Dubai Introduces New Guidelines to Regulate Online Food Delivery Platforms
Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade (DCCPFT) has released new guidelines for food delivery platforms under Dubai Law No. 5 of 2023, communicated through Circular No. 2 of 2025. The measures aim to bring more fairness and accountability to restaurants, operators, and consumers in a fast-growing sector.
Platforms must now provide business users with clear terms and conditions at all stages of their partnership. They also need to give a minimum 30-day notice before changing contracts, unless urgent legal reasons apply. Restaurants may end agreements if they do not accept proposed changes.
To ensure transparency, platforms are required to send monthly financial statements covering sales, commissions, refunds, fees, and payouts. They must also explain how commissions are calculated and disclose any extra charges for delivery or advertising.
Competition and Consumer Protection
The new framework restricts platforms from favoring their own services or affiliates without disclosure. Arbitrary pricing, exclusivity clauses, and unfair discounts are directly addressed. Restaurants leaving exclusivity agreements will receive a transition period to maintain commercial terms.
Marketing costs, such as sponsored listings or promotions, must be optional and agreed upon in advance. Platforms cannot apply hidden charges or reduce a restaurant’s visibility without valid reasons.
On consumer protection, the rules clarify responsibility for delays, cancellations, and packaging errors. Customers will not be charged for delays caused by platforms or logistics providers. Restaurants will only face penalties if issues result from their preparation or handover. In addition, platforms must verify refund claims to protect restaurants and ensure proper cold chain logistics for temperature-sensitive items.
Data Access and Industry Impact
Food establishments will gain the right to access customer data in a usable format, even after contracts end. The guidelines separate personal data, which is protected by law, from non-personal insights such as purchase patterns and transaction trends.
Circular No. 2 of 2025, issued by Mohammed Abdullah Shael AlSaadi, CEO of DCCPFT, highlighted four priorities: clear terms with restaurants, transparency in data use, platform neutrality, and limits on anti-competitive practices. Operators were told to share the guidelines internally and can contact DCCPFT through its call center or email for questions.
Dubai’s food delivery sector has grown rapidly with digital platforms and cloud kitchens, but restaurants have voiced concerns over high fees and limited access to data. By setting new rules, Dubai seeks to balance innovation with fairness, which experts believe will strengthen competition and improve consumer trust in the long run.
