Is Uber Eats profitable for your restaurant?

Start with contribution, not the bank payout.

A payout is a transfer of money. It may already reflect some platform deductions and timing adjustments, while food, packaging and labour are usually paid elsewhere. Treating the payout as profit misses those costs. Subtracting fees again after starting with a net payout can also count the same expense twice.

Start with restaurant food and beverage sales before the deductions below, on one consistent reporting basis. Reconcile them to the platform statements so you understand which charges, discounts and adjustments are already included.

Use the charges in your own agreement and statements. Different service arrangements can have different fees; a published headline percentage is not a substitute for your records. Keep the tax basis consistent across sales and costs, and label estimates and missing costs.

The A$4,500 is 18.75% of the example's delivery sales. It is not net profit. Labour, rent, utilities and other costs have not yet been deducted. If extra delivery demand requires more kitchen hours, those hours matter when deciding whether that demand is worthwhile.

Are your delivery promotions worth it?

Compare total contribution as well as orders and sales. A promotion can bring more orders while leaving less money to cover the rest of the business.

For a simple fictional example, suppose 100 orders contribute A$8 each before labour and overheads: A$800 in total. During a promotion, 140 orders contribute A$5 each after the discount and associated costs: A$700. Orders rose 40%, but contribution fell A$100. At A$5 per order, you would need 160 orders to match A$800, assuming the same cost conditions and no additional labour.

That arithmetic is a comparison, not proof that a promotion caused the result. Compare similar days, account for seasonality and other changes, and consider whether discounted orders replaced orders you would have received anyway. Future repeat orders may matter, but they should be measured rather than assumed.

• Separate discounts funded by your restaurant from amounts funded by a platform.
• Check food and packaging costs for the items actually sold, including free items and bundles.
• Include advertising spend and refunds on the same period and basis.
• Compare total contribution and contribution per order, then account for material extra labour or other delivery costs.

What data should you gather?

A useful starting point is 8–12 weeks of records, with each venue and delivery channel identifiable:

1. Sales and settlement records. Orders, sales, cancellations, refunds and payouts, with the reporting dates and adjustments understood.
2. Platform and marketing charges. Fees, restaurant-funded promotions, advertising and any credits, reconciled so amounts are not counted twice.
3. Product costs. Food and packaging costs for major items, with estimates labelled. Include the contents of promoted bundles and free items.
4. Operating context. Relevant POS sales, opening hours, menu changes, staffing changes and other events that could explain a difference.

You do not need to change your menu or turn promotions off to start. First establish a baseline, identify the decisions that matter and check what the data can reliably tell you.

When is an independent review useful?

A review may help if your restaurant has meaningful delivery sales but you cannot explain what remains after costs, or you have a specific pricing, menu or promotion decision to make. It is less useful if the necessary records are unavailable or there is no practical decision to act on.

Delivery Profit Review by Stratlens costs A$1,800 for up to two representative venues. It includes a reconciled contribution baseline, three prioritised actions, a 60-minute readout, one implementation session and a follow-up around 30 days after changes. GST is not currently charged. Scope and deliverables are agreed after a free fit call and sample-data check.

Your team keeps day-to-day control of the stores. Results depend on your costs, decisions and implementation; the review does not guarantee savings or sales growth.

Platform reading: Uber Eats Australian pricing (opens in a new tab) and Uber Eats guidance on promotions (opens in a new tab). Check your own agreement and reports for the charges and funding that apply to your restaurant.