Canadians spent $26 billion on food delivery — the Competition Bureau says these hidden fees ripped us off for nearly a decade

In particular, the Bureau emphasizes two deceptive marketing tactics DoorDash uses:

• Unattainable Prices: DoorDash’s website and app allegedly show prices that no one can actually pay because mandatory fees are added at checkout.

• Misleading Fee Labels: Some fees were allegedly made to look like government taxes when they are actually imposed by DoorDash itself.

The Bureau says this has been going on for years and is asking the Competition Tribunal to force DoorDash to stop this practice, pay a penalty and provide restitution to affected Canadians.

A $26 billion industry built on hidden fees?

The stakes in this legal fight go far beyond a single company. Canadians now spend just over $26 billion a year on food delivery — five times more than in 2019. That’s a massive shift in how we eat, which is driven by convenience, tech and lifestyle changes. But as delivery apps like DoorDash become everyday tools, the hidden costs built into these platforms can quietly drain household budgets.

If you’re ordering out once or twice a week, drip pricing could mean you’re paying an extra $5 to $10 per order in surprise fees. Over a year, that adds up to hundreds of dollars — money that most Canadians haven’t budgeted for, because the true cost wasn’t shown upfront. Multiply that across millions of users, and it’s easy to see how companies like DoorDash have collected close to a billion dollars in these fees.

The Competition Bureau’s crackdown isn’t just about holding one company accountable — it’s about stamping out a business model that quietly shifts the financial burden onto consumers, one delivery at a time.

Why DoorDash and why now?

The reason why the Competition Bureau took action is because this type of marketing is because deceptive pricing has a very real impact on the wallets of Canadians. To understand, here's a list of the ways deceptive pricing can affect your life:

• It distorts your budget: When you plan your meals or groceries based on prices you see online, only to be hit with extra fees at checkout, it throws off your spending plans.

• It undermines trust: You can't make smart decisions if you can’t trust what you’re seeing. This is especially important in an era when online services dominate everything from food to travel.

• It raises the cost of living: In practical terms, drip pricing means you’re paying more than you expected — for less than you thought you were getting.

A pattern of misleading practices

DoorDash isn’t alone. The Bureau has taken similar actions against companies like Cineplex, Rogers and Canada’s Wonderland. In each case, the companies were called out for either drip pricing or false advertising claims.

For example, in 2024, Cineplex was fined nearly $39 million for misleading customers with mandatory booking fees that weren’t included in the ticket price. This isn't the only company putting the squeeze on your dollar. Money.ca's Credit Card Editor, Cory Santos, examined how greedflation continues to take a bite out of everybody's budget in his report: Greedflation Report: 2025.

Know the signs — and speak up

As a consumer, you can protect yourself against deceptive marketing and greedflation pricing by watching for these red flags:

• If the price at checkout is noticeably higher than what was first advertised, you’re likely seeing drip pricing in action.
• If extra charges appear without a clear explanation, or look like taxes but aren’t, report them.
• The only mandatory fees that should surprise you are those imposed by the government — like sales tax.

For those impacted by deceptive pricing, the Competition Bureau encourages you to report it on their website.

Final word

What’s happening with DoorDash isn’t just about one company — it’s about setting a standard in the digital economy. Canadians deserve transparency, especially when every dollar counts. The Competition Bureau’s crackdown sends a message: Misleading consumers isn’t just bad business — it’s illegal.