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DoorDash from Application to IPO

blog.ycombinator.com

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Re: DoorDash from Application to IPO

#121

Post by fataliss »

sxg wrote: post #15

As a customer, DoorDash is just consistently a terrible experience. I have the DashPass, which was advertised as free delivery for many restaurants. Turns out it only works if you spend $12, and even then sometimes it doesn’t apply. If you check prices between the app and the actual restaurants’ websites, there’s often an extra $2-3 added on for each item on DoorDash (I don’t blame the restaurants). When it’s all sai…

Can't wait for more reasonable platforms to take over. I'd rather have some clarity and honesty than a stack of sneaky fee and not knowing who gets paid what. I have been pretty much only doing pick up orders (from the restaurant's site) since the whole tip stealing debacle. I know that some people would like jobs in the delivery space for flexibility and extra income but it seems too dishonest of a space for me to caution. Just my feeling tho, plenty of no-car downtown life friends who order and that's their choice :).

Re: DoorDash from Application to IPO

#122

Post by twelfthnight »

strictnein wrote: post #21

Another example of tech "disruption", which typically just means siphoning money from an established system and adding little in return.

Agreed. This is everything wrong with the tech industry. This company isn't profitable, so this IPO is effectively a way for the shareholders to offload their bad stock to the public [0]. And if that's not bad enough, the company itself is using dubious tactics [1] which in the short run appeal to customers but in the long run may drive many restaurants out of business [2].

[0] https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2020/12/08/do...

[1] https://www.saddlebackbbq.com/how-google-doordash-grubhub-co...

[2] https://laist.com/2020/08/10/why_so_many_restaurants_hate_fo...

Re: DoorDash from Application to IPO

#123

Post by cortesoft »

sxg wrote: post #15

As a customer, DoorDash is just consistently a terrible experience. I have the DashPass, which was advertised as free delivery for many restaurants. Turns out it only works if you spend $12, and even then sometimes it doesn’t apply. If you check prices between the app and the actual restaurants’ websites, there’s often an extra $2-3 added on for each item on DoorDash (I don’t blame the restaurants). When it’s all sai…

Weird.... I love the door dash experience... my best delivery experience by far.

I order like 2-3 times a week right now. Sure, the prices might be a little higher, but the ease of use is worth it for me. I love being able to know when the delivery person is getting near. I love being able to do one button re-ordering.

Re: DoorDash from Application to IPO

#124

Post by cellularmitosis »

sxg wrote: post #15

As a customer, DoorDash is just consistently a terrible experience. I have the DashPass, which was advertised as free delivery for many restaurants. Turns out it only works if you spend $12, and even then sometimes it doesn’t apply. If you check prices between the app and the actual restaurants’ websites, there’s often an extra $2-3 added on for each item on DoorDash (I don’t blame the restaurants). When it’s all sai…

I don't see it mentioned in the comments thus far, but the Papa John's near me (Austin) appears to have farmed out its delivery completely to DoorDash.

Aside from significantly worse service (my last pizza was over 20 minutes late and barely lukewarm), they have also made zero effort to "white box" DoorDash under the Papa John's brand, which makes for a very confusing customer experience ("Hi this is John, I have your DoorDash order", "Huh? I didn't order anything from DoorDash...").

I'm also surprised that this move apparently made financial sense.

Re: DoorDash from Application to IPO

#126

Post by valentinemsmith »

koolba wrote: post #100

I just don't get it. Who's buying this stock and why do they think that a company that is not profitable during a pandemic, with people locked in their homes and in-person dining outlawed, is going to be worth billions of dollars? There's no loyalty in food delivery. Everybody is chasing the same promos. There's no moat. Just VC funded revenue.

DoorDash doesn’t intend to be a “food delivery company”. Listen to their CEO in interviews. His catch phrase is that if you solve food delivery, you solve some of the most challenging aspects of last-mile logistics.

I expect they will transition away from food and into other verticals soon.

Re: DoorDash from Application to IPO

#127

Post by wbobeirne »

fataliss wrote: post #121
sxg wrote: post #15

As a customer, DoorDash is just consistently a terrible experience. I have the DashPass, which was advertised as free delivery for many restaurants. Turns out it only works if you spend $12, and even then sometimes it doesn’t apply. If you check prices between the app and the actual restaurants’ websites, there’s often an extra $2-3 added on for each item on DoorDash (I don’t blame the restaurants). When it’s all sai…

Can't wait for more reasonable platforms to take over. I'd rather have some clarity and honesty than a stack of sneaky fee and not knowing who gets paid what. I have been pretty much only doing pick up orders (from the restaurant's site) since the whole tip stealing debacle. I know that some people would like jobs in the delivery space for flexibility and extra income but it seems too dishonest of a space for me to c…

I'm not sure I expect much to change. There's an insane amount of competition in this space, and they all seem to fall prey to the same dark patterns and mediocre execution. I'm starting to question whether any company can successfully squeeze into the already extremely tight margins that restaurants operate in without increasing the cost to the consumer in some way.

Re: DoorDash from Application to IPO

#128

Post by balls187 »

sxg wrote: post #15

As a customer, DoorDash is just consistently a terrible experience. I have the DashPass, which was advertised as free delivery for many restaurants. Turns out it only works if you spend $12, and even then sometimes it doesn’t apply. If you check prices between the app and the actual restaurants’ websites, there’s often an extra $2-3 added on for each item on DoorDash (I don’t blame the restaurants). When it’s all sai…

> When it’s all said and done, a basic $10 meal ends up being $20+ through DoorDash after the upcharged food items, delivery fee, service fee, and tip.

If said restaurant paid a standard of living wage that $10 meal would probably be closer to $25.

I'm not necessarily a fan of DoorDash's business practices, but I don't fault them for extracting money that restaurants have left on the table.

Re: DoorDash from Application to IPO

#129

Post by Alex3917 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #52
outworlder wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Yet another dishonest and poorly functioning company. So, a company?

No. A dishonest company. Many companies are dishonest; perhaps most have to compromise on some smaller or larger things - but let's not forget that it's possible, if hard, to have a honest business. What we need is to beat the market into a shape in which it structurally promotes firms that have integrity.

> let's not forget that it's possible, if hard, to have a honest business.

I'm not convinced this is true in all industries. E.g. if you're a waste management company, how are you supposed to win deals on price if you have a competitors who are illegally dumping garbage into the ocean?

Re: DoorDash from Application to IPO

#130

Post by nrmitchi »

ajmadesc wrote: post #118
uptown wrote: post #57

"... a delivery courier’s income, which ranges from $300 to $800 a week for those who work 12-hour days, seven days a week." https://www.thecity.nyc/work/2020/12/6/22157730/nyc-food-del...

Yeah but with all that cycling they won't need to visit the doctor anytime soon so they save a lot of money not paying for health insurance. /s

I know that this was a joke, but physically healthy people should definitely still be visiting their doctor on a somewhat regular basis too.
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