A popular UK takeaway app has raised marketplace fees for many restaurant partners. Uber Eats is one of the most popular food and grocery delivery apps in the UK, with an estimated 9 million monthly users in Britain according to digital intelligence firm Sense Tower. The delivery platform said the move is necessary to cover rising operational costs and to continue investing in the marketplace.

While commissions will still be capped at 30%, restaurants on the Lite plan will see the highest increase, with commissions increasing from 15% to 20%. Meanwhile, the Plus tier will remain at 25%, but orders made by Uber One members on that plan will now incur a 30% fee. Pickup orders are also increasing in cost for restaurants, but only by 1%, jumping from 6% to 7%. This applies only to businesses that confirm their in-app prices match what customers pay in-store; those that don't confirm face commissions as high as 10%.

Uber Eats said these hikes will ultimately help it bring more customers to its platform and improve its delivery network.

"Uber Eats' Marketplace Fees have remained stable over many years despite the pandemic and increases in costs to operate our marketplace," Uber Eats said

"This increase in pricing will help us reinvest in ways to drive more customer demand for restaurants, courier reliability, and improved products and tooling to support your business."

The tiered marketplace system was introduced in 2021, with some restaurants getting more visibility than others. Restaurants on low-cost plans get less visibility than those on higher-cost plans.

Uber has previously shared its plans to grow its food delivery business. "A key imperative is helping merchants grow by meeting their wide range of needs-bringing them demand across delivery, pickup, and in-restaurant dining; powering first-party, last-mile fulfilment through Uber Direct; or providing industry-leading tools such as Offers, Ads, and more,"CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in February.

Uber expanded its partnership with OpenTable across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., and Ireland in May last year. This allows customers to reserve tables at restaurants through the app.