Food deliveries seen as treat but high fees frustrate many Brits

Four in 10 said service fees are too high.

Food deliveries are now considered a special treat by 31% of British adults, but many are frustrated by how high the service fees are, according to a survey by YouGov.

Close behind, 29% say they order food because they “don’t feel like cooking”. Around one in ten say they use delivery services because there is no food available at home (11%) or because they are working late or long hours (10%).

Only small shares say they order food because the weather is too bad to go out (6%), because it gives them more time with family (6%) or because it allows them to do chores at home (5%).

However, many Britons have clear frustrations with the experience, and costs stand out most strongly, with four in ten British adults (40%) saying service fees are too high, making this the leading complaint by a considerable margin.

Nearly three in ten (29%) say menu items cost more on delivery apps or services than when ordering in-store.

Generationally, more than half of Gen Z (54%) say they dislike that service fees are too high, compared with 23% of Baby Boomers. Gen Z are also much more likely to say they dislike that menu items cost more on delivery apps (42% versus 16% among Baby Boomers).

Younger Britons are additionally more likely to indicate operational frustrations, including incorrect orders and long delivery times. Around a third of Millennials say they dislike both issues.

Older generations appear less dissatisfied overall. Nearly four in ten Baby Boomers (39%) say none of the listed frustrations apply to them, rising to 49% among the Silent Generation.

The survey figures were drawn from responses collected between May 2025 and May 2026, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in Great Britain and weighted by age, gender, region, education, and social grade.