DoorDash Catering Is Broken… Here’s Why Drivers Are Struggling

The DoorDash Catering Program is supposed to be one of the top-tier perks for Platinum drivers… but for some drivers, it’s actually creating more problems than profit.

Now, I haven’t personally worked inside this program — but based on past DoorDash systems like Drive and what drivers are reporting, there are some clear patterns here.

So in this video, We are talking about:

• Why this person believes the Doordash Catering Program is confusing

• What they are saying vs How it ACTUALLY is

• Everything in between!

Disclaimer: The content of this video does not contain and is never intended to be legal, business, financial, tax, or health advice of any kind. This video is for entertainment, educational, and informational purposes only. It is advised that you conduct your own research and consult with qualified professionals before applying anything you find online.

I also want to be clear that everything we are going to go over is very market dependent, and what applies to me and my market may not apply to you.

I also want to be clear that regardless of what I say in this video, I am by no means discrediting what this person is saying. There are anomalies and challenges with every piece of technology and that never is to say that their pain doesn’t exist and their experience is incorrect. 

DrivenWyld/YouTube

The Email

I recently received an email from one of my subscribers, Leon Bowes — thank you so much for emailing me about this and making this post possible, because this highlights some real issues with the program. Let’s take a look.

Hi

This program is very confusing.  

The first time I accepted a catering offer, the offer was scheduled for an 11:15am pick up the next day. I schedule every day 7:30am to 2:00pm. The next morning, I was not allowed to start my dash at 7:30am.  I had to cancel the cater before I could dash.

So one of the critiques that I gave both Doordash Drive and their new catering program is that combining this with DoorDash’s existing scheduling system creates conflicts that can actually cost you money. 

Which is why you need to adjust your scheduled blocks around the catering order blocks so that you don’t force yourself to lose money for a single order. 

A large order only makes sense if it actually increases your profit — not if it forces you to give up an entire earning block. Just think of how much money he could have made in that scheduled block before he had to release it.

One day, I received a NICE catering offer during a normal dash.  Tried to accept it but kept getting a message I was already dashing.  By the time I ended my current dash, it was gone.

This is a major problem — because it means the system is actively preventing you from taking better-paying opportunities.

One of the best parts of the old system was that catering orders were still part of the main delivery pool after it was not accepted via the scheduling system.

So you didn’t have to jump through extra scheduling hoops just to access them because it would just make its way over there after a while.

And if you were part of the program, you had priority to accept it before it went to anyone else.

However, based on that description that either is no longer possible or that was only available in the scheduled order tab or something and there once again was overlap. And if that’s how it works, then in some cases this system may actually be worse than the old Drive program.

At least if you were on Doordash Drive back in the day, you can still receive them in the overall Doordash delivery pool, but in this case it sounds like they are just not worth it. 

The only offers so far have been $8 + $3 setup.  Two were short mileage so I sat in the store parking lot and was offered both and ended up with NO tip.  I have always been Top or Platinum but don't get any good catering anymore and I was invited into the current program.

Leon Bowes

Now I know that pay might not sound great — but context matters. 

I know of a lot of companies that not only offer less than that as a base rate, but there have been ongoing concerns in the industry about how tips are handled across different platforms.

Jackrabbit Deliveries threatened to do that to me at one point to me specifically and I spoke about them to the ezCater specifically. 

Many members of the RMDA including Jeff Lago, Heather Rideaux, Tanner Baughman, Kevin Polk and Paul Birrell stonewalled my attempts to find members of their non-profit organization who were stealing tips from their drivers for ezCater deliveries, and this becoming more of a widespread issue. 

That said, the full story is for a different day. 

The point is that it may seem lower than most, and it doesn’t justify the customer not tipping and other platforms for stealing them, but nevertheless is better from a baseline perspective. 

The Problem with Platinum

As I have made it evident already, and as you have experienced, being a Platinum driver can be expensive — because you may end up taking low-paying orders just to maintain the status. 

You just said it yourself that you had to cancel an entire block to take this order. How much could you have made during that block? 

How many crap orders did you have to take just to be eligible to receive those orders?

I understand the idea of making more per order — but that doesn’t always mean you’re making more money overall.

Catering Specific Companies

And this is where drivers need to think bigger — because DoorDash isn’t the only way to access catering orders.

First and foremost, there are some more well known catering companies such as DeliverThat, Dlivrd/Expedite, Skipcart, Zifty etc that offer catering opportunities all the time. 

Then there are the other companies that are within the RMDA. I know of a bunch, but each of them have their own markets so make sure you do your research as well to see which companies are accepting new drivers.

Also, regardless of whomever you partner with, especially if you are working with a company that sends you ezCater orders, it is vital that you make sure that you are receiving the full amount you are supposed to. 

It has been a growing concern that companies have been scraping gratuities from ezCater orders. Especially since their only verification and auditing system available is quarterly spot checks that aren’t very effective.

DoorDash has stated — even in pilot program discussions with drivers — that tips from ezCater orders may be pooled. But if ezCater requires 100% of tips to go to the driver, then something in that system doesn’t add up.

Which is why I made the ezCater tip verification form where participating companies would verify which apps are giving you the full amount or which ones were trying to keep some for themselves. 

This tool is available on my website and is free to use, the link is in the description feel free to check that out!

Regardless, it is important to not keep all of your financial eggs in one basket by being too dependent on one platform. 

Final Thoughts

Based on everything we’re seeing so far, it’s hard to see how this system improves things for drivers long-term.

It seems to be even clunkier than before and I can’t tell if that is intentional or by some contractual obligation.

Doordash also seems to have higher expectations for people to receive more orders that are worth it since they put this program behind the acceptance rate wall that is “Dasher Rewards”.

At this point, drivers should seriously consider whether chasing this program is worth it — or if their time is better spent on more consistent income sources.

Remember, no one is going to look out for you better than you are. 

If you would like to add some other perspective to the Doordash Catering Program, feel free to email me: drivenwyld@gmail.com and who knows? Maybe your email or perspective and be featured in a post as well!