Many restaurateurs have a rough idea of their delivery margin. “I think it’s 40%,” or “it should be around 35%.” This imprecision prevents them from making the right strategic decisions. Here’s a complete breakdown of a delivery order, line by line.
The typical case: an Uber Eats order for €30
Let's place a 30 € order at an average restaurant. Breakdown:
What the client pays: 30 €
The client sees 30 € total on his invoice. That’s the only number he knows.
What the restaurant retains: 21 € (70 %)
Uber Eats charges its commission, usually 30%. So, a commission of €9 is charged, and €21 goes to the restaurant.
This is where many restaurateurs stop in their calculations. Bad idea.
Raw material cost: -7 €
To produce a dish costing €30 delivered, the cost of materials (ingredients) is typically 30% of the customer price. That’s €9. However, when delivered, there’s often a separate “premium” packaging, so I break it down:
Raw material cost only: 7 € Specific delivery packaging: 1.20 €
Remaining after matter: 21 - 7 - 1.20 = 12.80 €
It’s the gross margin “material + packaging”. 42.7% of the customer price.
Variable energy charges: -0.40 €
Electricity, water, and gas consumed to prepare this order. Estimated at 1.3% of the customer price.
Remaining after variable charges: €12.40
The cost of cooking time: -1.80 €
A typical order takes a cook 4-6 minutes to complete. At a labor cost of €18/hour, this amounts to €1.20-€1.80 per order.
Remaining after labor: 10.60 €
The cost of management time: -0.80 €
Without a fulfillment service, managing the order (acceptance, tracking, final packaging, communication with the courier) takes an additional 2-3 minutes. €0.60-€0.90 per order.
Remaining after management: €9.80
Losses incurred: -€0.50
On average, 1-2% of orders generate a loss (rupture, error, refund). Smoothed over the whole: €0.50 per order.
Remaining after losses: €9.30
Final net amount: €9.30 on €30 (31%)
Here is the real profit margin on a 30€ Uber Eats order. Not 70%, not 40%. 31% net profit margin.
Comparison with a courtroom order
The same command in the hall:
Client Price: 30 € No Commission: 0 € Material Cost: 7 € No Packaging: 0 € Variable Costs: 0.40 € Kitchen Labor Cost: 1.80 € Dining Room Service Cost: 2.50 € (server) Losses: 0.30 €
Net profit per room: €18 (60%)
The difference is structural: 60% in-store versus 31% in delivery. It's mathematical, it's the commission that makes the difference.
What it changes for your strategy
Diversifying channels is critical.
If 100% of your business is delivery platform with a 31% margin, you are structurally less profitable than your competitors who do 50/50 delivery/store or 70/30.
The product mix must be adapted.
Not all dishes have the same cost structure. A dish with a low material cost (pizza: 25% of the customer price) generates a much better margin for delivery than a dish with a high material cost (ribeye: 40-45%).
The average ticket matters more than volume.
A $50 order instead of $30 with the same variable costs generates a much larger net margin. Work the levers of average basket size (options, add-ons, desserts).
Reducing hidden costs has a major impact.
The management cost (0.80 € per order without an aggregator) disappears with a good aggregator. On 1000 orders per month, it’s 800 € of margin recovered.
The delivery pricing must reflect these costs.
Selling at €30 with delivery, which sells for €25 in-store, is a normal defensive strategy to preserve margins, as long as you remain competitive on the platform.
How to Improve Your Real Margin
Here are some key strategies to boost your profitability:
- Reduce Costs: Analyze your expenses and identify areas where you can cut back without sacrificing quality. This includes negotiating with suppliers, streamlining processes, and reducing waste.
- Increase Prices: Carefully evaluate your pricing strategy. Are you charging enough to cover your costs and generate a profit? Consider raising prices, but be mindful of market competition and customer sensitivity.
- Increase Sales Volume: Focus on attracting new customers and increasing sales to existing ones. Implement effective marketing campaigns, offer promotions, and provide excellent customer service.
- Improve Efficiency: Optimize your operations to reduce the time and resources required to produce and deliver your products or services.
- Diversify Revenue Streams: Explore new ways to generate income, such as offering complementary products or services, expanding into new markets, or creating subscription models.
- Focus on High-Margin Products/Services: Identify your most profitable offerings and prioritize their promotion and sales.
Optimize the commission (-2 to 5 points)
Negotiate with platforms beyond a certain volume Prioritize self-delivery when possible Use promotional co-financing
Action 2 : optimize material cost (-1 to 2 points)
Menu engineering: pushing dishes to higher margins Standardizing recipes to reduce waste Negotiating with suppliers on key ingredients
Action 3 : optimize packaging (-0.5 to 1 point)
Choose the optimal packaging in terms of cost/quality Negotiate volume with your supplier
Action 4 : optimize management (-1 to 2 points)
Invest in an aggregator (Pepprio) Automate cash register entry Centralize workflows
Action 5 : optimize the average basket (+2 to 5 points)
Promoting paid options Suggestions for drinks and desserts Bundles and menus
Total optimizations possible: +6 to 15 points
With a margin of 31% to 37-46% with rigorous work. With a turnover of €25,000/month, this represents an additional margin of €1,500 to €3,750/month.
Measuring your real margin
Il est facile de se laisser influencer par les chiffres optimistes et les projections de croissance. Cependant, il est crucial de mesurer votre marge réelle pour prendre des décisions éclairées et assurer la pérennité de votre entreprise. Voici quelques pistes pour y parvenir :
- Calculer votre marge brute : C'est la différence entre votre chiffre d'affaires et le coût des biens vendus.
- Analyser vos coûts d'exploitation : Incluent les frais généraux, les salaires, le marketing, etc.
- Tenir compte des charges financières : Intérêts, impôts, etc.
- Comparer vos marges avec celles de vos concurrents : Cela vous donnera une idée de votre position sur le marché.
- Suivre l'évolution de vos marges au fil du temps : Identifiez les tendances et les facteurs qui les influencent.
En fin de compte, la mesure de votre marge réelle est un processus continu qui nécessite une analyse rigoureuse et une prise de décision stratégique. N'hésitez pas à faire appel à un expert comptable ou à un conseiller financier pour vous accompagner dans cette démarche.
To calculate precisely:
List each order on a period (1 month) Calculate the exact material cost (via technical sheets) Subtract the commission (visible on platform invoices) Subtract the packaging (monthly cost / number of orders) Subtract other variable costs
Redo the exercise by platform: the margin on Uber Eats can be very different from that on Just Eat (different commission, different average basket).
Pepprio provides these analyses automatically by platform and by dish — you immediately see where the optimization hotspots are.
Voici la conclusion :
Il est important de noter que la recherche sur les effets du changement climatique sur la biodiversité est encore en cours. Cependant, les données actuelles suggèrent que les impacts sont déjà significatifs et qu'ils ne s'amélioreront pas sans une action urgente.
Plus précisément, on observe une augmentation des extinctions d'espèces, une modification des aires de répartition, et une diminution de la diversité génétique. Ces changements affectent non seulement les écosystèmes, mais aussi les populations humaines qui en dépendent pour leur subsistance.
Il est donc crucial de mettre en œuvre des stratégies de conservation efficaces, telles que la protection des habitats, la restauration des écosystèmes dégradés, et la lutte contre les espèces invasives.
De plus, il est essentiel de réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et de s'adapter aux changements climatiques déjà en cours. Cela implique des changements dans nos modes de production et de consommation, ainsi que des investissements dans des technologies propres.
En fin de compte, la préservation de la biodiversité est un enjeu majeur pour l'avenir de notre planète et de l'humanité.
Knowing your delivery margins precisely is not a luxury of analysis – it’s the condition for making the right strategic decisions. Without this precision, you’re sailing blind.
The gap between an unoptimized delivery margin (28-32%) and an optimized margin (38-45%) often represents the difference between a restaurant that survives and a restaurant that thrives.