and we appreciate you.”
To be fair, plenty of big chains understand this too. McDonald’s Canada has a rewards program where customers earn points on purchases and redeem them for free food, so I’m perfectly happy with that arrangement. If my family spends money there throughout the year and eventually gets a few free items or meals, I feel like I’m getting something back for being a loyal customer. I give them my business, and they give me a reason to keep coming back.
But there is still a big chunk of the restaurant world, especially among independents, where I don’t see that same kind of incentive. I’m not saying every restaurant should hand the customer whatever it saves by avoiding a delivery service. Restaurants still have food costs, labour, rent, utilities, packaging and plenty of other expenses. I’m saying that if you want me to order directly, get in my car, use my gas and spend my time picking up the food, give me a reason to do it. A $2 or $3 discount, a free side, or some loyalty points may be enough.
If you don’t want to drive, pay for the convenience. I completely understand that. But if I’m willing to get in my car and do that part myself, I don’t think I should be treated the same as someone paying to have somebody else make that trip. There has to be something in it for the customer who cuts out the middleman.
For me, that’s the bigger lesson. The customer is the person driving the entire transaction. We choose the restaurant, choose the meal, place the order and pull out the credit card. If we’re willing to order directly and pick up our food, the restaurant can keep more of the sale and we should get a little relief too. My pizza place understands that I feel the pinch. They feel it too, so they give me a little relief. I reward them with my business, and they reward me for giving it to them. That’s the kind of deal that feels fair.
I don’t need every restaurant to give me a huge discount. I just want to feel that when I order directly, get in my car, use my own time and fuel and help the restaurant keep more of the money from my meal, I’m getting something back too. Because the customer isn’t just the person paying the bill; the customer is the reason there is a bill in the first place. There’s an old saying, never bite the hand that feeds you, and sometimes I feel like I have to pull my hand back and watch it carefully because if I’m not paying attention, I just might get bitten.
Maybe the answer isn’t getting rid of food delivery services at all. Maybe it’s making direct ordering and pickup attractive enough that the customer, the restaurant and the delivery service each have a clear place in the equation. If I make the trip myself, I should feel some of that benefit. That’s not asking for a free meal. It’s asking for a fair deal.
That’s a deal I can get behind.