The \"Shadow Math\" of Third-Party Apps: Why Colorado Had to Step In

When a customer orders a $15 meal from your restaurant through a major third-party delivery app, what do they think you get paid? They assume you keep the $15, and the app just tacks on a clear delivery fee.

But as independent restaurant operators, we know the grim reality. The corporate apps squeeze your kitchen with commission fees as high as 30%, inflate your menu prices without your input, and clip the driver's pay on the back end.

They hide the truth in the data. But states are starting to push back.

Look at Colorado\'s Delivery Service Consumer Protection Act. Colorado lawmakers realized that the only way to stop out-of-state tech giants from gouging local businesses was to legally mandate complete operational transparency.

Under the law, third-party platforms are strictly required to provide an itemized, clear breakdown of the transaction to three separate parties on every single order:

• The Consumer: They must see exactly what the restaurant charged for the food vs. what the app added in platform fees.
• The Driver: They must see the exact breakdown of the delivery pay and 100% of the customer's intended tip.
• The Restaurant: The kitchen must receive a transparent receipt showing the gross amount paid by the customer, the exact commission deducted by the app, and the net payout.

Why was this law necessary? Because without legal force, corporate tech platforms thrive on opaque, un-itemized \"drip pricing.\" They mask their high merchant fees from the consumer while hiding checkout service charges from the restaurant, creating a wedge between local business owners and their neighborhood patrons.

Independent kitchens should never be forced to participate in a system that hides the math.

Local food delivery companies don't need a state mandate to show you the receipt. Local domiciled food delivery companies, operating on flat, transparent, mutually agreed-upon terms under full Georgia compliance. Your menu prices stay intact, your customers pay an honest price upfront, and the revenue stays right here in our local economy.

Let's bring real financial transparency back to our local food scene.

United Drivers and Restaurants Alliance