Getting Set Up on Food Delivery Platforms: UberEats, Grubhub, and Postmates

Last week, CPG e-commerce sales increased by +85% compared to a year ago according to Nielsen, a leading data provider. Consumers are looking for alternative ways to shop for products in response to COVID-19.  Working with food-delivery apps, such as UberEats, Grubhub, and others, allows brands an unusual yet effective way of reaching consumers at home. 

This  guide provides information on how and where to register, the timeline of the registration and onboarding process, commission and fee structures, and other resources to assist you in navigating the process of setting-up accounts with these services. 

Registration Requirements

All food delivery platforms have different requirements for registration. While some platforms only take a few minutes, others are more extensive. 

Regardless of platform, most sites will ask for your direct deposit information to integrate your business’s financials with the delivery service’s software. Make sure to have your direct deposit information on hand as you go through this process. If you choose to partner with UberEats, you will also need to upload all legal documents and licenses.

You can find the registration pages/forms for the delivery services at the following links:

• UberEats

• Grubhub

• DoorDash

• Postmates

Timeline

Depending on the platform, you may be able to begin orders and deliveries in as little as 3 days. However, most platforms require menu and pricing reviews, photograph submissions, tablet shipping and/or tech team set-up. Generally, you should expect to wait 5 to 10 business days to get fully up and running.

Below you will find a rough overview of each platform’s timeline: 

• UberEats: the timeline for UberEats is variable depending on a number of factors including location, number of stores, etc. 

  • 1–3 days: interest form reviewed by an account executive. Please note that UberEats does not choose to partner with every business that fills out an interest form. 

  • “A few more days”: review of menu and pricing, scheduled photography session, and tablet/tech set-up (done by UberEats tech team).

• Grubhub: Grubhub provides a step-by-step guide on the onboarding process. From our experience, the longest part of the onboarding process is waiting for the physical tablets to ship. Here is what it looks like:

  • Fill out the registration form and submit a voided check to directdeposit@grubhub.com.

  • Look out for an email with your log-in credentials for the Grubhub for Restaurants platform. Log-in to restaurant.grubhub.com/login with these credentials and train your staff on how to use the platform. 

  • Check your financials by navigating to the three dashed lines in the top left corner and clicking “Financials.” Here you can check your statements, transactions, deposit history, and current balance.

  • If your partnership agreement entitles you to a tablet, make sure to set it up. 

  • Update your menu. 

  • Start managing orders!

• DoorDash**: signing up on DoorDash usually takes only 10-15 minutes, plus a few more simple steps.  Your business should be able to begin receiving and delivering orders within a week:

  • 10 – 15 minutes: Signing up to be a partner.

  • Receive an email about Merchant Portal and order protocol.

  • Once you update your menu, pricing, and review your financials using the Merchant Portal, you can expect to begin delivering products to consumers within a week!

• Postmates: Most businesses are able to begin delivering with Postmates within 10 to 15 days. They also offer an integration directly with Square. 

  • 72 hours: Registration reviewed, and Account Executive reaches out regarding next steps. 

  • 2 – 3 days: Sign your agreement and begin onboarding the Postmates Merchant App

  • 10 days: Onboarding complete and business is officially set up on the platform 

  • 15 days: Postmates tablet delivered (In between being officially on the platform and the tablet being delivered, businesses will receive orders via phone and deliveries will operate as typical “to-go” orders). 

Commission Rate/Fees

Most food delivery services charge a commission, and some will charge additional fees. While UberEats and Grubhub have announced the deferral of commission and fee payments, this is only a temporary delay and not a complete waiver of required payments. 

The commission and fee structures of each of the four services are as follows: 

• UberEats: 30% commission of all listed prices 

• Grubhub: 20% marketing commission + 10% delivery commission + (3.05% + $0.30) processing fee per transaction

• DoorDash: 30% commission

• Postmates: Varies from agreement to agreement, but usually ranges between 15% – 30%

Additional Resources

For more information on how to get your business on food delivery apps, take a look at these additional resources: 

• UberEats: 

  • Supporting the restaurant industry during COVID-19

  • How to register with UberEats – Everything you should consider

  • Signing Up for UberEats FAQs

• Grubhub:

  • Grubhub for Restaurants Resources

  • Add Your Business to Grubhub

  • Grubhub for Restaurants Onboarding

• DoorDash: 

  • Partnering with DoorDash FAQs

  • How to Become a DoorDash Partner Merchant

  • Restaurant Resources for DoorDash Merchants

• Postmates

  • How to Sign-Up to be on the Postmates Platform

  • Setting up Your Postmates order tablet

  • How-to Guide for Using Menu Manager

  • Setup Guide

**There have been reports online saying that Doordash has taken quite some time to get their businesses up and running on their platform, including shipping the Doordash tablet. This has become even more prevalent now given the state of the restaurant industry. In light of this, comments have suggested the use of Otter, an integration platform that allows restaurants to have all of their delivery service softwares on one tablet. Comments have mentioned quick shipping.