How to Reduce UberEats Commission: 4 Strategies That Actually Work

The problem: UberEats commission is eating your margins

If you are reading this, you already know the pain. UberEats takes 25-35% of every order. On a restaurant running 5-10% net margins, that commission turns profitable orders into loss-makers.

You cannot simply stop using UberEats overnight if it accounts for a significant chunk of your orders. But you can systematically reduce how much of your revenue goes to them. Here are four strategies that actually work.

Strategy 1: Negotiate your rate (limited impact)

Start here because it is the easiest to try, but set your expectations low.

UberEats has tiered pricing. The standard rate for Australian restaurants is around 30%. If you have been on the platform for over a year and your order volume is consistently high, you can contact your UberEats account manager and ask for a rate review.

What works: Presenting data on your order volume and threatening to leave (only if you mean it). Restaurants doing $10,000+ per week through the platform sometimes get 2-5% reductions.

What does not work: Asking nicely. UberEats is a public company focused on maximising revenue per restaurant partner. They are not going to cut your rate out of goodwill.

Realistic outcome: You might get from 30% down to 27-28%. On $5,000/week, that saves $100-$150/week. Helpful, but not transformative.

Strategy 2: Split your orders by channel (high impact)

This is the highest-impact strategy and the one most successful restaurant owners use.

The idea is simple: use UberEats only for what it is good at (delivery logistics), and handle everything else directly.

Delivery orders: Keep on UberEats. You need their drivers. The 30% commission is the cost of delivery infrastructure you do not have to build.

Dine-in orders: Move to QR code ordering through your own ordering page. Customers at your tables should never be ordering through UberEats. That is revenue you are giving away for a service you do not need (delivery to a customer already sitting in your restaurant).

Pickup orders: Move to your own direct ordering page. Customers who are willing to come and collect do not need a delivery driver. There is no reason to pay 30% commission on a pickup order.

Let us do the maths. Say you do $8,000/week total: $3,000 delivery, $3,000 dine-in, $2,000 pickup.

Scenario	Weekly commission	Annual commission
Everything on UberEats (30%)	$2,400	$124,800
Split: delivery UberEats, rest direct (2%)	$900 + $100 = $1,000	$52,000
Annual savings		$72,800

$72,800 per year in savings by simply routing non-delivery orders through a direct channel.

Strategy 3: Build your direct ordering presence (high impact, takes time)

Once you have a direct ordering channel, actively shift customers to it.

QR codes on every table. When customers dine in, they should order directly. Not through UberEats.

"Order direct" messaging. Add a line to your packaging, receipts, and socials: "Order direct at your-restaurant.windsordigital.com.au and save." Some restaurants even offer a small discount (5%) for direct orders, because even with the discount, they save 23% compared to UberEats.

Google Business Profile link. Update your Google Business Profile to link to your direct ordering page, not your UberEats listing. When someone searches "your restaurant name order" on Google, they should land on your page, not UberEats.

Social media links. Your Instagram bio, Facebook page, and TikTok profile should all link to your direct ordering page.

Over 3-6 months, restaurants that actively promote their direct channel typically shift 30-50% of their non-delivery orders away from UberEats.

Strategy 4: Optimise your UberEats listing for profitability (moderate impact)

For the orders that stay on UberEats, make them as profitable as possible.

Adjust your UberEats menu pricing. Most restaurants charge 15-25% more on UberEats to offset the commission. This is standard practice and customers expect delivery prices to be higher.

Remove low-margin items. If a menu item has a 20% food cost and UberEats takes 30%, your gross margin is negative before labour and overhead. Either raise the price or remove it from UberEats.

Cut promoted listings spend. If you are paying extra for promoted listings on UberEats while also paying 30% commission, your effective rate is 35-45%. Unless promoted listings are driving genuinely incremental orders (not just cannibalising organic ones), cut the spend.

Monitor refund deductions. Track how much UberEats deducts for customer complaints and refunds. If it is more than 2% of revenue, investigate. Are drivers causing the issues? Is packaging failing? Fix the root cause.

Which strategy should you start with?

Start with Strategy 2 (channel splitting) because it has the highest impact and you can implement it this week.

1. Set up a direct ordering page. With Windsor Digital, this takes 10 minutes.
2. Print QR codes for your tables (dine-in orders move off UberEats immediately).
3. Add a pickup option to your direct ordering page.
4. Start promoting your direct channel to shift pickup orders away from UberEats.

In week one, you save on every dine-in order. Over the next month, you progressively shift pickup orders too. By month three, UberEats is only handling delivery, which is the one thing it actually does that you cannot do yourself.

The bottom line

You do not have to choose between UberEats and nothing. The smartest approach is using UberEats for delivery while handling dine-in and pickup through your own direct ordering channel. This alone can save a typical restaurant $50,000-$75,000 per year.

The technology exists, it is affordable, and it takes less time to set up than a lunch service.