Cheapest food delivery app in Charlotte? We tested at 5 restaurants — here’s what we found
Long gone are the days where getting food from your favorite restaurant required leaving your home.
Now, apps like DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats make ordering food as easy as pressing a few buttons. According to a recent survey from Purdue University, at least half of consumers have used these apps for food delivery at least once.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that spending on food delivery apps from full-service restaurants quadrupled between pre-pandemic months and 2022.
But having food delivered through these apps comes at a cost. And it’s usually much higher than ordering directly from the restaurant (or cooking at home).
Which is the cheapest? The Charlotte Observer compared the delivery costs for five meals to find out.
How much does delivery cost?
If you order the same meal from DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats, you could pay a different price for each of them.
So, we put it to the test — though we didn’t go as far as hitting the “complete order” button.
We set the delivery address to The Charlotte Observer’s office, added a single meal from five different restaurants to the cart on each of the three major delivery platforms, and tracked the food prices and fees to see which service offered the best deal.
Here are the five meals we compared:
Chicken burrito bowl from Chipotle
Classic Beagle Burger from Jack Beagle’s
Pork steamed buns from The Dumpling Lady
Pork sandwich from Midwood Smokehouse
17-inch cheese pizza from Bisonte Pizza
For nearly all of them, Uber Eats had the cheapest prices. The app often had lower tax estimates than the other two.
Which delivery app has the lowest fees?
Food prices were mostly the same across each of the apps. For example, the Classic Beagle Burger is $12.04 on DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats – but that price is higher than what you’d pay if you ordered directly from the restaurant.
The burger is listed on the JackBeagle’s menu for $10.95. Prices are higher on the apps because each platform takes a cut of each order.
Restaurants don’t pay to be listed on apps, but food delivery platforms charge commission fees as high as 30%, which often leads to higher costs for these services passed onto the consumer, according to The Regulatory Review.
What are the extra delivery fees?
Prices are also higher on food delivery platforms because you’re paying for extras, such as delivery fees and service fees.
Here’s a breakdown of the fees for DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats:
DoorDash service fee: A fee based on your distance from the store and your order subtotal that goes to operating costs.
DoorDash delivery fee: A flat fee paid to DoorDash that varies for each store.
Other DoorDash fees: May include expanded range fees, non-local delivery charges, express fees, small order surcharges and fees required by local regulations.
DoorDash government fees: May include legally required bag and bottle fees, some of which may be retained by DoorDash.
Grubhub service fee: A fee that helps cover operating costs.
Uber Eats service fee and other fees: A fee that varies based on factors like order size and helps cover costs such as marketplace and delivery services.
Uber Eats delivery fee: A fee that helps cover delivery costs, varying by store depending on the customer’s location and the availability of nearby couriers.
Membership programs for DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats
Each delivery service offers its own paid membership: DashPass, Grubhub+ and Uber One.
The memberships cost $9.99 per month, but there are ways users can save money:
DashPass plans are $8 per month for Max subscribers and $5 per month for college students.
Grubhub is discounting the first year of Grubhub+ to $30 for new subscribers, then the price jumps to $90 annually. (It’s also free for Amazon Prime members and some college students.)
Uber Eats is offering five months free of Uber One for new subscribers.
Here’s what each membership comes with:
DashPass: $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on all eligible orders that meet the subtotal minimum as shown in the app, 5% back in DoorDash credits on eligible pickup.orders, $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible grocery orders and exclusive member-only offers.
Grubhub+: $0 delivery fees on eligible orders, reduced fees, exclusive offers and 5% credit on pickup orders.
Uber One: $0 delivery fee and up to 10% off on minimum orders of $15, 6% back on Uber rides, member-only promos and special items.
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 2:53 PM.
