Over the past few years, DoorDash has taken eating restaurant food at home to a new level.

You no longer have to go to a restaurant or fast food chain to pick up dinner; you can pay someone to go to the restaurant, grab your food, and drop it off at your door all with the push of a button.

It’s convenient (if not a little pricey) and millions of people use DoorDash every single day.

On the other hand, DoorDashing has also become a great gig for drivers.

It’s a relatively simple task to complete and an easy way to make some extra money.

Some drivers even do DoorDash full-time!

But how safe is DoorDashing?

Consumers are trusting their drivers with their food, and drivers often have to visit areas and homes they are unfamiliar with.

With so many people relying on DoorDash for their meals, it seems like a pretty safe choice.

However, there are always precautions that both drivers and consumers should take when ordering from and driving for DoorDash.

Let’s dive into the pros and cons of DoorDash and see if DoorDash is safe for consumers and drivers.

Is DoorDash Safe for Customers?

Overall, DoorDash is a very safe choice for food delivery.

DoorDash has food safety requirements and protects your contact info and credit card details.

Food Safety Requirements

According to DoorDash, all Dashers must use an insulated hot bag when delivering food to keep it fresh and prevent it from going bad.

Dashers are forbidden from opening any food bags and tampering with the food.

They also must keep their hot bag clean at all times.

Contact Info Safety

While DoorDash must collect certain contact information such as your name, phone number, address, and email address, they do not keep your information stored once your order is complete.

Card Details Safety

DoorDash collects information such as your bank, payment methods, and other financial information.

Their payment process system processes your payment to complete the cost of your food plus the cost of your food and tip.

However, the information they receive is limited so they cannot use your card or any other financial information.

Is it Safe to Order Drinks from DoorDash?

It is relatively safe to order drinks from DoorDash.

The chances of your driver tampering with your drink are slim, but if you want to air on the side of caution, do not order drinks.

It is easier to hide that you’ve tampered with a drink than an opened bag or box of food.

If your driver is caught tampering with your drink, they will be immediately fired from DoorDash, so the risk of tampering or stealing a beverage is not worth it for most drivers.

Reasons Why DoorDash is Safe

DoorDash is a reputable company with very few incidents of food tampering or complaints.

This is because they put certain policies and rules in place for their drivers as they deliver food.

They Are Competing

DoorDash has to compete with many other delivery services such as restaurants’ in-house delivery systems, Uber Eats, and more.

For this reason, they want to stand out when it comes to service, professionalism, and safety and take extra strides to be the best.

They Use Hot Bags

The hot bags help keep the delivery food fresh and hot before each delivery.

Consumers do not need to worry about food sitting out or going bad thanks to the DoorDash hot bags.

They Don’t Open Food Containers

DoorDash drivers are forbidden from opening food or drink containers.

This not only helps keep the food fresh but prevents Dashers from tampering with the food.

Food is Left Outside Door

Consumers can opt to leave their delivery food on their doorstep rather than have the Dasher ring the doorbell and hand it to them.

This increases safety through limited interaction between strangers.

In almost all circumstances it is perfectly safe to greet your dasher at the door, but it’s always good to take extra precautions when it comes to personal safety.

DoorDash Scams

DoorDash scams are unfortunately more common than you’d think.

Most of them don’t involve the company itself, but rather third-party hackers.

Hackers are known to mine data and participate in phishing scams to gather your personal information and steal your identity and money.

You can prevent DoorDash scams by frequently changing your password and not storing your credit card information in the DoorDash app.

If you think you’ve been a victim of a DoorDash scam, immediately call your bank and cancel the card connected to your account.

You can also contact the IRS for assistance if you get your identity stolen.

Smishing Scams

If you receive a text from DoorDash asking for your information or any confirmation, you should ignore it.

DoorDash will not text you unless you sign up for text updates about your order, and they will never ask for your personal information.

This is known as a smishing scam; third parties who contact you via text pretending to be a reputable company.

Delivery Scams

Delivery scams usually come down to theft.

Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about these types of scams because either your driver stole your order or someone stole your order from the restaurant.

All you can do in this situation is contact DoorDash support to report the theft.

Cyber Shoplifting

Cyber Shoplifting involves making a purchase on a fraudulent card and asking for a chargeback so that the thief can pocket the chargeback money.

Data Hacks

There is also your basic data hacker to worry about as well.

Again, the best thing you can do to protect your information is to frequently change your password and not store your credit card information in the DoorDash app.

Is DoorDash Safe for Drivers?

DoorDash is generally a safe driving job, but there are always risks that come with being a delivery driver.

Doordash has policies in place to help drivers feel as safe and comfortable as possible.

DoorDash Safety Policies

Most of DoorDash’s current safety policies relate to the COVID-19 pandemic.

They require drivers in certain states to comply with city COVID-19 mandates and policies, including:

• Social distancing
• Wearing a mask
• Not DoorDashing if you have a fever, sore throat, cough, or other symptoms of COVID-19

How Does DoorDash Protect its Employees?

DoorDash recently implemented a new safety policy called SafeDash.

It is an in-app feature that allows drivers to call 911 through the app or text someone for help.

Tips for DoorDash Safety

There are several ways to keep yourself safe as a DoorDash driver. They include:

Avoid Dangerous Neighborhoods

Look on a map of your city to see where the crime rates are highest.

Avoid taking orders in neighborhoods and restaurants with a high crime rate.

Lock Your Car Doors

This tip might seem like a no-brainer, but be sure to keep your car locked when you leave it.

This includes picking up orders from a restaurant and dropping them off at the doorstep.

Only Approach Open Restaurants

If a restaurant appears closed, do not attempt to go inside.

Instead, report the discrepancy to your customer and DoorDash.

Keep a Knife or Pepper Spray on You

In emergencies, you should keep a weapon on you, preferably something lightweight.

Keep a knife in your pocket or attach pepper spray or an emergency alarm to your keychain.

Don’t Deliver at Night if You Feel Unsafe

Dashing at night is riskier than delivering during the day, so avoid going at night if possible.

If you decide to Dash at night, keep a weapon on you while you Dash and stay aware of your surroundings.

Use SafeDash

As we mentioned above, DoorDash rolled out a new app called SafeDash that allows drivers to call 911 through the app.

If you ever feel threatened or unsafe while you deliver food, use the SafeDash feature of the app to call 911 right away.

Realities of Being a Dasher

DoorDashing is a great way to make some extra income, but it’s not without its downsides.

Before becoming a Dasher, you should be aware of the following facts:

You Work a Lot

If you want to make a liveable wage with DoorDash, you will have to make food deliveries for most of the day.

This task involves lots of driving, getting out of your car, carrying food, and completing repetitive tasks.

Sometimes You Have to Wait Around for Food

Waiting at the restaurant for your order can be stressful if you are in a time crunch.

You will need strong time management skills, but sometimes the timing of your order is out of your control and causes your customers to become impatient.

Plus, waiting at a restaurant for an order for an extended period is boring.

Some Incentives and Bonuses Aren’t Realistic

DoorDash periodically offers incentives and bonuses for drivers who complete a certain number of orders.

While these incentives sound nice, they aren’t always accurate or realistic.

Sometimes the incentives are impossible to meet or will take a long time to complete.

You Are Independent to an Extent

Yes, you will spend most of your day by yourself listening to music or podcasts.

This element is one of the best perks of the job.

However, you are not independent as a DoorDash driver because you are dependent on other people’s schedules.

Plus if there are not a lot of orders coming in, you will have nothing to do until the app gets busy again.

Wrapping Up

Overall, using DoorDash can be a rewarding experience for both the customer and the driver.

This experience is heightened when both parties follow protocol for health and safety and approach the transaction with realistic expectations.