Ordering food to your house on DoorDash at the touch of a button is a magical idea, but the reality isn’t always so perfect. Restaurants can be slow to finish your order, DoorDash deliverers (called Dashers) might have trouble getting to you, or some other issue might arise that keeps your food from getting to your door.
You can’t control everything about the delivery process, but there is a lot you can do as a customer to make sure that your Dasher can get your food to you as quickly as possible.
These are 9 things that every DoorDash Dasher wishes their customers did, tactics that will help complete your order as quickly as possible. You can’t make the restaurant cook faster or make the traffic lighter, but these extra steps will help your Dasher get to you asap.
Add a Tip When You Place Your Order
When Dashers receive an order request, they see a payout total that includes the DoorDash delivery fee and the customer tip. The base delivery fees offered by DoorDash are low (sometimes $2 or $3), so if you don’t leave a tip when you place your order, Dashers will see a low order payout estimate and may choose to skip your request.
Orders without tips will bounce around between Dashers for awhile until someone finally accepts it, which seriously slows down your order. Add a tip when you place your order to make it a more tempting offer for Dashers.
Dashers see a low payout if you don’t tip when you place an order
Live in an Apartment? Give Clear Directions in The Delivery Instructions
If you live in an apartment, it’s probably hard for people to find your front door. Provide clear, concise instructions in the delivery notes about how to find your building. And don’t assume that drivers will use the same entrance you do. Try to write instructions that make sense coming from any direction.
Getting a Delivery at a Business or Hotel? Include The Name in Delivery Instructions
You will be a lot easier to find if you include your business or hotel name in the delivery instructions. Businesses and hotels are often in huge complexes where a plain address may not be very helpful in accurately locating you. If you forgot to include the info in delivery notes, send your Dasher a text using the app.
Add instructions to help your Dasher find you
Turn on Your Porch Light!
Turning on your porch light makes it easier and safer for Dashers to find your home. Nothing frustrates Dashers more than a dark porch where the address is in the shadows and the front steps are too dark to see. This one sounds like a no brainer, but many customers forget to turn on porch lights.
Is Your Home Hard to Find? Be Willing to Meet The Dasher Outside
After awhile, you might discover that your door is hard for Dashers to find even when you include clear instructions. Consider meeting your Dasher outside to speed up the process. Track their progress in the app, then go outside when you know they’ve arrived. Offer your name: “Hi, is that the DoorDash order for *your name*?”
Outside of The Delivery Zone? Don’t Try to Trick The System
Restaurants have delivery zones that limit how far a delivery can go. Some DoorDash customers outside of the delivery zone place their order with an incorrect address that is inside the delivery zone, then try to update to their real address later.
Don’t try to trick the system! Dashers don’t have to deliver to a location outside of restaurant deliveyr zone, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll actually receive your order. And you may not receive a refund on your order if you do this.
Forgot Something in The Order Notes? Text Your Dasher
Your Dasher only knows as much as your instructions tell them. If you forgot to include a request in your order notes, use the app to text your Dasher. You might want to let them know not to ring your doorbell, or offer extra directions to your door.
Order From Partnered Restaurants
There are two types of restaurants: Those that partner with Doordash, and those that don’t. Restaurants that partner with DoorDash get a tablet that helps them receive & manage DoorDash orders real time. In the app, partnered restaurants have a check mark next to their name, and will be featured more prominently.
When you order from restaurants that don’t partner with DoorDash, your Dasher places your order when they arrive at the restaurant. It’s a much slower process than ordering from a partnered restaurant, which gets your order in advance and has the food ready (or nearly ready) when your Dasher arrives.
Live in a Snowy Area? Shovel Your Sidewalk!
This is more of a safety tip than a speed tip, but make sure that the path leading to your house is safe. It’s fine that you won’t want to go outside to get your food, but help keep others safe by shoveling your sidewalk.
More Reading on DoorDash & Delivery Apps
- How Much Does DoorDash Cost? Explaining DoorDash Pricing
- DoorDash Driver Requirements
- The Difference Between Postmates and Uber Eats
Observative fellow says
This is very true; its ridiculous how often and how much customers feel entitled to getting their delivery ‘without even tipping’. Even if you paid for the ‘Dash Pass’ that only mitigates the costs with Door Dash itself — no one is taking an order that doesn’t meet a $1:1mile ratio because it just won’t cover the wear/tear on our car; and Dashers do NOT get paid per hour, nor do they even get paid per mile leaving a system that even many Dashers are not certain how their Base Pay is estimated.
Kristian N Campbell says
Article was on point. Very great job.