Food delivery businesses move prepared meals, catering orders, groceries, and meal-prep boxes from a kitchen or store to a customer. The people sending invoices are usually independent couriers, small local delivery companies, or owner-operators who deliver for restaurants, caterers, offices, and meal-prep brands. They bill for delivery runs, wait time, mileage, and extras like after-hours or bulk orders, and often invoice a business client monthly instead of collecting from each customer.
Create an invoice for payment collection
Upload logo
PDF will be generated with filename:
Invoice_1001_Client_2026-10-14.pdf
Most business-to-business food delivery is priced per delivery, with a base fee that covers a set distance (often 3 to 5 miles) and a per-mile charge beyond that. Many operators add surcharges for wait time at pickup, large or multi-stop orders, rush or same-day requests, evenings, weekends, and holidays. Catering delivery is often a flat fee that includes setup, such as placing chafing dishes, labeling, and arranging a buffet. Regular clients such as restaurants or meal-prep companies may get a weekly or monthly rate, a retainer for scheduled routes, or a per-route price with a minimum number of stops. Tips are separate from fees and should be listed that way. If you deliver for a platform, the platform sets your pay, so these rates apply to direct clients you invoice yourself.
| Service | Priced | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Standard local delivery (first 3-5 miles) | per delivery | $7-15 |
| Additional mileage beyond base distance | per mile | $1-2.50 |
| Catering delivery with basic setup | flat fee | $35-100 |
| Wait time at pickup or drop-off (after grace period) | per 15 minutes | $5-12 |
| Scheduled route or multi-stop run | per hour | $20-35 |
| Rush or same-day surcharge | per order | $5-20 |
| Meal-prep box delivery route | per stop | $4-9 |
| Large or multi-item order surcharge | per order | $5-25 |
Typical US ranges. Rates vary by region, experience, and job size.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard local deliveries, restaurant to customer addresses (0-5 miles), Oct 1-31 | 62 deliveries | $9.00 | $558.00 |
| Additional mileage beyond 5 miles | 84 miles | $1.75 | $147.00 |
| Catering delivery with buffet setup, office lunch for 40 (Oct 12) | 2 events | $65.00 | $130.00 |
| Wait time at pickup beyond 10-minute grace period | 12 15-min blocks | $7.00 | $84.00 |
| Weekend and evening surcharge | 14 orders | $5.00 | $70.00 |
| Total | $989.00 | ||
Notes: Payment due within 15 days of invoice date. Delivery log with order numbers, addresses, and timestamps is available on request. A 1.5% monthly fee applies to balances past due. Accepted: ACH, check, or card.
Clients match each delivery to their own records, and a log of pickup and drop-off times settles disputes about late or missed orders.
Mileage and zone charges only make sense if the client can see where each run started and ended.
Extra distance is a separate line item, and showing it avoids pushback on the per-mile charge.
Wait charges are the most commonly questioned line, so record when you arrived, when the order was handed over, and the grace period you apply.
Rush, after-hours, holiday, and large-order fees should be visible lines so clients can see the base rate has not changed.
Tips belong to the driver and are not part of your fee, and food or cash collected on a client's behalf should not be mixed into your revenue.
Some clients, especially caterers and corporate accounts, ask for proof of insurance, and local rules may require permits for transporting food.
Single-customer or one-off catering deliveries are usually paid at booking or on delivery by card. Business clients such as restaurants, caterers, and meal-prep companies are typically invoiced weekly or monthly, with terms of net 7 to net 30. Weekly invoicing keeps cash flow steady for solo drivers who pay for fuel and maintenance up front. For large catering jobs or scheduled routes, a deposit of 25 to 50 percent is common, along with a cancellation fee if the order is cancelled within a few hours. Late fees of 1 to 1.5 percent per month are common if stated in writing before work begins. ACH, card, and checks are widely accepted, and cash is sometimes used for one-time deliveries.
Give 5 to 10 minutes free at pickup, then charge in 15-minute blocks. Put the policy in your service agreement and on the invoice so wait time is not a surprise.
Fuel, tolls, and vehicle wear are costs you pay immediately. Weekly billing with a delivery log keeps unpaid balances small and makes errors easier to catch.
A mileage log supports your per-mile charges and is useful at tax time. In the US, the IRS allows either actual expenses or the standard mileage rate for business driving, so check which fits your situation.
If the return trip is empty, a long route should be priced to cover it. Build a minimum per-delivery fee so short, low-value runs do not cost you money.
List parking, tolls, or items bought on the client's behalf as pass-through charges, and show tips on their own. It keeps your invoice clean and your records accurate.
Many drivers use both: a flat base fee that covers a set radius, plus a per-mile charge beyond it. Flat fees are easy for clients to understand, and the mileage add-on protects you on longer runs.
Yes, if you tell the client in advance. State a grace period and a rate per 15 minutes in your agreement or quote, then list the actual wait on the invoice with times.
Show tips as a separate line or keep them off the invoice if paid directly to the driver. Tips are generally taxable income to the person who receives them, so keep records of them. Check with a tax professional for your situation.
It depends on the state. Some states tax delivery charges, some only when bundled with taxable goods, and some do not at all. Check your state revenue department's rules or ask an accountant.
Set a policy for failed deliveries in your agreement, such as charging the full delivery fee and any return trip. Record the attempt time and any contact made, and include it on the invoice.
Send a Food Delivery estimate for approval, then turn it into an invoice when the work is done.
Food Delivery estimate template