Ordering takeaways via food delivery apps like Deliveroo and UberEats can be up to 44 per cent more expensive than going directly to the restaurant, according to a new study from Which?.

Researchers looked at the costs of ordering meals for between two to four people from five restaurants and cafes, both directly and on food delivery sites Deliveroo, UberEats and Just Eat.

Across the five restaurants, ordering via a takeaway app proved 23 per cent (£7.14) more expensive on average than ordering directly from the restaurant.

The research found that orders on Deliveroo were the most expensive overall. On average, meals cost 31 per cent (£9.91) more per order than ordering directly from the restaurant.

UberEats orders cost an extra 25 per cent (£7.93), while Just Eat orders were only 7 per cent (£1.56) more expensive.

Just Eat did not deliver for one of the restaurants Which? looked at and on another, it applied a £7.30 discount.

The most expensive order was a £43.94 Deliveroo takeaway from a burrito and taco restaurant, which cost 44 per cent (£12.29) more than ordering directly from the restaurant.

Even before adding delivery and service charges, the cost of the food was 26 per cent (£8.30) more.

According to Which?, the apps say their commissions are essential for running the service – for example, insurance, paying delivery riders, customer services and services offered to restaurants.

It added that prices on apps are generally set by the restaurants but that they often increase the price of items when bought through the apps to cover the service fees that the apps charge them.

Ordering directly from the restaurant also does not incur the delivery charges that ordering from a delivery app does.

In Which?’s recent survey of more than 2,000 UK adults, more than half of people (56 per cent) told the consumer champion they had used delivery apps for takeaways or groceries.

Around six in 10 people told Which? they used takeaway apps at least monthly pre-pandemic, compared with seven in 10 now.

JustEat was the most widely used app, with two in five adults (39 per cent) choosing it compared with a quarter (26 per cent) for UberEats and one in five (20 per cent) for Deliveroo.

“Next time you fancy a takeaway, you should be aware that the undoubted convenience offered by a delivery app comes with a hidden additional cost,” said Adam French, Which? consumer rights expert. “If something goes wrong with your order, you might also find yourself caught between the restaurant and the app.

French added: “Food delivery apps should do more to make the responsibilities of the restaurant and themselves clear so consumers are not caught between the two if there’s a problem with their order.”

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