DoorDash Pickup: 8 Things to Know Before Your First Order
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With people having to socially distance, DoorDash is making online shopping easier and safer than ever with store pickup. You are probably used to having your food order from your favorite restaurant delivered directly to you from a Dasher and for most, this is a totally new way of operating.
Doordash is a pick up delivery app.
Whether you are a busy parent and you have no time, or you are a tech-savvy person, with DoorDash you can order food and any essentials you need from wherever is most convenient for you, then pick up your items at the store for free. In this guide you will learn everything you need to know about the Doordash pickup option, including availability, pricing and benefits.
Among the many food delivery services that have introduced the pickup programs, one of them is DoorDash. The introduction of the free order pickup is one of the many ways the San Francisco headquartered company has responded to the global pandemic. Other early measures to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 included:
Basically, the pickup is a service which allows customers to order from Doordash and get contactless pickup for restaurant takeout by collecting their order rather than having it delivered to their home.
To keep pace with consumer demand for a faster, safer, and easier experience, a lot of restaurants have developed a no contact pickup option. For example, Little Caesars have streamlined the process of getting a pizza with a heated self-service. You place a pickup order with the DoorDahs app and pick-up your pizza at a pick-up station called the Pizza Portal.
Summarizing: pickup order on Doordash is one of the best features of food delivery apps. If you do not know what Doordash delivers, keep in mind that the on demand delivery app allows you to order anything including food, groceries, alcohol.
From a restaurant point of view, partnering with doordash and offering the takeaway option, is a great opportunity to increase margin and sales reaching local customers by using the online platform.
National chains like McDonald’s, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell created their mobile ordering ahead app. For small businesses, using DoorDash is a less expensive alternative to creating their own app, or using a phone ordering system.
The first step is to understand DoorDash prices. The app is convenient but not free. It works with a system of upfront prices and fees. This means that you will always know how much you will pay before placing your order.
You can take a look at our complete guide to DoorDash fees .
Summarizing: for each order, you'll pay for the cost of the food items, any applicable taxes and other fees. The convenient side of pick up orders is that you do not have to pay additional delivery fees.
The service fee is a percentage of the order subtotal. Doordash uses this fee to cover costs including the background checks, the customer support, the credit card fees and many other parts crucial to the company.
The delivery fees vary from marchant and location. So, how much is the Doordash delivery fee? Fees usually range from $2.99 up to $7.99. The good news is that you'll always know the delivery fee prior to selecting a merchant and finalizing your order.
If your order doesn't reach a certain minimum amount, generally for orders under $10, Doordash charges a small cart fee of $2.00. You could always add an extra item to your order if you wish to avoid this fee.
If you’re familiar with the application and already know how Doordash works, placing an order for pick up should be quite similar.
First of all, the service is available in select restaurants. To find out which store offers the pickup option in your specific location follow our step by step tutorial:
How many times did you dream to order from Doordash with no delivery fee? With pickup orders, customers do not pay fees, however restaurants must always pay commissions to the delivery app.
DoorDash charges restaurants a monthly commission fee. For pickup orders, the commission rates are lower. The Doordash pickup fee for restaurants is on average 15% of the order subtotal.
Related Article: How to remove a card from DoorDash
In these pandemic times, the pick up and the curbside pickup are the safer options for customers.
But aside from safety reasons, they are already becoming an increasing trend for people for a number of reasons.
Doordash is open 24/7 throughout the year, including Christmas eve. However, like other on demand delivery apps, the San Francisco based company has to deal with delivery driver shortage.
The pickup delivery gives you the option to get your food quicker on your own without having to wait for the app to find a driver.
💡 Pro Tip: DoorDash gift cards can also be used for the pickup orders.
Our lives are full of so much activity and tasks every day and we don’t have time to stand around waiting in line.
Today, you can pass your Doordash order online with no more waiting in long queues to place an order. You can pass your order and by the time you get to the restaurant, your order will be ready.
Doordash drivers must always follow the food safety guidelines. These guidelines include the use of insulated bags and other gears to keep your food warm or cold. However, occasionally, your food packages can get damaged in transit between the restaurant and your delivery address. By picking up your food yourself, you minimize any potential breakages and can keep your food at the temperature you wish.
Additionally, checking the order at the pick up and avoiding missing items is a Dasher responsibility. However, mistakes happen and this is a really unpleasant situation for the customer because Doordash will not fully refund your order if an item is missing.
Even the most experienced Dashers can sometimes make a mistake in an order. The pickup will give you the chance to visually check the order and confirm everything is ok with it before driving away. Lesser mistakes and lesser problems.
So, if you have an issue you pick up food from a restaurant, for example a missing or incorrect item, or you do not even need to report the problem to Doordash. The Merchant can provide a refund for your purchase directly from there.
The pickup is advantageous for both: the restaurant and the customer.
And, as we mentioned earlier, both will save on Doordash fees. The typical commission rate for restaurant sales starts at about 20% and it is lower for pickup orders.
For the customers, one of the greatest advantages is that there is no order minimum amount for Doordash pickup so, you will never pay a small cart fee.
By using the order platform, you can choose your preferred payment method and can even pay with Paypal. There are various payment methods available.
Related Article: Uber Eats pickup
Completing and picking up your order is not that complicated.
However, the process can be different from restaurant to restaurant. Some fast foods allow you to choose between:
To improve the customer experience and ensure safety and rapid pickups, some restaurants like Habit Burgers have a pick-up spot. Pick-up spots are designated specifically to customers who have already placed their order and are easy to find because of a distinct mark or sign.
To keep up with the customers' demands, other restaurants developed new technologies.
Panera, for example, implemented curbside pickup in record time.
People ordering food using the Panera app can take advantage of the new geofencing-enabled curbside pickup technology.
Related Article: How to Get Free Food On DoorDash
There is no minimum wage for independent contractors. Leaving a tip and understanding the right tip amount is essential and we suggest you consult our complete guide to DoorDash tip.
So, how much to tip for pick up food? First of all, for the take away orders, you do not have to. However, tips are really appreciated, especially if you enjoyed the service that was provided.
👀 Related Article: Do You Need to Tip for Pizza Pick up
Sometimes, the delivery option is not available on the app. If you get this error message, it doesn’t just mean that there is a driver shortage. Doordash offers incentives to couriers for working during the busiest times.
Most of the time, if you get this kind of message, it means that there are some app outages. We suggest you consult our guide to Downdetector.
Yes. If you have a valid DoorDash promo code, you may enter it before checking out. Sometimes Doordash offers customers the opportunity to save money using the pickup service. More ways to save using the app include:
Related Article: Can I Order DoorDash to Someone Else
Now you know that you can pick up your own DoorDash order. You can save money on Doordash costs and enjoy even more value with discounts on items you pick up in store. Finally, the pickup option allows you to collect your order according to your timescale, therefore avoiding a late delivery.
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