The Cost of Take-Out

[George K]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2023/delivery-app-doordash-grubhub-ubereats/?utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere_trending_now&utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&location=alert

Earlier this year, The Post ordered chicken skewers and a side of fried plantains from Artesano, a Latin comfort food joint in San Francisco. That order costs about $22 when you pick it up from the restaurant, including sales tax of about 9-percent. Dealing directly with the restaurant was by far the cheapest way to get the food.

If you want it delivered to your doorstep, you will pay substantially more. For starters, in all three apps the customer total without tip averaged about $6 more than an in-store order. However, Artesano was running a special on DoorDash that knocked $4.14 off the order.

All three apps charged a delivery fee, ranging from 49 cents on Uber Eats to $3.99 on Grubhub. Other charges were more opaque. And we also included tip this time.

Grubhub and DoorDash charged an unspecified “service fee,” for example. (Grubhub said it covers “driver related costs.” After publication, Grubhub clarified the fee is for operating costs. And for DoorDash the fee helps the company operate its platform.) Uber Eats didn’t charge a service fee, but did include a line item for “taxes and fees” that added up to $5.20. Uber Eats also tacked on another charge to help pay California drivers under the state’s Proposition 22 gig worker law, which mandates that drivers and delivery app couriers receive 120 percent of minimum wage for their “engaged time” — in this case, time fulfilling orders.