ezCater Fees Explained: What It Really Costs Restaurants

If you cater through ezCater, the fee is not abstract - it comes out of every order. Here is what ezCater actually charges restaurants, based on publicly reported figures, and what those fees mean for your margin.

Pricing below reflects figures publicly reported by third parties as of 2026 and varies by agreement. Always confirm current terms directly with ezCater.

ezCater fees at a glance

Sources: G2 pricing, SideHusl, and ezCater's own help center. Your agreement may differ.

What the commission means per order

Fees are easiest to feel on a real order size.

That total comes off the top - before you pay for food, packaging, labor, and delivery. On catering's already-thin per-order margins, a $90 fee on a $500 order is significant.

The ezOrdering program's ~7% rate roughly halves the commission portion, which is why many restaurants route their own website traffic through it rather than the open marketplace.

The cost the fee table does not show

The line-item fee is only part of the picture. The larger long-term cost is the customer relationship.

When a buyer orders through a marketplace:

• The order belongs to the platform's flow, not your direct list
• The next time they need catering, they may open the marketplace again - and see your competitors
• You may not be able to market to that buyer directly outside the platform's rules
• You pay commission again on a customer you have already won once

So the question is not only "what is the fee?" It is "am I paying a discovery fee on a new buyer, or a recurring tax on a regular who would reorder directly if I made it easy?"

When ezCater fees are worth paying

Paying commission can absolutely make sense:

• The order is genuinely incremental - a buyer you would not have reached
• You have spare kitchen capacity to fill
• The marketplace is testing demand for your cuisine in a new area
• You are early and need volume while you build your own channel

Marketplace orders are also a useful signal. If offices near you order your food for meetings through ezCater, that is evidence other nearby buyers want the same thing - demand you can pursue directly.

How to keep the volume and cut the fee drag

You do not have to quit the marketplace to improve your economics. The durable move is to build a direct channel beside it:

1. Make your own catering page and ordering path easy to find and use
2. Capture buyer and order details so you have a relationship, not just a transaction
3. Follow up with buyers you are allowed to contact, and give repeat customers a reason to order direct
4. Build local demand through search and outreach so fewer new orders rely on the marketplace

That is the strategy behind choosing an ezCater alternative: not a different middleman, but a channel you own. For the step-by-step version, see how to reduce ezCater dependence without losing orders, and how to turn marketplace orders into direct reorders.

FAQ

How much commission does ezCater charge restaurants?

ezCater's standard commission is publicly reported at around 15% per accepted order, plus roughly 2.99% payment processing. Its ezOrdering program is reported at about 7% commission plus processing. Rates vary by agreement.

Does ezCater have monthly or setup fees?

Public sources report no setup or monthly fee for adding ezOrdering to your own website - the cost is the per-order commission and payment processing. Confirm current terms with ezCater.

What does ezCater cost on a $500 catering order?

At roughly 15% commission plus about 2.99% processing, a $500 order carries close to $90 in fees before food and labor. The 7% ezOrdering program lowers the commission portion.

Is ezCater worth the fees?

It can be when it brings genuinely incremental orders. The risk is paying commission on repeat buyers who would order directly if you gave them an easy path. Keeping useful marketplace volume while building a direct channel is usually the strongest approach.