Aggregator take-rates in 2026
How rates have shifted this year, and what operators are doing about it.
Sunday Okoi
Operator & commercial, SavorQ
2 April 2026
The headline rate is not the whole story
Marketplace commission is still the number operators quote first. In 2026, the more useful question is total cost to serve on that channel: commission, ads, boosted placement, packaging, refunds, and the operational drag of peak marketplace volume on the pass.
Operators who only track the contracted percentage keep discovering the real take later — usually when contribution collapses on a busy Friday.
What we are seeing across independent groups
Across conversations with multi-site independents and small groups, three patterns keep showing up. Base commissions have stabilised more than they have fallen. Ad and boost spend has become a quiet second fee. And own-channel recovery only sticks when phone and web ordering are reliable during the same peaks marketplaces push hardest.
- Treat ads and placement as channel cost, not marketing theatre.
- Compare marketplace contribution to own online and phone on the same menu items.
- Watch refund and remake rates by channel — they move contribution as much as commission.
What operators are doing that actually works
Winning teams are not quitting marketplaces overnight. They are capping exposure, defending own-channel pricing, and putting a live margin view next to volume so the floor and the office argue from the same numbers.
The practical playbook: protect peak kitchen capacity for higher-contribution tickets, keep marketplace menus honest rather than over-discounted, and measure whether every pound of sponsored traffic still clears contribution after the boost fee.