A New Report Finds That Uber Eats Is The Most Expensive Holiday Delivery Service

Ever have trouble deciding between using Grubhub, DoorDash, or Uber Eats to order dinner? Setting aside the fact that they have slightly different restaurant options, each app has its own quirks that lend them their respective fanbases.

All three platforms are ranked by Goteso as top food ordering apps, due to their successful business and revenue models, as well as their expansive geographic regions of service. However, different people might swing toward one service over another, largely depending on the food scene where they live. For example, according to Second Measure (via Vox), Grubhub is used the most in cities such as El Paso and New York, whereas Uber Eats has a strong presence in several major cities in Texas. But diners who are newer to ordering food delivery may be attracted to DoorDash based on its sheer popularity, as the service handles 59% of monthly meal delivery orders in the U.S. But here's the real question: Which app is the most expensive? A recent report found Uber Eats was the winner in this category — here's why.

The holidays on the horizon mean people will be spending lots of time in the kitchen preparing for dinner parties. But some families prefer having their feasts made by a restaurant, saving time and minimizing cleanup. So after deciding whether they're craving a smoked ham or homemade tamales, diners are faced with a not-so-obvious decision: Which app will they use to place the order?

Assuming that multiple delivery apps offer the same restaurant choices, research from Self suggests that users may want to steer away from placing their order on Uber Eats. The service was found to not only have the highest delivery fee ($3.15, compared to Grubhub's $2.61 and DoorDash's $2.48) on an identical order of McDonald's, but also the highest markup value at over 51%. These additional costs can include taxes and service fees, which are often reduced when ordering from the restaurant directly (via The New York Times). It's worth noting that though Uber Eats is slightly more expensive than competitors, the price difference comes down to mere cents, and the cheapest way to fulfill your holiday food needs from a restaurant is to pick up the order yourself.