DoorDash

DoorDash operates an on-demand local commerce platform that connects consumers with restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and other retailers, fulfilled by a network of independent contract couriers the company calls Dashers. Customers order through the DoorDash app or website, a Dasher collects the order from the merchant, and the order is tracked in real time until drop-off. Beyond restaurant food, the company lists grocery, convenience, retail, alcohol (in legally permissible markets, with 21+ ID verification), flowers and pet-supply categories, plus a Package Pickup service in which a Dasher takes prepaid consumer packages to carriers such as UPS, FedEx and USPS.

The company also operates first-party retail through DashMart, its own convenience and grocery store format inside the DoorDash app, and sells a consumer subscription, DashPass, which provides $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders. Product features include DoubleDash, which lets a customer add items from a second nearby store to an existing order without an additional delivery fee or order minimum, and SNAP/EBT payment acceptance for grocery delivery in certain locations. Named merchant partners across categories include Target, ALDI, Safeway, Food Lion, Meijer, ShopRite, Albertsons and Wegmans in grocery; Dollar General, 7-Eleven, CVS and Walgreens in convenience; and The Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe's, Sally Beauty, Ulta Beauty, Tractor Supply Co, Dick's Sporting Goods and Sephora in retail.

On the supply side, DoorDash recruits Dashers who set their own schedules and can deliver by car, bike, scooter or motorcycle. Dasher pay is structured as base pay (varying with estimated time, distance and desirability of an offer, or a minimum guaranteed hourly rate when earning by time), promotions such as Challenges and Peak Pay, and tips, with instant cash-out available via the DoorDash Crimson Visa debit card. Minimum age requirements vary by state (18 generally, 19 in a list of states, 21 in California). In select markets Dashers can also accept orders from Caviar.

Founding story

According to co-founder Stanley Tang, DoorDash grew out of a Stanford entrepreneurship and design class project. Tang and Andy Fang were undergraduates who met in the same freshman dorm; they met Tony Xu, then at Stanford Graduate School of Business, through class. The three shared an interest in building software for local small businesses and interviewed owners of restaurants, retailers, flower shops and furniture stores near Stanford. At a macaron store on University Avenue in Palo Alto, an owner showed them a thick booklet of canceled orders, nearly all delivery requests she lacked drivers to fulfill. Repeated conversations confirmed that small merchants saw delivery as a growth channel but had only the option of hiring their own drivers. One source states the company was started in 2013 by Tang, Xu, Andy Fang and Evan Moore, with Moore departing after 17 months.

Business model

DoorDash runs a three-sided marketplace linking merchants, consumers and independent contractor couriers. Merchants gain delivery reach without operating their own fleets, consumers pay delivery and service fees on orders, and Dashers are paid per delivery. The company also operates its own DashMart convenience/grocery stores within the app and sells a consumer subscription (DashPass).

Sources describe consumer-facing delivery fees and service fees on orders, a DashPass subscription priced at $9.99 per month or $96 per year ($8/month), and gift card sales. Fortune reports the company was on track to generate more than $13 billion in annual revenue in 2025.

Traction

Fortune reports roughly 60% U.S. restaurant delivery market share, more than $13 billion in expected 2025 annual revenue and an $85 billion market capitalization. The Dasher Android app has over 10 million downloads and a 4.6 rating from about 631,000 reviews. A separate source cites 450,000 merchants, 20 million consumers and 1 million deliverers as of December 31, 2020.

Latest developments

A December 1, 2025 Fortune profile put DoorDash's market capitalization at about $85 billion and its 2025 revenue trajectory above $13 billion, and described ongoing expansion into new retail categories and geographies. The Dasher Android listing was updated in August 2026 with minor fixes and stability improvements.