CASE FILES / FTC AND ILLINOIS v. GRUBHUB
COMINGSAT 31 OCT 2026 · 5:00 PM ET · LONG-FORM

Grubhub's $4 delivery fee became $1 plus $3

The FTC and Illinois say that around 2019 Grubhub split its delivery fee in two: a restaurant's $4 delivery fee could show up as a $1 delivery fee plus a $3 "service fee" added at checkout. The complaint says service fees brought in $482 million in 2022, against $293 million from delivery fees. Grubhub settled in December 2024, a $140 million judgment with about $25 million paid and the rest suspended, and neither admits nor denies the allegations. The full case file, from the public record: the split, where the fee hid, what it was worth, the engine, free delivery and the settlement.

Grubhub's $4 delivery fee became $1 plus a $3 service fee

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$7.49

in fees at checkout, where the delivery fee was advertised at $2.49, in one example in the complaint.

COMPLAINT, ECF 1, 17 DEC 2024, PP. 9, 14
$482M

from service fees in 2022, against $293M from delivery fees, the complaint alleges.

COMPLAINT, ECF 1, P. 16
$24.8M

paid to the FTC on a $140M judgment, plus $200,000 to Illinois; the rest is suspended. Grubhub neither admits nor denies.

STIPULATED ORDER, ECF 13, 31 DEC 2024, PP. 2, 13 TO 14
The record

The documents. Every number points to a page.

Complaint, FTC and People of the State of Illinois v. Grubhub Inc. and Grubhub Holdings Inc., No. 1:24-cv-12923 (N.D. Ill.), ECF 1, 17 Dec 2024PAGES USED: 3 TO 5, 9, 13 TO 16, 22 TO 23, 26
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Stipulated order for permanent injunction and monetary judgment, ECF 13, 31 Dec 2024PAGES 2, 6 TO 7, 13 TO 14
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FTC release, payments to Grubhub drivers and diners (the FTC's own account)AGENCY RELEASE, 12 AUG 2026
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FTC release, Instacart settlement (the FTC's own account)AGENCY RELEASE, 18 DEC 2025
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FTC release, request for public comment on delivery-app feesAGENCY RELEASE, 14 APR 2026
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What the record is. Everything about Grubhub's fees, its documents and Grubhub+ is an allegation in the complaint, never tried; the quotes from Grubhub and a former executive are as the complaint quotes them. The court entered a stipulated order, and Grubhub neither admits nor denies the allegations. The FTC's August 2026 payments are tied to drivers' earnings claims and other conduct, not specifically to the fees. The Instacart settlement and the fee inquiry are the FTC's own descriptions; no rule has been adopted.

NumberWhat it isWhere
$4 = $1 + $3A restaurant's delivery fee, split into delivery and service fees, Grubhub's example as quotedCompl. p. 13
$2.49 / $7.49Advertised delivery fee / fees at checkout, one exampleCompl. pp. 9, 14
$482M / $293MService fees / delivery fees, 2022, as allegedCompl. p. 16
60%Restaurants taking part in Grubhub+ ($9.99 a month), Aug 2021, as allegedCompl. pp. 16, 22
$140M / $24.8MJudgment / paid to the FTC, the rest suspended (plus $200,000 to Illinois)Order pp. 13 to 14
$23.8M+Sent to 640,038 drivers and diners, Aug 2026; not tied to the feesFTC release, 12 Aug 2026
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Open the documents above. Every number in the video points to its page.

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