Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees in Online Food Delivery Services
The Federal Trade Commission ("Commission") proposes to commence a rulemaking proceeding to address certain unfair or deceptive acts or practices relating to fees and charges for food and grocery items ordered through online delivery platforms. The Commission is soliciting written comment, data, and argument concerning the need for such a rulemaking to prevent persons, entities, and organizations from engaging in such unfair or deceptive acts or practices.
What this rule actually says
The FTC is proposing a rule to stop food delivery platforms (like DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub) from hiding fees until checkout or lying about pricing. The rule would require showing all fees upfront and being clear about what's actually included in the final price—so no surprise "$8 service fee" appearing at the last second, and no claiming a burger costs $9.99 when it really costs $16.50 after fees.
Who it applies to
- If you run a food or grocery delivery platform or marketplace – this applies to you. If you're building an AI ordering assistant, chatbot, or recommendation tool *for* food delivery platforms, this likely does *not* directly apply.
- If you're operating in the US – FTC rules apply nationwide. No state-level carveouts mentioned yet.
- If you're NOT in food/grocery delivery – you can stop reading. An AI medical scribe, hiring assistant, or support chatbot doesn't touch this rule unless it somehow handles food delivery transactions.
- AI use cases that don't trigger this: building chatbots for restaurants, AI for restaurant operations, delivery route optimization, or general customer support for food businesses.
- **AI use cases that *might* trigger this:** if you're building the actual delivery platform's pricing engine or checkout flow, you'd need to ensure compliance.
What founders need to do
- Confirm you're in scope (15 minutes): Ask yourself: "Am I operating a food or grocery delivery platform where customers place orders for delivery?" If no, you're done. If yes, continue.
- Wait for finalized rule (ongoing): This is still *proposed* as of April 2026. The FTC is still taking public comments. Subscribe to FTC updates or check back in 6-12 months for the final version, which may change.
- Audit your fee disclosure (2-3 days, if in scope): Once finalized, review your checkout flow. All fees must be shown before customers commit to purchase. No hidden charges, no misleading total prices.
- Update terms of service and disclosures (1-2 days, if in scope): Ensure your pricing disclosures match the final rule's language.
- Monitor for enforcement (ongoing, if in scope): The FTC will likely target large platforms first. Small platforms should still comply, but enforcement risk scales with company size and customer complaints.
Bottom line
Unless you're actually operating a food delivery platform, ignore this—it doesn't touch most indie AI tools. If you are, monitor for the finalized rule (expected late 2026 or 2027) and plan a fee disclosure audit then.