Picture a lazy evening at home when cravings strike, but the thought of cooking is simply unappealing. That’s where the magic of food delivery services comes in, making it possible to indulge in your favorite restaurant meals without stepping out of your comfort zone. While DoorDash has become a household name in delivering deliciousness to your doorstep, there are several other platforms vying for a slice of the booming food delivery market. In this blog post, we’ll navigate the world of DoorDash competitors to help you decide which service best suits your needs.
Key Takeaways
Explore the top DoorDash competitors, including Uber Eats, Grubhub and Instacart.
Discover regional alternatives such as Waitr and Favor that focus on local businesses.
Compare features of various food delivery services to find one best suited for you.
Exploring the Top DoorDash Competitors
As the food delivery market continues to grow, so does the competition among delivery services. Each competitor offers unique benefits that cater to different customer needs, including:
Uber Eats: Known for its expansive restaurant networks and fast delivery times.
Grubhub: Offers a wide range of restaurant options and a user-friendly interface.
Instacart: Focuses on grocery delivery, allowing customers to order from their favorite local stores.
Postmates: Stands out for its creative delivery approaches and partnerships with local businesses.
These food delivery services have made a name for themselves by providing customers with a variety of options and experiences, from vast selections of local restaurants to customized grocery delivery from grocery stores. In the subsequent parts, we will scrutinize each of these platforms and their unique features.
Related Article: 10 Best Stripe Competitors & Alternatives For 2023
Uber Eats
Uber Eats, a food delivery service provided by Uber, has become a major competitor to DoorDash. Its unique advantage is its integration with Uber’s rideshare service, granting access to millions of riders worldwide. This partnership has allowed Uber Eats to leverage its parent company’s infrastructure and brand to offer a wide range of food options and a seamless user experience.
Uber Eats’ success is a result of:
Innovative approaches
Strategic partnerships
Lower fee than DoorDash on orders under $10 and orders of $15 or more
Vast network of restaurant partners
Convenience of its platform
These factors continue to draw customers to Uber Eats, making it a strong challenger in the food delivery market.
Grubhub
Grubhub is another popular food delivery platform known for its:
extensive restaurant partnerships
user-friendly interface
comprehensive list of restaurants
seamless ordering experience
real-time order tracking
amazing deals and promotions
customer-oriented pre-order service
knowledge in both foodservice and technology
All of these factors contribute to Grubhub’s position as a top competitor to DoorDash.
Grubhub’s market position is fortified by acquisitions such as Seamless, Eat24, BiteGrabber, LevelUp, Tapingo, and OrderUp, and strategic partnerships. Its 9% market share in the United States and over $400 million in quarterly revenues for 2022 showcase Grubhub’s strong presence in the food delivery market.
Instacart
Instacart is a leading online grocery delivery service that also competes with DoorDash in the restaurant delivery market. The platform offers a personalized experience with personal shoppers who carefully select items according to customers’ specifications. Instacart provides a user-friendly app and website, making it easy to place orders and choose a delivery slot that best fits the customer’s schedule.
Instacart’s grocery delivery service has been expanded to new dimensions. Customers can now order takeout meals from select restaurants in addition to purchasing groceries. This puts Instacart in direct competition with DoorDash as both platforms seek to meet customers’ food delivery needs. With delivery services available in over 5,500 cities in North America and a valuation of $12 billion, Instacart is a significant contender in the food delivery market.
Postmates
Postmates is a versatile delivery platform that offers a range of services, including:
Restaurant delivery
Grocery delivery
Retail delivery
Alcohol delivery
Its diverse offerings make Postmates a strong competitor to DoorDash. Uber acquired Postmates in December 2020 for $2.65 billion. This has augmented Uber’s food delivery market share in the U.S. to approximately 29%.
As a subsidiary of Uber, Postmates is now equipped with the necessary financial resources to compete with DoorDash and other food delivery services. Although Postmates delivery fees are generally more expensive than those of DoorDash, its versatility and range of services continue to attract customers looking for a one-stop-shop for their delivery needs.
Regional DoorDash Alternatives
While DoorDash and its top competitors dominate the food delivery market, regional alternatives have emerged to cater to specific markets. These platforms, such as Waitr and Favor, focus on local businesses and offer unique benefits to their customers. This part of the article examines these regional alternatives and their unique characteristics.
Focusing on specific markets allows regional alternatives to meet unique customer needs and preferences, offering a more personalized and targeted service. The subsequent parts will detail Waitr and Favor, two popular regional alternatives to DoorDash.
Waitr
Waitr is a premier food-tech company that provides food ordering and delivery solutions, primarily catering to small and mid-sized cities across the United States. The platform offers a sophisticated system to order food, allowing users to easily place large pre-orders for multiple individuals with different dietary and taste preferences.
Focusing on restaurant cuisine and carry-out meals, Waitr is an excellent alternative to DoorDash for customers looking for a hyperlocal approach to food delivery. The platform’s emphasis on smaller markets and its commitment to providing a smooth and seamless ordering experience make it a strong contender in the food delivery industry.
Favor
Favor is a Texas-based on-demand delivery service that offers personal assistant services, competing with DoorDash in the food delivery market. The platform generates revenue through delivery fees charged to customers, service fees, and commissions from partnerships with restaurants and stores.
Favor’s high-touch logistics approach and focus on providing fast delivery set it apart from DoorDash’s outsourced delivery services. By offering a greater selection of delivery options beyond restaurants, Favor has carved out its own niche in the food delivery market. The platform’s services are available in Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Houston, catering to the specific needs of customers in these regions.
Innovative Food Delivery Startups
In addition to the well-established food delivery platforms, innovative startups are challenging the traditional food delivery model. These companies offer unique approaches to food delivery, providing customers with fresh alternatives to the dominating services. This part of the article discusses two innovative startups, Dumpling and ChowNow, and their unique features.
Dumpling and ChowNow both take a different approach to food delivery compared to DoorDash’s third-party model, focusing on empowering individuals and local businesses, respectively. The subsequent parts will detail these startups and their distinct food delivery models.
Dumpling
Dumpling is a food delivery startup that offers personal shoppers the ability to initiate their own food delivery business. This unique approach empowers personal shoppers by providing them with the necessary resources to commence their personal-shopping business, such as marketing, payment processing, and support services.
Dumpling’s business model focuses on connecting shoppers to the resources they need to establish their own personal-shopping business, with clients paying a percentage of the service fee for grocery shopping and delivery. By offering personal shoppers the opportunity to launch their own meal delivery service, Dumpling presents a potentially attractive alternative for DoorDash’s loyal customers.
ChowNow
ChowNow is a food delivery platform that empowers local restaurants with online ordering systems and marketing tools, offering a different approach to food delivery compared to DoorDash’s third-party model. By providing local restaurants with their own online ordering systems, ChowNow enables them to receive unlimited, commission-free orders for in-store pickup and curbside.
ChowNow’s subscription fee model provides small restaurants with the benefit of a fixed monthly or annual fee instead of a percentage of each order, eliminating per-order commission rates and facilitating a smoother digital transition for small restaurants. The platform’s focus on supporting local restaurants and avoiding third-party commissions makes it a compelling alternative to DoorDash.
International DoorDash Competitors
While DoorDash is a leading food delivery service in the United States, there are numerous international competitors operating outside the U.S. These platforms cater to different markets and offer unique food delivery experiences to customers around the world. This part of the article discusses some of the major international competitors of DoorDash, including Deliveroo and Just Eat.
Operating in countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, these international platforms provide a diverse range of food delivery options and services. The subsequent parts will detail Deliveroo and Just Eat, two prominent international competitors of DoorDash.
Deliveroo
Deliveroo is a global food delivery platform that connects customers with a wide selection of restaurants. Founded in 2013 in London, England, Deliveroo has expanded its operations to 11 markets worldwide, including:
United Kingdom
France
Belgium
Ireland
Italy
Singapore
Hong Kong
United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
Qatar
Deliveroo’s mission is to:
Provide customers with a convenient and enjoyable dining experience by delivering great food from local restaurants directly to their doorsteps
Have 160,000 restaurant partners and 110,000 couriers
Generate £1.8 billion in revenue in 2021
Have a strong presence in the European, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets
This positions Deliveroo as a key competitor to DoorDash.
Just Eat
Just Eat is a major food delivery platform with a vast network of local restaurants across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The platform provides a user-friendly experience for customers to explore menus and place orders from a wide selection of restaurants. Just Eat operates in countries such as:
United States
United Kingdom
Germany
Canada
The Netherlands
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Denmark
and many more.
The platform functions as an on-demand service, allowing users to search for local takeaway restaurants, place orders, and pay online. With over 270,000 restaurant partners, Just Eat reported a revenue of €5.6 billion in 2022. As a global food delivery service, Just Eat offers a diverse range of food options and experiences for customers, making it a significant competitor to DoorDash.
Comparing Food Delivery Services
With various food delivery services available, customers might find it challenging to choose the right one for their needs. By comparing the unique features and experiences different platforms offer, customers can choose the service that best suits their preferences. Factors such as restaurant selection, delivery fees, and average delivery times can play a significant role in determining the most suitable service.
The average delivery time for food delivery services like:
Uber Eats
Grubhub
Instacart
Postmates
Waitr
Favor
Dumpling
ChowNow
Deliveroo
Just Eat
DoorDash
Can vary due to factors such as location, time of day, and order volume. It is recommended to consult the relevant app or website for estimated delivery times in your area.
Promotional deals and discounts, including meal delivery sales, can also sway customers’ choices when choosing a food delivery service. DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and other platforms provide promotional deals and discounts for online food ordering, which can be found on various websites like RetailMeNot.com, The Points Guy, The Money Ninja, Groupon, and CouponFollow. Considering these factors, customers can select the most suitable food delivery service for their needs.
Related Article: Exploring The Top NVIDIA Competitors In 2023
DoorDash’s Competitive Advantages
DoorDash’s competitive advantages include its diversified business lines, founder-led operations, and inspiration from Amazon’s business model. As a leading food delivery service in the United States, DoorDash generates revenue through commissions, subscription fees, white-label logistics services, loans, advertising, and other sources.
DoorDash diversifies its operations through market expansions and acquisitions to increase profitability and maintain a strong market position. By continuously innovating and expanding its services, DoorDash remains an industry leader and a popular choice for customers seeking convenient food delivery solutions.
Let’s take a look at Doordash’s revenue over the last five years:
| Year | Revenue (USD) | Growth Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $291 million | — |
| 2019 | $885 million | 204% |
| 2020 | $2.89 billion | 226% |
| 2021 | $4.89 billion | 69% |
| 2022 | $6.58 billion | 34% |
| 2023 | $8.15 billion | 24% |
Summary
In conclusion, DoorDash faces strong competition from various food delivery platforms, each offering unique benefits and experiences. From global competitors like Deliveroo and Just Eat to regional alternatives such as Waitr and Favor, customers have a plethora of options to choose from. By exploring and comparing these services, customers can make an informed decision and enjoy the convenience of food delivery tailored to their preferences. Bon appétit!
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is DoorDash’s biggest competitor?
Grubhub is DoorDash’s biggest competitor, followed by Uber Eats.
What is the best alternative to DoorDash?
For merchants looking for alternatives to DoorDash, the G2 Community reviews suggest exploring their Top 10 Options. With their expert ratings, you can be sure to find the right delivery solution for your business.
Can i do Doordash and Uber Eats at the same time?
Yes, you can drive for both DoorDash and Uber Eats simultaneously.
How do regional food delivery alternatives differ from DoorDash?
Regional food delivery alternatives such as Waitr and Favor provide a more personalized service, catering to specific markets and tailoring to unique customer needs. These differ from DoorDash which is available in multiple cities across the U.S.
What are some innovative food delivery startups that challenge traditional models?
Dumpling and ChowNow are innovative food delivery startups that challenge traditional models, enabling individuals to order meals from local restaurants.
