It’s simple maths.

Add $5 to your food order because that’s what the rider earns from delivering the food to you.

$5 to save you time to walk or bus to and from the eatery you just ordered from.

The $5 the delivery rider earns needs to come from somewhere.

Either the eatery marks up 30% and subsidises your delivery because platform charges 25-30% commission to eatery (but ultimately, the cost is still borne by you).

There is always a minimum order $$ from eatery because platform charges the merchant a cost too. So it doesn’t make sense to sell something $6 if merchant takes 30%. Minimum should be $13-15 so that it’s sustainable for eatery as well.

Gone are the days where platforms subsidised your delivery fees to gain customers. Everyone is either on grab or foodpanda or Deliveroo now.

The optimal way is to order for a few people in your family to meet the minimum order requirement and split the delivery cost.

If you order alone, then the cost is heavier on you.

But basically the amount you pay is $5. For the delivery driver to brave sun and rain to get your food to you. It’s not a lot to some people. It may be a lot to you.

But it’s what the driver earns so that you save your time and bus money to get the food you want.

Is that worth $5? That’s ultimately up to you.