• What is DoorDash?
• Facts about DoorDash
• The successful timeline
• Salient features of DoorDash model
• DoorDash’s 3 customer segments
• Value Propositions offered by DoorDash
• The 4 Step Model – How DoorDash Works
• DoorDash Business Model Canvas
• Revenue Generation Model – How Doordash Makes Money
• The Future

What is DoorDash

The DoorDash model works as an On-Demand logistics based startup, that acts as an intermediary between merchants and the prospective buyers who wish to get products from local merchants delivered at their doorstep. Founded in 2013, currently, DoorDash is only working on food delivery.

The business model of DoorDash is designed to benefit users as well as restaurants. It enables users to find a restaurant and order food on one hand and on the other DoorDash gives restaurants access to an extended customer base. Doordash offers people other benefits like employment for delivering food. Since its foundation, they have managed to raise decent funding from investors and has tied up with many popular restaurant chains in major cities of the USA.

Some Facts about DoorDash

• Founders: Andy Fang, Stanley Tang, Evan Moore & Tony Xu
• Year of Foundation: 2013
• Headquarters: San Francisco
• Funding: $2.5B (As on July, 2021)
• Valuation: $16B (As on July, 2021)
• DoorDash is a Y Combinator-backed company.

The Successful Timeline

Salient Features of DoorDash Model

• DoorDash hires its own drivers who are called Dashers.
• Delivery fee charges per order are $5 to $8 for the customer.
• The commission for the company is close to 20% (covered by the restaurants).
• It operates in over 20 markets across U.S. and Canada.
• The Dashers working for DoorDash make more than $600 within a calendar year in the U.S.

DoorDash’s 3 Customer Segments

DoorDash acts as an integrator between restaurants and users who want to order food online. It also provides employment to people who are looking for a full-time/part-time job. Thus, the customer segments involved with DoorDash Business Model are:

Users:

• Foodie people with no time to go out.
• Corporates, business people who wish to treat their team without wasting time and affecting their work routine.
• People who don’t want to cook.
• College going as well as working people with no kitchen facility.

Restaurants:

• Restaurants without home delivery services.
• Food joints which do not have good sitting areas.
• Restaurants which want more customers and online branding.

Dashers:

• People who desire a delivery job with flexible timings.
• People who desire a job with good tips.

Value Propositions offered by DoorDash

DoorDash has a Y structure Business Model, which focuses on all the three sides of the food delivery business model, standing to build up co-ordination between restaurants, drivers and customers. It empowers the restaurants and customers by providing them with the facility to track the driver’s location so as to predict the time of dispatch and delivery, respectively.

With a merchant- partnership, contracts with drivers and convenient communication software, DoorDash is able to take control of the entire delivery process, which together leads to a smooth experience for everyone.

For Customers:

• Superior experience with better pricing and increased efficiency. 
• A facility to track the delivery after placing an order.
• Customer Service available 24×7.
• A straight-forward, reliable and easy to use product covering a massive number of restaurant menus just involving click and choose options.

For Restaurants:

• No tension of getting food delivered.
• Extended customer base.
• An easy, cheap and fast way of delivering orders.
• Empowerment of small restaurant owners to work at a wider platform.

For Drivers:

The question that is frequently asked is that “how much does doordash pay” – Dashers at Doordash get a flat payment for every delivery they make on a weekly basis and usually make more than $600. (in the U.S).

• A source of employment (full time as well as part-time).
• An opportunity to receive good tips from customers.

Also Read: DoorDash acquires Caviar for $410 Million

The 4 Step Model – How DoorDash Works

Most of the logistics based On-Demand startups use a similar model, but it is the minor differences involved that create a difference. If you are an entrepreneur willing to start a similar business, it is vital that you make note of these points.

• Choose order: Users choose their favourite food by pressing a button that shows up the list of restaurants with a variety of menus listed on DoorDash. Features such as search, nearby restaurants, making choices based on categories, also help the users for better sorting.
• Payment: Users make the required transactions after placing their orders online. Once the order has been received by DoorDash, it forwards it to the respective restaurant where it is prepared and packed for delivery.
• Track order: The delivery person picks up the packed food order from the respective restaurant. The in-built software used by doordash driver in their phones allows them to accept orders whenever they have downtime. DoorDash provides the facility to track the food location so as to have an estimate of the time of delivery.
• Delivery: The dashers try to make shorten the delivery period as much as is practical. The customers, although not necessarily but usually tip the dashers, the dashers get to keep 100% of the tip received.

DoorDash Business Model Canvas

Revenue Generation Model – How Doordash Makes Money

For a budding entrepreneur willing to enter into On Demand Logistics or food delivery startup, understanding the mode of Revenue Generation is of vital importance.

Doordash makes money in the following manner:

• Commission on each order: DoorDash serves by delivering from the restaurant to doorstep of customers who place food orders online through DoorDash. For the same, DoorDash charges a commission percentage out of each and every order delivered. Usually, the percentage of commission from restaurants is 20%. To learn more about DoorDash helping Restraunts, click here.
• Restaurant Advertising on DoorDash: Besides commission, they DoorDash also charges restaurants for their marketing and advertising on their App. To be on the top of the list of restaurants for a limited time, for pop up in advanced search, DoorDash charges commission.
• Delivery Fees: DoorDash hires its own drivers, who are called Dashers. The delivery rate depends upon the distance of travel and DoorDash’s tie-up with the restaurant in consideration, but on average, the DoorDash delivery fee is $5 to $8 per order.

Also Read: Food Delivery Market Is On Fire – DoorDash Receives Series G Funding Worth $600 Million

The Future

DoorDash seems to be utilizing technology as much as possible in its operations and seems to be evolving further.

It has come up with an innovative rating system for restaurants known as the “Delight” score. It is based on a 10 point rating scale and includes factors in delivery quality, restaurant popularity, and customer feedback to give an accurate estimate of how much a new customer can expect to be delighted. This score will help users choose a restaurant for their order and with time DoorDash wants to become an authoritative source in this domain. 

As of now, DoorDash is focussing only on food delivery but in the long run, it might expand to other spaces as well and give tough competition to others in the on-demand delivery industry. 

Looking out to start your own venture like DoorDash for food delivery? Try Yelo, the easiest way to kick-start your food delivery business. You can also get prebuild DoorDash clone.