Vendor pricing · verified September 2026
San Francisco's delivery commission cap in 2026
San Francisco made its pandemic delivery commission cap permanent in June 2021, one of the first cities to do so, and DoorDash and Grubhub sued the following month, calling the ordinance unconstitutional. On July 26, 2022 the Board of Supervisors amended the law. A platform is now exempt from the flat 15% limit as long as it offers restaurants a core delivery service at 15% of the order or less; a restaurant may then choose to pay more for additional services such as marketing, advertising and consulting. Platforms had until December 1, 2022 to notify restaurants of their new fee structures, and the amended law took effect January 31, 2023. Grubhub said it would drop its lawsuit once the ordinance took effect.
Sources: Restaurant Dive, "San Francisco weakens 15% delivery fee cap"; San Francisco Chronicle and SFist (July 2022) on the amendment; Law360 and Restaurant Business on the July 2021 lawsuit. Read September 2026. This page describes the law; it is not legal advice.
The timeline, and what the amended law does
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 2021 | Board of Supervisors makes the 15% delivery commission cap permanent |
| July 2021 | DoorDash and Grubhub sue the City, calling the cap unconstitutional |
| July 26, 2022 | Board passes the amendment: a platform that offers a core delivery service at 15% or less may sell additional services (marketing, advertising, consulting) above 15% to restaurants that opt in |
| December 1, 2022 | deadline for platforms to notify restaurants of new fee structures and pricing options |
| January 31, 2023 | amended law takes effect; Grubhub had said it would drop its lawsuit at this point |
The structure is the same one Washington, DC adopted in 2023 and New York City adopted in 2025: a capped basic tier that must be offered, and paid tiers above it that a restaurant chooses.
What a $40 order costs a San Francisco restaurant
| Arrangement | Legal maximum | Cost on a $40 order | Who pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketplace, core delivery service | 15% | $6.00 | restaurant |
| Marketplace, opted into additional services | no statutory limit; DoorDash's national Plus and Premier plans are 25% and 30% | $10.00 to $12.00 at the national plan rates | restaurant |
| Ginger Direct, your own site | no commission; card processing as low as 2% + 5¢ | about $0.85 | restaurant pays processing; guest pays a $1 order fee |
Once a restaurant opts into services above the core tier, the cap no longer applies to it. Ask which placements the core tier includes before deciding the visibility is worth the extra points.
Frequently asked questions
What is San Francisco's delivery commission cap?
15% of the order for a core delivery service. The Board of Supervisors made the pandemic cap permanent in June 2021 and amended it on July 26, 2022 so that a platform offering the core tier at 15% or less may sell additional services above that to restaurants that opt in. The amended law took effect January 31, 2023.
Why was the San Francisco cap amended?
DoorDash and Grubhub sued the City in July 2021, arguing the flat cap was unconstitutional. The 2022 amendment kept a 15% core tier while allowing restaurants to opt into marketing, advertising and consulting services above it, and Grubhub said it would drop its suit once the amendment took effect.
Is there still a cap if I opt into marketing services?
No statutory limit applies above the core tier. Restaurants that opt in pay the platform's own rates for those services; DoorDash's published national Plus and Premier plans are 25% and 30%.
When did the amended San Francisco law take effect?
January 31, 2023. Platforms had until December 1, 2022 to notify restaurants of their new fee structures and pricing options.
How does direct ordering compare with the San Francisco cap?
Orders from your own site carry no commission and no tier. With Ginger Direct a restaurant pays card processing as low as 2% + 5¢, about 85 cents on a $40 order, and the guest pays a $1 order fee; there is no monthly fee. The same order is $6.00 on the 15% core tier and $10.00 to $12.00 at the national plan rates once a restaurant opts in.
Compare it against a system with no monthly fee
Ginger is $0 a month with online ordering, no contract, interchange-plus processing as low as 2% + 5¢, and the Box, up to two printers and a card terminal included for restaurants over $40,000 a month in card volume. The live demo opens in your browser with no signup.