These days, convenience comes at a steep price — and ordering food straight to your door is no longer just a treat — it’s increasingly a budget buster.
With one-third of Americans now ordering in at least twice a week, those pesky delivery fees (and don’t forget tip) are becoming impossible to ignore. Some chains, like McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A, are charging more than others for this convenience, according to research from FinanceBuzz.
The platform crunched the numbers on delivery costs for an entree, side, and drink from 10 popular chains on Uber Eats (UBER), Grubhub, DoorDash (DASH), and Postmates. When a restaurant wasn’t available on a particular app, a similar meal was ordered instead. All deliveries were made within a 3-mile radius, in the same city, and within 45 minutes of each other.
Take McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A, for example. While a meal at these fast-food giants might cost around $10 in person, getting it delivered can cost up to 134% more. A modest chicken sandwich, fries, and a drink from Chick-fil-A, which costs $9.85 in-store, can jump to as much as $23 on Grubhub.
While delivery apps like Uber Eats offer slightly lower markups (69%), it’s clear the costs are adding up – and fast. We’ve compiled a list of 10 fast food chains with the highest delivery app markups, including the cost of pickup and what a meal ordered via the delivery giants actually costs. Here’s how the delivery costs stack up across major fast-food chains.
