Think Twice Before Ordering Fast Food Delivery

We've all been there — you open a delivery app to order a $15 meal only to find that with markups and fees, it comes out closer to $30. Despite this frustrating bait-and-switch, you might decide to place the order anyway, as millions of customers do. In fact, reports indicate that the U.S. food delivery market brought in an estimated $1.22 trillion in 2024, with the number of users growing rapidly.

But if you're one of the many customers who rely on delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats to supplement your meal plan, you should be wary of the foods to avoid when ordering delivery. In addition to dishes that don't travel well — like pasta or seafood — fast food delivery can often turn out to be a major source of disappointment as you actively defeat one of its core purposes: to be quick and cheap. While you might be able to grab a meal in-person from one of the cheapest fast food chains in the U.S. for under $10, it's exceedingly rare to spend less than $20 on delivery once tax, tip, and fees are applied. Sometimes apps list higher base prices than in person menus. Plus, fried food tends to lose its crispness in delivery containers, arriving at your doorstep as a sad, soggy version of its former self. Why pay premium prices for cheap eats that have lost their luster?

Even if you're armed with the knowledge of these pricing practices, sometimes the convenience of having food delivered to your doorstep outweighs the financial loss. Still, if you look at the actual costs side by side, you might be so shocked that you're turned off of fast food delivery for good.

While exact food prices and delivery fees vary based on your location, restaurant, and your app of choice, a number of news sites have recently compared the average markup of fast food meals ordered via delivery apps versus in-store pickup. The results are staggering. According to FinanceBuzz, a McDonald's meal that runs you $11.91 in the store could cost an average of $18.29 on a delivery app (That's an increase of 54%). Postmates was the most expensive delivery app across all the restaurants tested, but every popular delivery app included markups of over 40%. Even delivery orders placed on a restaurant's proprietary app may be significantly marked up. Panera faced a class action lawsuit over hidden delivery fees, ultimately settling to the tune of $2 million.

With these markups in mind, you're better off visiting Taco Bell's speedy drive-thru line or other similar fast food institutions rather than ordering delivery the next time you're craving something convenient. Save the high delivery prices for items you're less easily able to pick up in a matter of minutes!