Marketplace Commission Structures

Marketplace cost is rarely one simple percentage. The total depends on the provider, contract, delivery model, promotions, payment treatment, refunds and the way the restaurant operates the channel. Build the calculation from current statements and agreements rather than copying a typical rate from another business.

Map every contracted charge

Cost area	Questions to answer
Order-related charge	What is the calculation base? Does it include VAT, customer charges, discounts or delivery?
Delivery service	Is delivery included, charged separately or provided by the restaurant?
Payment processing	Is it included in the main charge or shown separately?
Promotions	Who funds the discount, and is an additional participation charge applied?
Sponsored placement	Is the spend fixed, auction-based, per click, per order or otherwise calculated?
Refunds and adjustments	Which party bears the cost for food, service, delivery or fraud issues?
Equipment and integration	Are tablets, printers, setup, POS connection or support charged?
Payout and settlement	What can be deducted, held or adjusted before funds arrive?
Contract and exit	Are there minimum terms, notice periods or early termination costs?

Understand the calculation base

A percentage is meaningless until the base is clear. Check whether it applies to:

• item subtotal;
• VAT-inclusive or VAT-exclusive amount;
• discounted or pre-discount value;
• delivery or service charges;
• tips;
• refunded or cancelled orders;
• other platform-defined amounts.

Recalculate several real orders from the statement. If the result does not match the expected formula, raise the difference with the provider rather than adjusting the internal model to hide it.

Separate customer charges from restaurant economics

A delivery, service or small-order charge paid by the customer does not necessarily reduce the restaurant's contracted cost. Record who receives each charge and how it appears on the order, statement and receipt.

Customer-facing mandatory charges should be presented clearly in line with current pricing requirements. The restaurant should also check that its own menu and promotional claims do not imply a total price that excludes unavoidable charges.

Promotion costs can be easy to misread

A promotion may involve:

• a discount funded entirely by the restaurant;
• shared funding;
• an additional platform fee;
• sponsored visibility spend;
• a minimum basket requirement;
• different treatment of commission on the discounted order.

Compare incremental contribution, not the number of discounted orders. Include cannibalisation where existing full-price orders may simply move into the promotion.

Include operational costs

Marketplace contribution should also account for costs caused by the order flow:

• channel-specific packaging;
• extra labour for tablets, packing and driver handover;
• remakes and missing items;
• food waste from delayed or failed delivery;
• delivery equipment where the restaurant supplies drivers;
• manual reconciliation and support time;
• menu-price changes made solely for the channel.

Do not allocate every fixed business cost to a single order and call it commission. Keep the model understandable by separating contracted channel charges, variable fulfilment costs and broader overhead.

A simple contribution model

For a defined period:

1. Start with marketplace item revenue actually attributable to the restaurant.
2. Subtract marketplace and payment-related charges.
3. Subtract restaurant-funded promotions and sponsored spend.
4. Subtract food and packaging cost.
5. Subtract delivery cost where the restaurant provides delivery.
6. Subtract refunds, remakes and channel-specific losses.
7. Subtract incremental labour or administration where it can be measured reasonably.

Label assumptions. Do not present the result as precise if staff time, substitution or incremental demand cannot be measured accurately.

Compare like with like

When comparing providers or direct ordering, use the same:

• basket mix;
• delivery area;
• daypart;
• promotion level;
• refund treatment;
• food and packaging assumptions;
• staffing model.

A platform-delivered order should not be compared with a direct collection order without showing the delivery difference.

Review statements and payouts

For each settlement period, reconcile:

• accepted and completed orders;
• cancellations and refunds;
• all fee categories;
• promotion funding;
• cash adjustments where relevant;
• previous-period corrections;
• amount paid and payment date.

Keep the order-level evidence required to raise a query. Repeated unexplained adjustments should become a managed supplier issue.

Negotiation and contract review

Negotiation may be influenced by volume, location, service model, exclusivity, delivery coverage and commercial priorities. Do not assume that another restaurant's rate is available or directly comparable.

Before accepting a change, model:

• the new charge on real recent orders;
• any change in delivery or support scope;
• minimum term and notice;
• promotion commitments;
• integration or equipment impact;
• the exit position if the expected demand does not appear.

Monthly review checklist

• Are contracted rates reflected in statements?
• Have new fee categories appeared?
• Are refunds and cancellations allocated correctly?
• Which promotions produced incremental contribution?
• Which dayparts create poor service or low contribution?
• How much demand appears genuinely additional?
• Would a menu, zone or capacity change improve the result?
• Is the marketplace still fulfilling its intended role?

Related guides

• Online Ordering — the main guide for the wider topic.
• Marketplace Operations — the broader guide that frames this implementation.
• Managing Marketplace Reviews — a closely related operational control to review alongside this page.
• Marketplace Menu Management — a closely related operational control to review alongside this page.

Official guidance checked

• Competition and Markets Authority: clear and accurate pricing

Guidance checked: 24 July 2026. Marketplace rates and settlement rules are contract-specific and should be checked against current agreements, invoices and partner statements.