In today‘s on-demand world, consumers have come to expect 24/7 access to just about everything, from streaming movies to online shopping to rides on command. Food delivery is no exception, with leading apps like DoorDash touting the ability to order from your favorite restaurants anytime, day or night.
But is DoorDash actually available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, no matter where you live or what you‘re craving? How likely are you to find an open restaurant and available Dasher to deliver your pad thai or pizza at 3AM? As a retail and consumer expert, I dug into the data and realities of DoorDash‘s 24/7 model to find out.
DoorDash and the Rise of Anytime Eating
There‘s no question that food delivery apps have seen explosive growth in recent years. As of 2022, over 60% of US consumers have ordered from a third-party delivery service like DoorDash, according to research from Zion & Zion. Younger generations are leading the charge, with nearly 80% of Millennials having used a food delivery app.
Caption: Percentage of each generation that has ordered from a food delivery app. Source: Zion & Zion, 2022
But it‘s not just dinner that people are outsourcing to apps. Late night snacking is an increasingly popular occasion for firing up DoorDash, especially among college students and young professionals. A whopping 45% of Millennial consumers say they have ordered food delivery between 10pm and 5am, based on a survey by Zion & Zion.
So what exactly are people craving in the wee hours? Pizza reigns supreme as the top late night DoorDash order, followed by burgers, wings, and tacos. These indulgent comfort foods align with the psychology behind many nocturnal food delivery orders:
- Convenience for those burning the midnight oil at work or play
- Stress relief after a long day when cooking feels impossible
- Lack of other options when grocery stores and restaurants have closed
- Impaired judgment thanks to late nights out drinking
- Sheer gluttony because there are no rules in the dark
"After a night out, when inhibitions are lowered and laziness kicks in, many people turn to delivery apps like DoorDash for easy, comforting food without having to move," explains consumer psychologist Dr. Vanessa Rodriguez. "There‘s built-in permission to make less healthy choices because it‘s late and they feel they‘ve earned an indulgence."
The Logistics of 24/7 Food Delivery
Permission to indulge aside, just because you‘re craving donuts at midnight doesn‘t necessarily mean you can get them delivered. DoorDash may be available 24/7/365 in theory, but three key things need to align for that 3AM chalupa to become a reality:
-
24-hour restaurant supply – DoorDash can only deliver what restaurants are cooking. For 24/7 delivery to work, an area needs a critical mass of restaurants operating overnight, not just for late night bar crowds but into the wee hours of the morning. This tends to be more common in dense urban areas than suburban or rural markets.
-
Sufficient late night order volume – Staying open 24/7 only makes sense for restaurants if there are enough hungry night owls to make it profitable. According to Grubhub, late night orders spike dramatically between 10pm and 2am, suggesting there is demand in the immediate post-bar hours. But the yawning gap between last call and breakfast can be hard to fill in smaller markets.
-
Available overnight Dashers – Of course, none of those 3AM taco orders will make it to customers‘ doors without delivery people out driving. DoorDash depends on its fleet of independent contractor Dashers to keep the midnight oil burning and the chalupas coming. But with lower volume and higher safety risks, there tend to be fewer Dashers working extreme graveyard shifts.
So while 24/7 delivery is achievable under the right circumstances, it heavily depends on population density, local culture, and dashers‘ appetite for moonlighting.
"Outside of big city centers that never really sleep, demand and supply for overnight delivery usually thins out dramatically," says Dr. David Orton, professor of logistics and supply chain management. "The exceptions are places with large university populations or concentrations of overnight shift workers looking for fourth meal options."
Even in markets that seem ideal for 24/7 service, late night deliveries often come with extra friction for customers. Delivery times tend to be longer due to understaffed restaurants and fewer available Dashers. Surge pricing is more common overnight, inflating service fees and menu prices. And some orders may be cancelled altogether if no Dasher picks them up.
"Frankly, it can be hard to incentivize dashers to pull all-nighters delivering food when order volumes and tips are lower," says Jason Mueller, a veteran delivery courier and gig economy blogger. "When I worked overnight shifts, I often had to be very selective about which orders I accepted to make it worth my time and gas."
The Overnight Impact of 24/7 Delivery
Beyond the impact on your ability to satisfy a 2AM Big Mac attack, the rise of 24/7 food delivery has ripple effects on restaurants, workers, and communities.
For restaurants, partnering with DoorDash to offer overnight delivery provides a new revenue stream to boost sales during traditionally slow periods. This was especially vital during the pandemic, when many restaurants relied on delivery and takeout to stay afloat amind lockdowns. However, the benefits must outweigh the costs of staying open, paying overnight staff, and managing a dark kitchen operation.
"Being able to capture those late night delivery orders absolutely helped keep us in business over the past few years," says Sarah Davis, owner of a 24-hour diner in Chicago. "But it‘s a delicate balance. We had to experiment with limited overnight menus and staff schedules to make the unit economics work without sacrificing food quality or service."
Dashers, of course, are core to powering the 24/7 delivery model. The ability to sign on and work any hours of the day or night makes dashing an appealing side hustle for night owls, insomniacs, and anyone looking to fit work around untraditional schedules. However, the safety risks and inconsistent earnings can make late night dashing a challenging gig.
"I appreciate the total flexibility to work when I want, even if that‘s 1AM some nights," says Vanessa R., a Dasher in Las Vegas. "But orders can really dry up in those early morning hours, and I feel more vulnerable out driving alone. Extra peak pay and tips help, but aren‘t always a given."
At a macro level, the normalization of 24/7 food delivery also has societal implications. On one hand, it provides vital access to prepared meals for third shift workers, caregivers, or anyone else awake at atypical hours. And it creates economic opportunity for restaurants, dashers, and local economies during historically unproductive times of day.
However, critics argue that the proliferation of anytime, anywhere convenience enabled by the gig economy carries unintended consequences:
- Enabling unhealthy late night eating patterns and "fourth meal" culture
- Environmental impact of single-use packaging and food waste with more delivery
- Increased traffic, emissions, and noise from 24/7 delivery in neighborhoods
- Labor concerns around unstable income and benefits for gig workers
- Tech-fueled 24/7 consumerism encroaching on downtime and sleep
"Having every indulgence available at your fingertips 24/7 is a double-edged sword," says Dr. Uma Naidoo, nutritional psychiatrist and author. "That midnight pint of ice cream is so tempting and easy in the moment, but can disrupt sleep, mood, and circadian rhythms in a way that leaves people worse off. Delivery apps make it almost too convenient to give in to those cravings, for better or worse."
The Future of 24/7 Food Delivery
Love it or hate it, all signs point to 24/7 food delivery being more than just a passing fad. According to research by Euromonitor, the global online food delivery market is projected to nearly double from $154 billion in 2021 to $300 billion by 2027. As the market grows and matures, you can expect to see a few key trends shape the future of round-the-clock delivery:
-
More 24-hour virtual restaurants and ghost kitchens – To meet overnight eater demand without the overhead of operating a full 24-hour restaurant, expect to see a rise in delivery-only virtual eateries optimized for specific late night cuisines and geographies.
-
Autonomous delivery to fill the gaps – When human dashers aren‘t available, robots may be the ones bringing your midnight meals. From self-driving vehicles to sidewalk drones, autonomous delivery technology could help expand the range and reliability of 24/7 ordering.
-
Dynamic demand-based pricing – To better align dasher supply and demand, platforms may lean into variable service fees and dasher incentives that respond in real-time to order volumes, weather, and driver availability. Uber-style surge pricing could become the norm for the 2AM crowd.
-
Crackdown on overnight operations – As 24/7 delivery becomes more widespread, expect increased regulation and potential restrictions on nighttime delivery operations. Some cities have already begun limiting hours and vehicle types to cut down on emissions, noise, and traffic in residential areas.
-
Shift in social norms and interactions – The more ubiquitous 24/7 delivery becomes, the more it may change fundamental rhythms of life and social connection. Just as we‘ve had to adapt etiquette for always-on smartphones, we may see new norms emerge around when and where it‘s appropriate to summon food on demand.
Of course, the most profound impact of 24/7 food delivery is on you, the hungry customer. Whether you‘re working late, feeding a pregnant craving, or battling insomnia, DoorDash stands ready to nourish you. Like any convenience, it‘s all about finding the right balance for your health, budget, and values.
"The beauty and danger of apps like DoorDash is that your favorite comfort food is always just a few taps away, even at 3AM when your defenses are down," says Dr. Naidoo. "The key is being intentional about when you let yourself indulge and coming up with other ways to respond to stress and sleeplessness. Then you can truly appreciate delivery as an occasional lifesaver rather than a nightly crutch."
So go ahead, enjoy that late night California burrito brought to your door by a hero Dasher. Just don‘t be surprised if it takes a little longer and costs a little more than your usual dinner delivery. Because while the sun may set on your favorite restaurants, the DoorDash economy never sleeps.
