You‘re hangry, tired, and craving your favorite pad thai, so you place an order on DoorDash and kick back while awaiting your feast. An hour passes and your food still hasn‘t arrived. You check the app only to find the dreaded notification: "Your order could not be completed." Frustrated, you wonder where you went wrong and what to do next.
Unfortunately, you‘re far from alone in this predicament. According to data from Rakuten Intelligence, around 20% of DoorDash orders are ultimately cancelled, often because no driver picks them up. As a retail and consumer expert, I‘ll break down why this happens and what you can do about it.
Why Your DoorDash Order Might Get Stranded
The first thing to understand is that DoorDash delivery drivers are independent contractors, not employees. They can choose to accept or reject order requests at will. Several factors make an order more likely to be passed over:
Insufficient payout. Veteran Dasher J.D. Crayne explains, "My rule of thumb is I don‘t accept any order that pays less than $1 per mile, and I rarely take orders under $7-8 total. It‘s just not worth the time and gas." Smaller orders, deliveries to far-flung locations, and those with measly tips often fail to meet this threshold.
Busy periods. Lunch and dinner rush hours see spikes in order volume that can overwhelm the available Dashers. The most popular times to order delivery are 7:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Heightened demand means picky Dashers can be choosy about which requests they accept.
Problematic restaurants. Dashers may reject pickups from eateries known for sluggish prep times, rude staff, or chaotic takeout operations. "There‘s one BBQ joint in my area that I avoid because the orders are never ready when promised and the employees act like you‘re inconveniencing them," vents Dasher Jenna R. "It‘s not worth the headache."
Late night limitations. The odds of snagging a willing Dasher plummet after normal business hours. "Past 1:00am or so, I‘m probably one of only 4-5 Dashers still active in my whole zone," says night owl Dasher Mick S. "I can cherry-pick the highest-paying requests and let the rest bounce."
Technical snafus. Occasionally, system glitches cause orders to get lost in the ether, never actually reaching drivers‘ devices. Alternatively, the DoorDash app may crash, preventing Dashers from accepting new requests.
While some factors are beyond your control, savvy customers can employ a few tactics to boost the odds of timely delivery. More on that later—but first, let‘s examine DoorDash‘s protocol when an order goes abandonded.
The Waiting Game
Once you hit "Place Order," DoorDash transmits your request to nearby Dashers. If no one bites right away, the system re-sends the offer every few minutes. However, if a full half hour passes without any takers, DoorDash throws in the towel and cancels the order altogether.
At this point, any food the restaurant prepared gets sadly chucked in the bin. Daniel Estrada, manager of Albany‘s La Cocina Mexican Grill, laments the food waste: "We make everything fresh to order, so if a DoorDash driver never shows up, there‘s not much we can do except toss the food after 30-45 minutes. It‘s a real shame."
On the consumer side, you‘ll receive an automated notification that your order couldn‘t be completed, and DoorDash will process a full refund. That‘s great as far as damage control goes, but it doesn‘t put dinner on the table. So what are your options?
What to Do When DoorDash Lets You Down
Upon receiving the cancellation notice, you have three main courses of action:
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Cut your losses. If you‘ve lost patience or made other arrangements, simply let the refund process and seek sustenance elsewhere. Expect to see the full charge credited back to your original payment method within 5-7 business days.
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Pick up the pieces. If the restaurant still has your order, you can retrieve it yourself and get reimbursed for everything except the food cost. "We‘re usually happy to hand over unclaimed DoorDash orders to the original customer if they come in," says Estrada. "We‘d rather see the food enjoyed than wasted." Contact the restaurant to confirm, then head over and swipe "Picked Up" in the app to trigger your partial refund.
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Try, try again. If you‘re committed to delivery, you can resubmit your order and cross your fingers for better luck with a new Dasher. Consider adding a few dollars to the tip or tacking on an extra item to sweeten the deal for prospective drivers. Just steel yourself for a longer wait, as the order process starts from square one.
An Ounce of Prevention
Now that you know the stakes, let‘s talk strategy. A few simple moves on your end can keep those Dashers clamoring to pick up your order:
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Tip early, tip often. Dashers see the total payout upfront and use that intel to cherrypick the juiciest offers. Even a buck or two above the default tip can vault your order to the top of the queue. Aim for at least 15-20% of the order total to demonstrate your generosity.
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Play favorites. Build your go-to roster of tried-and-true restaurants that churn out DoorDash orders reliably. Avoid those with a track record of missing items, excessive delays, or other rookie mistakes that can sour Dashers on accepting future orders.
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Time it right. If possible, dodge the dinner rush and other peak hours when Dashers are stretched thin. Off times like mid-afternoon or late night tend to see fewer orders competing for drivers‘ attention. If you must order at crunch time, see rule #1 and tip your way to the front of the line.
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Eyes on the prize. Watch your app like a hawk in the minutes after ordering. If 10-15 minutes pass without a Dasher accepting, consider proactively canceling and reordering with a heftier tip or opting for pickup instead. A little vigilance goes a long way.
Seeking Restitution
Despite your best efforts, you may still encounter the occasional ghosted order. If you suspect foul play or experience repeat problems, contact DoorDash support to voice your concerns. The company may offer additional credits or perks to atone for the inconvenience.
Restaurants can seek remittance by contacting their DoorDash representative and providing documentation of undelivered orders. However, some fed-up operators have ditched DoorDash altogether in favor of in-house delivery or competitors like UberEats and Grubhub.
"We used to do maybe 30% of our sales through DoorDash, but the abandoned delivery issue got so bad that we dropped them," relates Estrada. "Between the food waste, lost revenue, and angry calls from customers, it just wasn‘t worth the hassle anymore."
Glimpsing the Future
As ghost orders continue to haunt restaurants and hungry customers, the pressure is on for delivery platforms to dream up solutions. More sophisticated algorithms could better match orders to drivers‘ locations and preferences. Incentive programs for Dashers who maintain high acceptance and completion rates could improve reliability.
Some industry insiders predict a shift toward the "dark kitchen" model, where food prep and delivery are vertically integrated and streamlined under one roof. Others foresee an uptick in subscription-based services like DoorDash‘s DashPass, which waive delivery fees in exchange for a flat monthly rate and may compel members to tip more generously.
In the meantime, consumers‘ best defense is a good offense. By optimizing your orders for maximum Dasher appeal and monitoring them closely, you can avoid most lapses and snags. When issues do arise, hold DoorDash accountable and consider exploring alternative delivery options if the relationship stops bearing fruit.
Key Takeaways
Undelivered DoorDash orders are an all-too-common headache for hungry customers and restaurants alike. By understanding the factors that cause Dashers to reject orders, you can take proactive steps to make your delivery requests more alluring and limit your chances of abandonment.
If your DoorDash order does slip through the cracks, stay calm and evaluate your options. Whether you opt for a refund, self-pickup, or the reorder route, you have paths to recourse and DoorDash should make reasonable amends.
In the bigger picture, the quandaries of ghost orders and overtaxed Dashers speak to the growing pains of a booming but volatile food delivery economy. As the major players jockey for market share and tinker with their business models, diners and restaurateurs must adapt and advocate for themselves.
With a little foresight, open communication, and an appetite for experimentation, you can make the delivery game work for you. Don‘t let a few bumps in the road spoil your relationship with your favorite foods and eateries. Get strategic, stand your ground, and keep on nomming.
