How Does DoorDash Pickup Work For Customers?

Have you heard about the pickup option offered by DoorDash and need to know more details about how to best use it the next time you place an order?

DoorDash Pickup is a service that allows customers to order their food from the food delivery app and pick it up at the designated restaurant.

If you’re not sure how DoorDash Pickup works for you as a customer, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we’ll cover the pickup option from DoorDash, how it works, its benefits, and the costs involved to use it.

Does DoorDash Offer a Pickup Option?

Yes, DoorDash offers a pickup option for customers.

Using this option is excellent when you don’t need your meal delivered to you.

It allows you to pick up your food from the restaurant of your choice when doing so is your most convenient option.

The service is available in select cities and from select restaurants only, so make sure to check if your city or preferred restaurant offers it before you place an order.

How Does DoorDash Pickup Work?

As with most food delivery app services, there’s more to know about pickup orders from the DoorDash app than meets the eye.

General Pickup Overview

When you enter the pickup order screen, you first choose the restaurant where you’ll go to pick up your food.

Follow the on-screen instructions to choose your food items.

Look at your total amount, verify that you’ve selected everything that you want to order, and then finalize the order.

As soon as you finalize your pickup order, the DoorDash app sends everything over to your restaurant so its employees can put your food order together.

Use these two additional ordering tips to make sure you enjoy a quality experience with the DoorDash delivery app.

When placing an order using the DoorDash pickup option, make sure you have enough money in the account linked to the app’s payment method.  

Check with restaurants before ordering through DoorDash about their parking spaces.

You might even want to ask how long it takes them to prepare orders placed via the food service app.

Do You Have to Go Inside for DoorDash Pickup?

At some restaurants, you don’t need to go inside the restaurant for a DoorDash pickup order.

Once your food is ready and you arrive, some restaurants will give you your food either through the drive-through or they’ll take it out to you while you wait curbside.

Other restaurants will ask you to come in to pick up your order at their counter.

Does DoorDash Tell You When Your Order is Ready for Pickup?

Yes, DoorDash will notify you when your order is ready for pickup.

The app notifies you by sending a text message or a push notification to your phone as soon as the restaurant gets your food together and it’s time for you to head out to grab your grub.

Make sure to turn on the customer tracking option inside the DoorDash app so that the app can send you those notifications. You can also share your location with the restaurants themselves.

Turning this feature on gives the restaurant a notification so its employees know you’re arriving.

Doing so will ensure that you get your food at the optimal time when it’s fresh and/or hot.

It also avoids long, frustrating waits when you arrive at the restaurant far in advance of your food being ready for you.

Several restaurants that partner with DoorDash use shelves dedicated for their pickup orders.

If the restaurant knows you’re close or pulling into their driveway, you can bet you have a good chance that your food will already sit on that DoorDash pickup shelf.

When you walk in, make sure to follow any necessary social distancing guidelines based on where you live.

Here are additional tips to make sure your pickup process with DoorDash goes smoothly.

Once you’ve chosen your restaurant and arrival time, know that DoorDash does its best to have your order ready for pickup at the correct time.

However, please note that because orders placed through DoorDash Pickup go directly to the restaurants, the app can’t always guarantee specific meal items or quantities.

In addition, not all restaurants offer curbside or pickup service.

Always check with your local restaurant ahead of time to avoid any unnecessary frustration.

When to Use DoorDash Pickup

A great time to use this option from DoorDash is when you’re out doing errands or you’re located near your favorite restaurant.

You’ll also want to consider using it during peak delivery hours or times where a long wait for a seat inside might make things extra frustrating.

In addition, pick-up orders are an excellent choice for people who tend to get overwhelmed by crowds and lines whenever they go out to eat with their families.

In other words, use the DoorDash pick-up option any time you need takeout fast and don’t have the time to eat inside.

If you pay attention to discount codes that DoorDash emails out periodically, you can save even more money whenever you pick up your next restaurant order.

Another possibility for savings is getting DashPass. Using this monthly DoorDash subscription, you can find additional promotion codes and discounts when you use DoorDash frequently.

Difference Between Curbside Pickup and DoorDash Pickup?

The pickup option applies when you get your meal by picking it up at a drive-through window or by going inside the restaurant.

Curbside pickup applies when you wait in your vehicle in the parking lot.

In this case, a restaurant employee will come out and hand your order to you.

Where is DoorDash Pickup Available?

There’s no way to know ahead of time where DoorDash Pickup is available.

It depends on your local area and which restaurant participates in the pickup feature.

Open the DoorDash app, select the Pickup option, and then look to see which restaurants will let you use the option.

How Much Does DoorDash Charge for Pickup?

The pickup feature charges different fees depending on whether you’re a customer or the restaurant.

Does DoorDash Charge Customers for Pickup?

No, you won’t pay any pickup fees to use this feature from DoorDash.

If you’re near your favorite restaurant and would like to avoid paying a delivery fee, then consider going to the restaurant to pick up your order instead.

You also don’t need to worry about any minimum order amounts on pickup orders.

You can order any size for pickup without getting charged a small cart fee.

Does DoorDash Charge Restaurants for Pickup?

DoorDash does charge the restaurant a pickup percentage in addition to a monthly commission fee.

Usually, DoorDash charges restaurants 20% on deliveries.

For pickup orders, the restaurants only get charged a 15% fee by the DoorDash app.

DoorDash Pickup Promotions

At various times, DoorDash offers special promotions on pickup orders.

Look for its email sends or push notifications about these promos so you can save as much as possible on your next order.

Using the aforementioned DashPass monthly subscription will also help save money if you use DoorDash consistently each month.

For $9.99 per month, you can get additional membership promos and discounts.

Sometimes, these will save you anywhere from 10% to 20% more on your pickup orders.

Another way to save is to use a credit card that gives you cash back on restaurants.

Using promos from the app along with credit card offers can help you save the maximum amount the next time you drive in for a restaurant pickup order.

Keep in mind that you can’t use restaurant gift cards on DoorDash.

How to Select DoorDash Pickup

To select the DoorDash Pickup feature, open the app, select the restaurant you want to order from, and then look for the Pickup option.

Keep in mind that this feature isn’t available for all restaurants.

Place all the items you want into your cart and then select the check-out option.

You won’t pay any fees and the app tells you exactly when you should leave for the restaurant.

When you get there, park in the designated spot and let the restaurant know you’ve arrived.

They’ll bring your order out to you.

Tipping on DoorDash Pickup Orders

Let’s review how the tipping process works when using the DoorDash Pickup option.

Should You Tip on DoorDash Pickup Orders?

It’s completely up to you regarding your decision to tip when picking up food orders on the DoorDash delivery app.

Of course, it’s best practice to leave a tip whenever you’re on the receiving end of the service industry.

Base your decision to tip on the level of service received by your restaurant.

Consider that the restaurant gets charged a percentage by DoorDash that it wouldn’t pay if you walked into the restaurant on your own.

If you tip, it helps the restaurant recoup some of the money charged by DoorDash.

Remember, you aren’t paying any fees to DoorDash for this feature like you would when using its delivery option.

Knowing this might make it easier for you to leave a little extra for the restaurant that’s providing you with a quality eating experience.

How Much Should You Tip?

There’s no set amount for how much customers should tip on DoorDash.

Most people tip somewhere between 10% and 25% when eating at a restaurant.

You can use this same percentage range when you tip on a DoorDash Pickup order.

Open up the app after picking up the order, and based on your level of service, tap on the tipping option to leave your chosen percentage amount.

The app charges the tip amount to your credit card in the same way it charges your food order to the card.

If you happen to have cash on you, you can also decide to tip in cash.

Deciding to tip and the amount you tip is 100% your own decision.

Who Gets the Tip?

The restaurant gets 100% of the tip you leave on the app or in cash.

You should know that neither DoorDash nor the restaurant knows if you leave a tip before completing your order.

You won’t receive a negative experience if you choose not to tip the restaurant for any reason.

Troubleshooting: Common Errors

Although the pickup feature from DoorDash is a great option to use, it’s possible to sometimes experience frustrations along the way.

It’s a normal part of the process.

Nothing in life goes perfectly all of the time.

DoorDash orders aren’t any different.

Why is my DoorDash Pickup Taking so Long?

The restaurant is probably experiencing a rush of orders during times when your order gets delayed.

Remember that other food apps feed into restaurants on top of orders flowing in through the DoorDash app.

People are most likely flooding the restaurant with orders from UberEats or Postmates, for example.

On top of that, the restaurant probably has customers walking in and ordering inside the establishment.

Always consider the time of day when your pickup order gets delayed.

If you placed your order during a dinner rush time, for instance, you’ll need to exercise a little patience until your order becomes available to you.

Why is DoorDash Only Pickup Right Now?

A couple of reasons can sometimes cause DoorDash to offer only the pickup feature.

If a driver shortage exists, then the app might not find a driver available to deliver your food order to your house or place of business.

DoorDash incentivizes its drivers to deliver during each day’s busy times.

That means you could find a Dasher shortage even during non-busy times because there are fewer drivers out on the road.

Or, you might see DoorDash Pickup as the only option during busy times because all available Dashers are out delivering for someone else.

The second reason you might have trouble with delivery is when the DoorDash app experiences simple app outages.

You’ll need to wait until the outage gets fixed by the DoorDash tech team.

DoorDash Pickup

What do you think about the DoorDash Pickup feature?

It’s a convenient way to pick up your food when you’re close to a restaurant or can’t find a Dasher to help you.

Open up your DoorDash app now and give it a try.