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ezCater alternatives for restaurants: fees and options compared
ezCater charges restaurants a 15% commission on marketplace orders, 7% on orders through its online ordering on your own website, and a 2.99% payment fee, with no signup or monthly fee (ezCater help centre, checked Oct 2026). Uber agreed on October 6, 2026 to buy ezCater for $2.3 billion, and no fee change has been announced.
The alternatives split in two. Marketplaces like Grubhub, DoorDash, CaterCow and ZeroCater find you new office buyers, and none of them publishes its restaurant fee. Direct catering ordering on your own POS costs a software fee and card processing, and every repeat order stays with you. Most independents should use one marketplace to get found and move repeat buyers direct.
Where a restaurant can get catering orders
| Channel | What it is | Restaurant fee (published) | Delivery | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ezCaterBeing bought by Uber | The largest US catering marketplace; 140,000+ restaurants. | 15% marketplace, 7% via your website, 2.99% payment fee. No monthly fee. | You deliver, or ezCater Dispatch: $30 minimum up to $300, 10% of subtotal above. | ezCater fees |
| DoorDash Corporate Catering | Office catering for planned events, ordered up to 14 days ahead; $0 delivery fee to the buyer. | Not published | DoorDash | DoorDash for Business |
| Uber Eats group orders | Each employee adds to one shared order; Uber plans to fold ezCater into Uber Eats and Uber for Business. | Not published | Not stated | Uber for Business |
| Grubhub catering | Tray and platter menus for corporate accounts, for restaurants that opt in. | Not published | Grubhub delivery or self-delivery; no pickup | Grubhub for Business |
| CaterCow | Corporate catering marketplace; trays and boxed meals for offices. | No contracts or subscription fees; commission not published | Not stated | CaterCow |
| ZeroCater | Buffet and boxed meals for companies in 12 cities. | Not published | Not stated | ZeroCater |
| Fooda | Office pop-ups, employer-paid meals and catering. | Not published | Pop-ups served on site | Fooda partners |
| Forkable | Automated office lunches and event catering in seven metros. | Not published | Not stated | Forkable |
| Direct, on your own POSToast, Square or a partner like AZ | Catering ordering from your own page, with your own prices and delivery area. | No marketplace commission; software plan and card processing | Your drivers, or on-demand drivers | Toast, Square |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
All vendor facts from each vendor's own pages, checked Oct 2026. "Not published" means we could not find a restaurant fee on a public page; ask the vendor for it in writing.
ezCater's rules worth knowing
- Equal price guarantee. ezCater buyers must never pay more than buyers ordering from you directly (ezCater onboarding requirements, checked Oct 2026). You cannot add the commission to your ezCater menu.
- Entry bar. A physical restaurant, six months or more of online reviews, and 3.5 stars or higher on Yelp or Google.
- Do the math on one order. On a $400 marketplace order, the 15% commission is $60 and the 2.99% payment fee is about $12 on the food alone, more once tax and delivery are added. That is roughly $72 before your food cost.
- The 7% rate applies when buyers order through ezCater's online ordering on your website, so moving repeat buyers there cuts the fee by more than half.
What changes when Uber owns ezCater
Uber agreed to buy ezCater for $2.3 billion in cash. The deal still needs regulatory approval (Nation's Restaurant News, Oct 6, 2026, checked Oct 2026). Uber says it will bring ezCater into Uber Eats and Uber for Business. Nothing has been said about restaurant fees. We cover the deal itself in what the Uber and ezCater deal means for your catering.
So what: if most of your catering runs through one marketplace, you now depend on whatever Uber decides. Spreading across two channels, and owning the repeat buyers, protects you either way.
Our recommendation by situation
Use a marketplace when
- Offices near you do not know you yet.
- You can deliver on time, or the marketplace delivers for you.
- You will follow up with every first-time buyer so the next order comes direct.
Go direct when
- The buyer has ordered before.
- Orders are large enough that 15% hurts.
- You want deposits or full payment before cooking.
Our step-by-step guide on getting catering orders from offices, churches and schools covers outreach, and win more catering orders covers the menu and quote.
Direct catering that is paid before you cook
AZ is a forward-deployed technology partner for independent restaurants. We set up catering ordering on your own page and your phone line, connect it to your POS, and run outreach to local offices and groups with you. Your marketplace listings stay on for discovery. Our proof restaurant in Houston runs this live.
catering emails to 113 local organizations in four days, from the restaurant's own list.
Every app order paid before cooking, 60 days running, zero unpaid tickets.
phone calls arrive while the restaurant is closed. Our AI host answers each one, catering requests included.
From our proof restaurant's own systems, Oct 2026.
Where these facts come from
- ezCater help centre: Selling fees and payouts - checked Oct 2026
- ezCater help centre: Restaurant onboarding and network requirements - checked Oct 2026
- Nation's Restaurant News: Uber to acquire ezCater for $2.3B (Oct 6, 2026) - checked Oct 2026
- DoorDash for Business: Corporate Catering - checked Oct 2026
- Uber for Business: Group ordering - checked Oct 2026
- Grubhub for Business: Catering - checked Oct 2026
- Grubhub: Catering FAQ for restaurants - checked Oct 2026
- CaterCow - checked Oct 2026
- ZeroCater - checked Oct 2026
- Fooda: Restaurant partners - checked Oct 2026
- Forkable - checked Oct 2026
- Toast: Getting started with Catering Online Ordering - checked Oct 2026
- Square: Software for caterers - checked Oct 2026
Questions owners ask
How much does ezCater charge restaurants?
ezCater's help centre lists a 15% commission on ezCater Marketplace orders, 7% on orders through its online ordering on your own website, and a 2.99% payment transaction fee on the meal subtotal, delivery fee and tax. There are no signup or monthly fees.
What are the best ezCater alternatives for restaurants?
For new corporate buyers: DoorDash Corporate Catering, Grubhub catering, Uber group orders, CaterCow, ZeroCater, Fooda and Forkable, depending on your city. For repeat buyers: catering ordering on your own website and POS, which has no marketplace commission.
Is Uber buying ezCater?
Yes. Uber agreed on October 6, 2026 to buy ezCater for $2.3 billion in cash. The deal needs regulatory approval. No change to restaurant fees had been announced as of October 2026.
Can I charge more on ezCater to cover the fee?
No. ezCater's onboarding rules include an equal price guarantee: ezCater buyers must not pay more than people who order from you directly.
How do I get catering orders without a marketplace?
Build a list of offices, churches, schools and teams within a few miles, offer a simple tray menu with clear headcounts, take payment online before you cook, and follow up after every order so the next one comes straight to you.
See how many catering buyers live within five miles of you.
We build the list, the order page and the follow-up, and keep your marketplaces running alongside.
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