How I Make $700/Week With DoorDash: Tips For Success

There’s more to the on-demand economy than Uber and Lyft, and I’ve talked quite a bit before about delivery apps like DoorDash and Postmates. Food delivery can be a great way to pick up work during slow rideshare hours during the middle of the day, so it’s a good complementary type of work that I think all drivers should try.

I found a great video by Youtuber IndyyGold where she takes you on live deliveries, shares tips, and talks about her earnings. It should give you a really good sense for what it’s really like to drive for DoorDash. Take a look at her video, and check out the video transcript below to read all of the points she covers.

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What is up you guys? It’s IndyyGold, and I’m back today for another video. If you don’t know what Door Dash is, Door Dash is basically a third party-type of delivering service. One of the Dashers, like me, goes to the store, I pick up your order and then I will deliver it to your job or your house. I’m going to show you guys all of the stuff I have. I have more in the trunk, but this is a big, big catering bag. I bought a sweatshirt for when it gets cold.

Taking you along on live DoorDash orders

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I do have an order, so I’m gonna take you guys along. I have to go to McAlister’s Deli. This is what it looks like when an order pops up, and you just heard the noise, so I’m gonna go ahead and accept the order. You’re usually within a mile radius of the store, so you can get there quickly, get the order, and deliver it. I’m gonna take you guys along. I’m not gonna bring the camera when I drop off the food. I don’t want the customer to feel uncomfortable or anything. I’m gonna be recording how much I make today. I worked earlier and I already have made 50 bucks earlier this morning on a three hour shift. We’ll see how much I make today.

All right, so here’s McAlister’s Deli. I’m gonna park for the to go parking, which is super nice. When I get to the restaurant, it’s gonna say slide after arrival. No need to pay, which means I don’t need to pay with the company card that they give me, just in case I do need to pay. It’s gonna give me an overview of what I need to pick up.

I got the food, I got the drink, and so I’m gonna check off that I got these items. Double check, I did that. We’re on our way to the customer right now to drop off their food. Okay, I just finished that delivery so I’m gonna show you guys what it looks like. I’m going to slide, and I made $5.17 off of that delivery. That was to show you guys how a delivery goes, and I go back to work, I believe, at 4:30 so I work from 4:30 to 9 for the rest of the day. I’m gonna speed that up. I’m not gonna go through every delivery that I have, and make a little montage and just to see how much I make in five hours. Then I’ll show you guys at the end of the night.

I’m back, it is 4:30 right now. I had an hour break, so I am back for my 4:30 to 9 shift and I’m gonna be taking you guys with me. Now, on my off time, I’m gonna be giving you guys some tips, if you guys want to start Door Dash. I’m gonna show you guys, I’m gonna insert a clip, probably somewhere on the screen, but I will literally show you I made $700. I made $650 my first week that I did it.

How much do you earn for each DoorDash delivery, on average?

I did just get an order for Grand Lux Café and it’s gonna give me $7 to complete it, and that is including tip. Usually, for every delivery it can vary between six and $11. Typically, it’s $9 or $10 on average. Like I was saying, on my off time, or when I’m going to the restaurant, or going to the house, I’m gonna be giving you guys some tips.

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Always have your phone on you

My first tip would be always bring your phone. I do it off my iPad and my phone, but if I’m going to deliver to an apartment, especially, especially apartments, they really sometimes really difficult to find. I’m stuck walking around in the same area. I can’t find the apartment number or they didn’t give me enough information, so always, always bring your phone because when you park your car and if you leave your phone in there and for some reason you need to call them. Most of the time I’ll knock, they’ll answer the door, grab their food, and then that’ll be it. But sometimes they don’t answer the door. I’ll knock, I’ll ring the doorbell, especially apartments.

People tend to fall asleep if you’re gonna work in the evening, they’re tired, or they just won’t hear you. They’ll be downstairs, whatever it is. You should always, always bring your phone because it’ll give you a direct number to the customer and you can call them and say, “Hey, I’m here. No one’s answering the door. I just want to make sure I’m at the right house.”

Check the order in the app before you get inside the restaurant

Tip number two is when you get to the restaurant, there’s an option on the app that says slide after arrival. It’s gonna give you the breakdown on what food items and if they ordered any drinks. Read that first. For example, if I go to Buffalo Wild Wings and I see an order, and I slide, and I check out the order before I’m in the restaurant and it says wings and a drink, they always just hand me the food and just send me on my way. I know, ’cause I checked it before, it has a drink on there, and I’m like, “Didn’t that come with a Sprite?” They’re like, “Oh, yeah. I forgot.” Always, always check your order. Make sure you know. I always look for drinks. Most of the time, if they’re gonna forget something, it’s gonna be drinks.

Grab extra napkins and condiments

When you’re at a restaurant and if you see some napkins at the bar or just extra stuff like ketchup. A lot of the time I’ll grab mints for the customers, or I’ll just grab a handful, put them in my bag and make sure when I get to the customer, I’ll say, “Hey, I threw in some mints for you.” It’s just a nice gesture. They’ll most likely rate you higher.

Do as much as you can to find the restaurant location

This is really, really important because I have literally had customers cancel on me just because I didn’t know to do at the time. If you can’t find the restaurant that you’re looking for, all you have to do is call the restaurant, Google search the restaurant. Call the restaurant, say, “Hey, can you give me a reference point? Are you next to so-and-so? Where are you located at on the street? What are you across from?” Have them communicate with you, walk you through it so you’re not completely lost. That really, really cuts down your time on just waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting and trying to find the restaurant because then the customer will be irritated. All because you couldn’t find the restaurant.

I just made it to my first delivery of this shift, which is the Grand Lux Café. I hate coming here. One, they are very, very slow. Two, I can never, ever find any parking.

All right, first delivery done. I got $6.94 for that delivery and I am gonna go to a hot spot to try to find some more. All right you guys, I’m on my second delivery. I have to go to Fat Jessie’s. I’m gonna get $8 for it, so let’s go. That delivery is done. On to the next one. Okay, another order. That delivery’s done. I literally have another delivery right now.

Keep extra straws and napkins in your car

Probably my last tip that I would give would definitely to be to keep straws, extra straws and extra napkins in your car. I usually keep them in the backseat on the little pouch behind my seat, but just make sure you keep extra straws and extra napkins just because sometimes the restaurant or the fast food place doesn’t give you napkins or put napkins in the bag. A lot of the customers do actually want napkins. I say keep straws, and it sounds kind of weird, but I say keep straws in your car because there’ll be times where I’m carrying so much that the drink will spill a little bit, and it’ll get the straw wet, or the wrapper that it’s in. You can literally get these straws and napkins from anywhere. They usually will have them out for the customers to grab, so I just grab a handful. Oh, well, and toss them in the bag.

I think we’re on the fifth delivery, sixth delivery. I lost count. These orders are back to back, so On the Border. Accept, and we’re off. All right, I just completed the seventh delivery. It tells you on this dash how much I’ve made, but I’ll total it up at the end.

Earnings from a 4.5 hour shift with DoorDash

All right, so it is 9 o’clock, I just got home. It’s 9:04. The end of my shift was 9 o’clock. I will show you guys the end results. At the end of your shift it’ll tell you the time and stuff, you worked for how many hours. I worked for 4.5 hours today for this shift and I did seven deliveries, and it’ll tell you your tip amount.

I made $100 today. This is what I’m at for the week: $311.97. so If you get out and you work, it’s a good job. I actually just got home, so I am going inside, taking a shower and going to sleep because I’m really tired, but thank you guys so much for watching this video and I’ll see you in my next one.

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