DoorDash alternative for a pizzeria: keep the app, move the regulars
DoorDash charges US restaurants 15%, 25% or 30% on every delivery order depending on the Marketplace plan, and 6% on pickup. It is the biggest delivery app in most American cities, so for many pizzerias the question is not whether to be on it, but how many of your regulars should still be ordering through it. The answer is: as few as possible.
What DoorDash costs a pizzeria
DoorDash publishes its US Marketplace plans. Basic is 15% on delivery orders, Plus is 25% and Premier is 30%; the higher plans buy more visibility in the app. Pickup orders are 6% on every plan, and there is no setup fee. For a pizzeria doing 150 delivery orders a month at a $30 average ticket:
| Basic (15%) | Plus (25%) | Premier (30%) | Your own site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per order | $4.50 | $7.50 | $9.00 | ~$1.17 card fee |
| Per month | $675 | $1,125 | $1,350 | ~$176 |
| Per year | $8,100 | $13,500 | $16,200 | ~$2,106 |
DoorDash US Marketplace pricing, October 2026. Card processing on your own site estimated at 2.9% + 30¢ per order. Your own site adds $19 a month plus sales tax on Super Pizza Premium. Your contract may differ.
Run it with your own numbers. Commission is felt one order at a time and almost never added up for the year, which is why the annual line tends to surprise people.
When DoorDash is the right call
For a lot of pizzerias, DoorDash pays for itself. Be honest about which case you are.
- You just opened. The app shows you to thousands of people who have never heard of you. No website does that in year one.
- You have no drivers. Hiring, insuring and scheduling your own drivers costs more than 15% to 30% at low volume.
- You are in a suburb where DoorDash is the default. In many American suburbs the app is where dinner gets decided. Not being listed means not being considered.
- Most of your orders come from new customers. Then the commission is customer acquisition, not leakage.
Moving the regulars, not deleting the listing
Going direct means keeping DoorDash as a shop window while the people who already know you order on your own site:
- Your web address on every box, bag and receipt, including DoorDash orders.
- A card in the bag on app orders: the one moment you can speak to a customer the app owns.
- An offer that exists only on your own site. A free garlic knot order is enough to move a habit.
- Your own site as the website on your Google Business Profile, where most local searches start.
- Online ordering on your own site, with pickup front and center: a pickup order on DoorDash still costs 6%.
Moving a third of those 150 monthly orders direct on the Plus plan saves roughly $4,500 a year before card fees, and you keep everything the app was genuinely good at: being found by strangers.
Worth checking in your DoorDash contract
- Which plan you are actually on. Introductory 0% periods end, and a restaurant signed up on Premier pays 30% unless it moves down.
- Who funds promotions. Discounts and “buy one, get one” offers shown to customers are typically funded by you.
- Error charges and refunds. Missing-item refunds can come off your payout; know how to dispute them.
- Local caps. Some cities, New York and San Francisco among them, have passed caps on delivery commissions. If you are in one, check that your rate reflects it.