If you run a restaurant, cafe or takeaway in New Zealand, the delivery apps have quietly become one of your biggest cost lines — plenty of owners now call commission "the new rent". And most advice you'll read quotes a vague "about 30%" and leaves it there. That's not good enough when you're trying to work out whether a delivery order is actually worth taking.
So here's the straight version, using Uber Eats' own published New Zealand rates: what it charges, what lands in your account on a NZ$100 order, and why one West Auckland kitchen kept just 28% of a week's takings.
Key takeaways
- Uber Eats charges up to 30% commission on a standard Marketplace delivery order in New Zealand, plus a one-time NZ$500 (excl. GST) activation fee for new locations (Uber Eats New Zealand, 2026).
- Pick-up and self-delivery cost far less — 6% pick-up and 16% self-delivery — so the channel you steer customers towards matters as much as the app itself.
- On a NZ$100 order you keep about NZ$70 through full delivery, versus roughly NZ$97 through your own ordering page where you pay only card processing.
- The real-world cut is often worse than the headline. A West Auckland kitchen reported a week of NZ$300 in Uber Eats orders returning a NZ$85.36 payout — just 28% (NZ Herald, 2025).
- Uber Eats isn't the only option — Delivereasy is a Kiwi-owned alternative, and DoorDash has operated here since 2022 — but the cheapest "channel" is almost always your own.
The short answer: what Uber Eats charges in 2026
Here are the headline New Zealand rates, straight from Uber Eats' merchant pricing page (Uber Eats New Zealand, 2026).
| How the order is fulfilled | Marketplace (listed in the app) | Webshop (your own site) |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery (their order, their driver) | 30% | 25% |
| Self-delivery (their order, your driver) | 16% | 6% |
| Pick-up / collection | 6% | 6% |
On top of commission, a new location pays a one-time NZ$500 (excl. GST) activation fee, NZ$350 (excl. GST) for each subsequent location, and a NZ$200 (excl. GST) damage fee per device if you take Uber's hardware and it's lost or damaged beyond normal wear (Uber Eats New Zealand, 2026).
The headline number — 30% on a full-delivery order — is the one most owners know. The cheaper rows are where the real money is won or lost, and they're the rows most venues never actively use.
Why the maths matters more in 2026
Commission is the one big cost line you have the most direct control over — and in 2026 every other line is moving against you.
The adult minimum wage rises from NZ$23.50 to NZ$23.95 an hour from 1 April 2026 (Employment New Zealand, 2026). That lifts wages, holiday pay, KiwiSaver and ACC together, and it pushes up what you have to pay staff already sitting above the floor. When labour and food costs are both climbing and you can't easily move either, the delivery line is the one worth getting right.
It's also squarely in the news cycle. RNZ has reported Kiwi restaurants saying Uber Eats fees are eating their profit, with one Wellington operator, Jazzy Seng of Thai Box and Thai Container, putting it plainly: "Uber Eats takes a 30 percent cut," on top of "a further service fee from customers who order from Uber Eats" (RNZ, 2024). Consumer NZ has separately warned that hidden delivery mark-ups risk breaching the Fair Trading Act, saying the platforms "aren't being upfront about the true cost of delivery" (Consumer NZ, 2022). The pressure is real — but so is the maths you can do about it.
How much does Uber Eats charge restaurants in New Zealand?
Uber Eats prices by how the order is fulfilled, not by a flat rate (Uber Eats New Zealand, 2026):
- Marketplace delivery — 30%. Uber lists you in the app, takes the order, and sends one of its drivers. It's the full-service option and the dearest.
- Self-delivery — 16%. The order still comes through Uber Eats, but you deliver it with your own staff or driver. You hand over roughly half the commission in exchange for doing the legwork.
- Pick-up — 6%. The customer orders in the app and collects in person. At 6%, it's by far the cheapest way to use Uber Eats — and most owners never promote it.
Uber Eats also offers a Webshop — a branded ordering page on your own website — at 25% for delivery and 6% for self-delivery or pick-up (Uber Eats New Zealand, 2026). It's cheaper than Marketplace, but you're still renting the rails: it's Uber's checkout, not yours, and the discovery value of being inside the app is gone.
The real cost: a NZ$100 order, torn down
Headline percentages are easy to wave away. Here's what they mean on a single NZ$100 order (GST-inclusive, before your own food and labour costs), using each channel's published rate.
| How the order comes in | Fee on NZ$100 | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace delivery | 30% | NZ$70.00 |
| Webshop delivery | 25% | NZ$75.00 |
| Self-delivery | 16% | NZ$84.00 |
| Pick-up | 6% | NZ$94.00 |
| Your own ordering page (card processing only) | ~NZ$2.95 | NZ$97.05 |
The card-processing figure isn't plucked from the air — it's Stripe's standard New Zealand rate of 2.65% + NZ$0.30 per transaction (Stripe, 2026), the kind of fee you'd pay taking the order yourself. Even allowing for it, you keep almost the entire order.
The gap is stark. On a full-service delivery order you hand over NZ$30 of every NZ$100. Take that same order on your own page and you give up about NZ$3. Across a few hundred orders a week, that difference is a part-timer's wages.
Why the real cut is often worse than 30%
The published commission is the floor, not the ceiling — and the real-world example shows it.
A Glen Eden kitchen in West Auckland, Lixiri's Kitchen, told the NZ Herald that a week of Uber Eats orders totalling NZ$300 returned a payout of just NZ$85.36 — only 28% of the orders' total value (NZ Herald, 2025). On a straight 30% commission they'd have kept around 70%, not 28%. So where did the other 42% go?
The answer is everything that sits on top of the headline rate:
- Promotions and sponsored placement. The same kitchen said it had been included in a campaign "without our consent or knowledge". App-funded deals and ad placement come out of your margin, on top of commission, and quietly lift your effective cost per order.
- GST on the full order value. Commission is calculated on the GST-inclusive total, and you still remit GST on the sale. Build that into your delivery menu pricing rather than discovering it at GST time.
- The customer-side service fee. Uber also charges the diner a service fee, as the RNZ operator noted — which inflates what your food appears to cost and pushes price-sensitive regulars away from the app.
To claw some of it back, Lixiri's said it charges Uber Eats customers up to 15% more than in-store prices (NZ Herald, 2025) — the same mark-up Consumer NZ has flagged as a transparency risk. It's a sign of how thin the maths gets once every fee is stacked up.
The New Zealand delivery landscape
Uber Eats is the app most Kiwi diners reach for, but it isn't the only player, and it's worth knowing the field before you commit your whole delivery strategy to one platform:
- Delivereasy is Kiwi-owned and has built its pitch around lower commission and backing local hospitality. If you publish on its rates, get the current figure in writing before you compare — but for many owners the home-grown, lower-cost positioning is the draw.
- DoorDash has operated in New Zealand since 2022, when it launched in Wellington and the surrounding region (DoorDash, 2022). It's another Marketplace-style app with its own rate card.
The point isn't to pick a winner. It's that every aggregator is a paid acquisition channel — useful for reaching new customers, expensive for serving the regulars you already have.
How to cut the commission without quitting the apps
You don't have to choose between "30% forever" and walking away from delivery entirely. The practical play is to move volume down the cost ladder.
- Promote pick-up relentlessly. In-store signage, on receipts, on your socials. At 6%, a pick-up order keeps almost everything a full-delivery order surrenders — and plenty of customers are happy to collect if you simply ask.
- Move loyal regulars to self-delivery or your own page. The apps are brilliant at discovery — finding you a new customer. They're a dear way to serve the regular who already knows your number. Use the app to win them, then give them a cheaper way to reorder.
- Stand up your own ordering page. A simple ordering page on your own website turns a 30% order into a roughly 3% one. You don't need a developer or a long contract — an AI website builder like DineHere can put a menu and an order button online in an afternoon, and the commission you save on one busy weekend usually covers it for months.
The goal isn't to fight the apps. It's to stop paying full-service prices for orders that never needed full service.
So is Uber Eats still worth it?
For most New Zealand venues, yes — but only for the right orders. Uber Eats is worth 30% when it brings you a customer you'd never have reached otherwise. It's a poor deal when it takes 30% (plus promos, plus a customer service fee) of an order from a regular who'd happily have ordered direct.
The owners who come out ahead in 2026 treat delivery apps as a paid channel, not a default. They watch their effective commission — commission plus ad spend plus funded promos — push every order they can towards pick-up, self-delivery or their own page, and keep the apps for genuine new demand. With wages and costs rising on every other line, that discipline is the difference between delivery that funds your kitchen and delivery that quietly drains it.
Frequently asked questions
How much commission does Uber Eats take from restaurants in New Zealand?
Up to 30% on a standard Marketplace delivery order, 16% for self-delivery, and 6% for pick-up, plus a one-time NZ$500 (excl. GST) activation fee for new locations (Uber Eats New Zealand, 2026).
What is the Uber Eats Webshop rate in New Zealand?
Uber Eats' Webshop — a branded ordering page on your own site — is 25% for delivery and 6% for self-delivery or pick-up. It's cheaper than Marketplace but still runs on Uber's checkout rather than your own (Uber Eats New Zealand, 2026).
How much do I actually keep on a NZ$100 Uber Eats order?
About NZ$70 on a full-service delivery order, NZ$84 on self-delivery, and NZ$94 on pick-up. Through your own ordering page you keep roughly NZ$97, paying only card processing of around 2.65% + NZ$0.30 (Stripe, 2026).
Why did one restaurant keep only 28% of its Uber Eats orders?
A West Auckland kitchen reported a week of NZ$300 in orders returning NZ$85.36 — 28% — because promotions, GST and the customer service fee stack on top of the headline commission (NZ Herald, 2025). Your effective cost is almost always higher than 30%.
Does Uber Eats charge a sign-up or activation fee in New Zealand?
Yes. There's a one-time activation fee of NZ$500 (excl. GST) for a new location and NZ$350 (excl. GST) for each additional location, plus a NZ$200 (excl. GST) damage fee per device if you take Uber's hardware (Uber Eats New Zealand, 2026).
Is pick-up really cheaper on Uber Eats?
Yes — pick-up is charged at 6% versus 30% for full delivery. If a customer collects in person, you keep NZ$94 of a NZ$100 order instead of NZ$70, so actively promoting pick-up is one of the simplest ways to protect your margin.
Do I pay GST on Uber Eats orders?
Yes. Commission is calculated on the GST-inclusive order total and you still remit GST on the sale, so factor both into how you price your delivery menu.
What other delivery apps operate in New Zealand?
Alongside Uber Eats, Delivereasy is a Kiwi-owned alternative that positions itself on lower commission, and DoorDash has operated here since 2022 (DoorDash, 2022). Confirm each platform's current rate before comparing.
Can I lower my Uber Eats commission?
You can't negotiate the headline rate down, but you can lower your effective cost by moving orders to cheaper channels — pick-up at 6%, self-delivery at 16%, or your own ordering page where you pay only card processing instead of commission.
Should I quit the delivery apps altogether?
Usually not. The apps are valuable for reaching new customers. The smarter move is to keep them for genuine new demand while steering regulars towards pick-up, self-delivery or your own ordering page to protect your margin.