Talabat commission in the UAE: what you really keep per order

"How much does Talabat take?" is the first question every restaurant owner in the UAE asks us.

The honest answer has two parts. There is the commission written in your contract. Then there is what really leaves your payout once you add VAT, offers and the other lines on the invoice. The second number is the one that matters.

How much does Talabat take per order?

Talabat does not publish one commission rate for restaurants. The rate is in your contract, and contracts differ by restaurant, by size, by area and by period.

So we start from invoices. On the Talabat invoices of one restaurant group we work with, three sites in Dubai, October 2026, the commission came to about 31% of sales, VAT included. Before the 5% VAT, that is about 29.5%.

This is one group, with its own contract. Yours will be different. But it gives you an order of size, and a reason to open your own invoice.

On the same group's invoices, the other apps took:

Talabat sits in the middle. The gap between the cheapest and the most expensive app is a few points, not half. We compare the two challengers in Keeta vs Noon Food: commissions and growth.

How much do you keep on an AED 100 order?

Take an order of AED 100 at menu price, with the 31% from the invoices above and a food cost of 30% as an example. Replace both with your own numbers.

Look at the second column. A 20% discount did not cost you 20% of what is left. It cut it in half.

That is because, on the Talabat invoices we have checked, the commission was calculated on the menu price, not on what the customer paid. The discount comes out of your share only. Check this on your own invoice: it is the single line that changes the most.

Which three invoice lines do owners miss?

1. VAT on the commission. The rate in your contract is usually written before VAT. The invoice adds 5% on top. A commission of 29.5% in the contract is 31% on the invoice.

2. The offers you fund. Every discount you agreed to is deducted from your payout. Some are funded by you alone, some are shared with Talabat. The invoice shows which. If you do not know who pays for an offer running on your page today, find out this week.

3. The other charges. Invoices carry lines besides commission: paid placements, and other charges that depend on your contract. On the invoices we read, we go line by line with the owner and ask Talabat about every line nobody can explain.

Can you negotiate your Talabat commission?

The rate is a contract term, so the person to ask is your account manager. Go to that conversation with numbers, not with a complaint:

• your orders per month and how they moved,
• your rating and your preparation time,
• what you keep per AED 100 today, from the table above,
• what the other apps charge you.

We cannot promise what Talabat will answer. What we see is that owners who know their numbers ask better questions, and sign fewer offers that lose money.

How can you keep more without changing the rate?

You control more than the commission.

• Sell the dishes that make money. Put your profitable best sellers in the first two categories. The method is in How to optimize your menu visibility on Talabat.
• Raise the basket. Sides, drinks and desserts with a photo and a plain name. The commission rate stays the same, but your fixed costs per order weigh less.
• Keep one offer, not five. One clear offer on one dish that makes money at full price, reviewed every two weeks.
• Fix the page before you pay for placement. An ad brings customers to your page. If the page does not convert, you pay for visits.

Questions owners ask us

Is Talabat commission the same in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah? We have only read invoices from Dubai. The rate depends on your contract, so ask your account manager for the terms that apply to each of your sites.

Is the commission taken on the delivery fee too? Read your invoice: it shows what the commission was calculated on. If the base is not clear, ask Talabat to confirm it in writing.

Is Talabat more expensive than the other apps? On the invoices of the group above, it was in the middle: more than Keeta and Noon Food, less than Careem and Deliveroo. Compare what you keep per AED 100 on each app, offers included, not the rate alone.

Where we come in

We rebuild and manage Talabat storefronts in the UAE, and we read the invoices with our clients: what was taken, on what base, and which offers paid for themselves. We charge a fixed fee, never a share of your orders.

Want to know what your Talabat page is losing before commission even starts? Send us the link. Your score out of 100 lands in your inbox in minutes, then we go through it with you, with no upfront investment.

Sources: Talabat, Keeta, Noon Food, Careem and Deliveroo invoices of one restaurant group in Dubai, three sites, October 2026, read with the owner. UAE VAT rate: 5%.