After the Uber–ezCater Deal: What Restaurant Owners Should Know About Catering Fees

The catering opportunity is growing. But who owns the customer?

Uber's announced agreement to acquire ezCater for $2.3 billion is a major development for the catering industry. The deal brings together Uber's delivery reach and ezCater's focus on workplace meals and corporate catering.

For independent restaurant owners, it raises an important business question:

As more platforms compete for catering orders, how much of each sale should your restaurant pay to access customers—and how can you generate more orders directly?

Catering can be an attractive growth opportunity. One large office lunch can generate substantially more revenue than a typical individual takeout order. Repeat business from nearby offices, schools, medical practices, dealerships, and local organizations can also become a reliable source of additional sales.

But winning those orders through a marketplace can come with a cost.

The goal isn't necessarily to abandon marketplaces. It's to make sure your restaurant has another way to attract catering customers—one that doesn't depend entirely on paying a commission every time someone orders.

How much does ezCater charge restaurants?

ezCater operates a marketplace that connects businesses with restaurants and caterers. Its restaurant-partner model is generally pay-per-order rather than a traditional monthly software subscription.

Third-party industry guides report a commonly cited marketplace commission of 15% plus a 2.99% payment transaction fee. Actual rates and terms can vary by restaurant agreement and order type, so owners should verify their own contracts and current fee schedule.

Here's what those percentages can mean for a restaurant.

The cost of a $500 catering order

This is an illustrative calculation using a $500 food subtotal. Actual fees may be calculated on a different transaction base, and other delivery or optional promotional costs may apply.

The important point is that percentage-based fees grow with the order. On a larger catering order, even a few percentage points can represent meaningful money.

For a restaurant operating on tight margins, that's worth understanding before deciding how much of its catering business to build around any single platform.

The Uber deal makes direct catering even more worth thinking about

The acquisition announcement highlights the value of bringing together workplace catering, business relationships, and a large delivery network. That could create new opportunities for restaurants to reach corporate customers.

But the announcement alone doesn't tell us whether ezCater's restaurant fees will change.

Restaurant owners don't need to predict what Uber will do next to make a smart decision today. They can start by building a direct channel alongside their marketplace presence.

Think about the customers who already enjoy your food:

• The office that regularly orders lunch for staff.
• The family that buys takeout every Friday.
• The local business that needs food for meetings.
• The school or sports organization that hosts events.
• The customer who loves your food but doesn't know you offer catering.

These people may already be familiar with your restaurant. They may simply need a clear, convenient way to discover your catering menu and place an inquiry.

Your next catering customer may already be buying from you.

The simplest place to start: put a QR-code catering flyer in every takeout bag

You don't necessarily need an expensive advertising campaign to start growing catering sales.

One of the most practical, low-cost ways to introduce your catering service is to put a small, well-designed flyer in your takeout bags.

Every takeout order becomes an opportunity to introduce a customer to something they may not know you offer: catering.

Step 1: Create a dedicated catering page

The QR code should take customers directly to a catering page—not your homepage, a generic social profile, or a menu they have to search through.

Your page should make it easy to understand:

• What kinds of catering you offer.
• Which packages or menu options are available.
• How many people you can serve.
• How much notice you need.
• How customers can request a quote or discuss an event.

You don't have to start with an elaborate ordering system. A clear menu, useful package options, and a simple inquiry process are enough to give customers a next step.

Step 2: Make the flyer about the occasion, not just the food

A flyer that simply says “We Cater” can be easy to overlook.

Give customers a reason to scan the code. Focus on the situations where they might need catering.

For example:

FEED THE WHOLE TEAM

Office lunches. Team meetings. Family gatherings. Special events.

Love our food? Let us cater your next gathering.

Scan to explore our catering menu.

[QR CODE]

Catering from [Restaurant Name]

Include a short URL as well, so customers can still reach the page if they can't scan the code.

Step 3: Put a flyer in every takeout bag

Consistency matters more than a one-time promotion.

Include the flyer with takeout orders, then replenish it as part of your normal packaging routine. Consider adding flyers to catering-friendly orders or testing different messages for customers who regularly order larger quantities.

Your existing takeout business becomes a way to promote a higher-value service without having to find an entirely new audience.

Step 4: Make the next step easy

When customers scan the QR code, don't make them work to find the menu or figure out what to do.

Give them a clear action, such as:

• Explore catering packages.
• Request a catering quote.
• Tell us about your event.
• Ask about catering for your office.

Respond to inquiries promptly, and make sure someone on your team owns the follow-up. A flyer can generate interest, but a clear process helps turn that interest into an order.

Step 5: Track what works

Use a QR code that points to your dedicated catering page so you can measure visits and inquiries from the campaign.

Track how many people scan, how many submit an inquiry, and how many ultimately place an order. If possible, ask new catering customers how they heard about your service.

That information will help you improve the flyer and decide whether to expand the campaign.

Marketplace orders and direct catering can work together

This isn't an argument that restaurants should automatically leave ezCater or other marketplaces.

Marketplaces can introduce a restaurant to business customers it might not otherwise reach. That discovery can be valuable, particularly when a restaurant is new to catering.

But restaurants should also work to build awareness among their existing customers and local community.

A balanced strategy can look like this:

Use marketplaces for discovery. Build direct marketing for long-term growth.

Your restaurant can remain visible where business customers are searching while also promoting catering through takeout bags, receipts, your website, social media, and relationships with nearby businesses.

Over time, a stronger direct channel gives you more control over how customers discover your catering service and how those relationships develop.

How Caterly helps restaurants build a direct catering channel

Caterly is designed for independent restaurants that want to start or grow catering without having to piece together the entire business themselves.

Instead of relying only on a marketplace listing, restaurants can build a dedicated catering presence with menus, packages, pricing, a catering landing page, and practical marketing tools.

That makes it easier to turn an idea like QR-code flyers into an organized campaign: create a catering destination, send customers there, and give them a clear way to explore options or inquire about an order.

Caterly charges a flat software subscription rather than taking a percentage of each catering order as a marketplace commission. Its Launch plan is $59 per month, with no Caterly per-order marketplace commission. Standard payment-processing costs or other third-party charges may still apply where relevant.

The distinction matters: the restaurant is investing in tools to help build its own catering channel rather than automatically surrendering a marketplace commission on every order generated through that channel.

Start building catering one takeout bag at a time

The Uber–ezCater deal is a reminder that catering is an important and competitive part of the restaurant industry.

Independent restaurants don't need to compete with the largest platforms on their scale. They can start with something they already have: great food, existing customers, and a local reputation.

Create a catering page. Print a simple flyer. Add a QR code to every takeout bag. Make it easy for customers to ask about their next office lunch, team meeting, or family event.

Then measure the results and keep improving.

You don't have to choose between marketplace exposure and direct catering. But you should have a plan for building the business you own.

Ready to turn catering into a more organized part of your restaurant? Explore Caterly and start building your catering system.