How Late Does DoorDash Deliver? (2023 Guide)

Are you having a snack attack in the middle of the night?

If you’ve got the munchies, you are likely to be craving something special. However, having to head to the store of your local restaurant is likely to be a real chore. Fortunately, DoorDash delivers food and beverages right to your door. However, you need to make sure your local delivery drivers are still working before you start planning your order.

If you are wondering, ‘how late does DoorDash deliver?’, then it’s time to find out…

Typical Delivery Times

In theory, it is possible to get items delivered to your door at any time of the day or night. However, the drivers in some areas only choose to work at certain times. Outside of these, you may find that availability is low or even non-existent. 

Read more: Does USPS Deliver To Door

Food and drink

If you live in a small town, your local restaurants are likely to close at 22:00 or 23:00. In that case, more drivers are likely to stop working when the restaurants close. However, there are plenty of 24-hour restaurants and diners in large cities. In these areas, you should be able to get food brought to you any time you want.  

Groceries

Getting groceries delivered saves you from having to head to a supermarket late at night. Like restaurants, grocery stores close at different times in different parts of the country. It stands to reason that you can only order groceries when your local store is open. It is best to check on the operating hours of your local supermarket before trying to place an order. 

Factors That Affect Delivery Times

While ordering food and groceries late at night is convenient, waiting times for deliveries can be longer. The average is about 40 minutes. However, this can be much longer if it’s late at night. Here are some of the reasons you may find yourself waiting longer than average.

A high number of orders

There are certain times of the day when the number of orders is likely to rise. This includes typical lunch and dinner hours. Even though more drivers tend to work at those times, restaurants are likely to be very busy. This means that your order may be fifth or even lower in the queue.

Traffic conditions

Drivers are generally skilled at avoiding congested areas and traffic jams. However, traffic may be gridlocked at certain times, such as the main commute times. If your Doordash driver gets stuck in traffic, it will take a little longer to receive your order. 

Store and restaurant opening hours

Unless you live in a large city, the number of eateries that are open late at night may be limited. If there are only a few, each of those eateries is likely to be busy when you place your order. You need to be prepared to wait a little longer for the kitchen staff to prepare your food. 

A limited number of drivers 

DoorDash operates every day of the year, including public holidays. However, fewer drivers may be willing to work on major holidays such as Christmas Day and Thanksgiving. The high demand combined with a lower number of drivers results in longer waiting times. 

Why Some Drivers Choose Not To Work At Night

One of the reasons why deliveries can take longer late at night is that fewer drivers are willing to work. It would seem like the reduced amount of competition from other drivers would make late-night deliveries more worthwhile. Let’s take a look at the reasons many drivers choose to avoid the graveyard shift. 

Restaurant operating hours

If only one or two neighborhood restaurants open late at night, it may be pointless working late. The lack of options will mean that competition will still be high among the drivers who choose to work. Drivers only make money when they make deliveries, so they may be unwilling to work at those times. 

Fewer orders

Many people in rural areas tend to go to bed fairly early and get up early in the morning. This will mean that there is a limited number of late-night orders coming in. So drivers who work late don’t earn enough to cover their expenses. 

Higher risk

Even though the number of late-night orders can be high in big cities, many drivers still avoid those times. This is often because the risk of driving late at night can be higher than during the daytime. Factors like higher crime rates at night and cases of drunk driving can make some drivers feel unsafe. 

Other commitments

Many people are unable to work late at night because they have families to care for. It can be difficult to make the school run if you work until the early hours of the morning. Many delivery drivers also have to wake up to do other jobs during the daytime. 

How Late Does DoorDash Deliver? – The Busiest Times 

If you want to receive your order as quickly as possible, it is best to avoid the busiest hours. The lunchtime rush is typically from 11:00 until 14:00. The dinner time rush can start as early as 16:30 and run until 20:00.

However, there can also be surges in orders at other times. Many people wake up later on the weekends and may order food and groceries for breakfast from 09:00. Public holidays and bad weather conditions can also cause a surge in deliveries outside of the standard times. 

The Dash Now App

The best way to determine if drivers are likely to be busy is to check out the Dash Now app. This was created for the company’s delivery drivers to help them plan their work schedules. If the map screen is red, this shows that a lot of orders are being placed. You may find that you receive your order much more quickly if you wait for demand to die down a little.

What Happens When There Are No Drivers Available?

DoorDash works hard to make sure there are always drivers available when customers place an order. If there are no drivers available when you order food from a restaurant, the company will monitor the order. If no drivers accept the order within a specified time, the company will automatically cancel the order. 

Even if there is a driver available to take the order, they may be unwilling to accept it. This could be because the delivery distance is further than they are willing to cover. Accepting orders with long delivery distances can dramatically reduce drivers’ earnings.

Ways To Make Your Order More Appealing

Offering a larger tip can make your order more attractive to drivers. Adding at least $5 is more likely to make the trip worthwhile. Here are some other ways to increase the chances of your order being accepted.

Order close to home

When drivers have shorter distances to cover, they can make more deliveries during their shifts. In addition, tired drivers will have to spend less time on the road. Drivers who are about to end their shifts are more likely to take one last order if the journey is short. 

Choose an eatery with free parking

If the driver is charged a fee to park, this will eat into their earnings. Places such as shopping malls and hospital cafeterias often charge a parking fee. Even a generous tip may not be enough to offset this extra cost. 

Choose an eatery that prepares food quickly

Drivers will have less time to wait for your order at fast food franchises such as Mcdonald’s. This will allow them to make the delivery more quickly and move on to the next order. Having to wait forty minutes for your food to be prepared will eat into the driver’s overall earnings. 

How Late Does DoorDash Deliver? – Uncollected Orders

If you place an order late at night, your food may not be collected by a driver. In this case, the order will usually be canceled, and you will receive a full refund. In this case, you can choose to wait for another driver or collect the food from the restaurant yourself.

If you choose to wait, the company may offer you credits. This is designed to increase customer loyalty and reward you for your patience. There is a good chance that your order will be collected by another driver relatively quickly. 

How to avoid Late Deliveries

In certain parts of the country, it can be very different to find a driver late at night. The best way to avoid disappointment is by placing your order earlier. Even if you are not hungry yet, you will have food on hand for when you get the munchies.

Ordering earlier can also help you to save money. You will be able to avoid the higher late-night delivery fees and make sure your fridge is full. You can store the food in your fridge or freezer and simply heat it when you’re ready to eat. 

Scheduled Orders

This is another great way to avoid the hassle of placing an order late at night. It is possible to schedule your pickup in advance for a specified time. Drivers are more likely to accept these orders because it helps them to plan their work schedule more effectively.

Before arranging a scheduled order, make sure the restaurant or store is open at the desired time. The restaurant will be able to see the order immediately in the orders tab. However, the order will appear in a separate section under the ‘scheduled’ heading. This also helps eateries to plan their orders more effectively and will reduce preparation times. 

You might be surprised with early delivery!

Your order will be marked as ‘needs action’ by DoorDash around thirty minutes to an hour before the scheduled time. This then alerts drivers that there is an order available for collection. The only slight downside is that your order may arrive a few minutes earlier than you had planned. 

When Drivers Can Work

One of the great things about working for the company is that drivers can choose their hours and plan their schedules. However, the company does provide guidelines and advice. Let’s take a closer look at when drivers are allowed to work for the company.

The times of day

Drivers can choose to work for the company at any time of the night or day. However, they need to make sure that local restaurants are open at the times they want to work. There is no point in choosing a graveyard shift in a rural area if all the eateries close before midnight.

The best way to work out whether it is worth working late at night is by checking the map in the app. If the map has several red patches late at night, this shows that there is a lot of demand for drivers. However, a mostly gray map indicates that few orders are coming in at that time. Keeping an eye on the map helps them to plan their work schedules more effectively. 

Maximum number of hours

Drivers are independent contractors who can set their hours. There is no limit, and they can work twenty hours or more. However, it is best to try and work when there is the highest number of orders coming in. Driving when overtired can also be very dangerous, and it is better to work smarter, not harder.

Read more: How To Become A Contractor?

If You’re Thinking Of Working At Doordash!

Well, then you’ll want to learn more about our Delivery Driver Job Description and Pizza Delivery Driver Job Description to see if it’s something that would interest you, followed by our in-depth guide to the Doordash Application to get you started!

Perhaps you’d like to know more about other delivery companies with our Uber Mission And Vision Statement Analysis and Lyft Mission And Vision Statement Analysis, as well as How Much Do Uber Eats Drivers Make, or our comparison of the Lyft vs Uber Income for drivers in 2023.

Now, let’s move on to our guides to the Uber Application and the Uber Eats Application, but please remember to check up on Can A Felon Drive For Lyft or Can A Felon Drive For Uber if you have a criminal record.

How Late Does DoorDash Deliver? – Final Thoughts 

If you head on over to the DoorDash app, you will notice that specific delivery hours are not listed. This can make it tricky to work out if you can place an order late at night. The exact operating hours are likely to be affected by the area that you live in.

In big cities and certain other areas, you can use the service around the clock. However, there are likely to be fewer people working in the early hours of the morning. This means that your delivery options will be more limited, and you may have to wait a little longer.

Enjoy your next food delivery using Doordash!