Executive Summary
Third-party delivery platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub have become the default way Americans order restaurant food. Nearly 80% of consumers in our survey have used DoorDash in the past three months, and over 75% order multiple times per week.
However, the data also reveals significant dissatisfaction. Half of all consumers cite high fees as their top complaint. Nearly three-quarters have experienced multiple fulfillment failures (missing items, late deliveries, cold food) in just 90 days. And when asked directly, 80% say they would switch to ordering directly from a restaurant if prices were 10-20% lower.
74%
experienced multiple fulfillment issues in 3 months
63%
say fees strongly or very strongly influence decisions
54%
of past switchers cited price/fees as the reason
About This Study
This report is based on a survey of 370 U.S. consumers who actively order restaurant food for delivery or pickup. The survey was fielded in January 2026. Respondents skew toward active users: 75.4% order at least once per week. The sample is balanced by gender (51% male, 48% female) and spans income brackets from under $25,000 to over $200,000. Ages range from 18 to 64, with the heaviest concentration in the 25–44 range (62%).
1 - Fees Are the #1 Pain Point and the #1 Reason People Switch
When asked to name their biggest frustrations with third-party delivery, respondents identified high fees more than any other issue. Half of all respondents (50.3%) selected it as a top-three frustration, well ahead of delivery reliability (30.3%), order accuracy (29.5%), and slow refunds (25.9%).
This frustration also appears to be a primary driver of channel-switching behavior. Among the 188 consumers who provided a meaningful open-ended explanation of what drove them to order directly from a restaurant, over half (54.3%) cited price or fees as the reason. Speed was a distant second at 23.4%.
