Accepting and Processing Orders
There are multiple ways for your staff to accept and process orders. This will depend on the order protocol you selected during the sign-up process.
The different types of order protocol include:
The DoorDash Tablet
A point-of-sale (POS) integration like Toast, Shift4, or Square
Email or fax
The DoorDash Tablet
Accepting and processing orders on the Tablet (aka the DoorDash Order Manager app) is simple and intuitive.
When a customer places an order, a notification will appear on the tablet accompanied by a chime sound.
Tap View Order to see the order details.
Tap "Confirm with X min Prep" Time to direct the order to the kitchen.
Depending on how busy your kitchen is, either confirm the suggested prep time or manually adjust the ready time if you need less or more time, then tap Confirm Order.
For a detailed, step-by-step guide to using the DoorDash Tablet for a range of functions, including accepting and processing orders, check out our Merchant Tablet How-To Guide.
POS Integration
You can also maximize efficiency by integrating DoorDash with your POS system. This way, orders are sent from DoorDash to your POS straight through to your kitchen, reducing the risk of human error. DoorDash is compatible with leading POS and technology systems like Square, Toast, Aloha, Heartland, Xenial, and many more.
Email or Fax
You can also manage and receive orders via email or fax. In this case, you’ll want to designate a team member to monitor incoming orders. When an order is received, this team member will either:
Manually input the order into your POS system
Write a ticket for the kitchen staff
Addressing Common Problems
DoorDash makes dealing with common order issues easy for your team via the Merchant Portal or Tablet. This section provides a basic overview of dealing with these issues on both platforms. For in-depth instructions, visit the Merchant Portal How-To Guide and the Tablet How-To Guide.
1. If you discover the item is out of stock when preparing an existing order.
If you have a DoorDash Tablet:
Mark the item as out of stock so that it doesn’t affect future orders:
Navigate to the open order and tap the item that is out of stock
Tap "Item Out of Stock"
Choose how long the item will be out of stock
The item will be automatically reactivated after the specified time period
Before checkout, Customers will select for each item one of the below options in the case something is out of stock. You will be prompted to walk through the flow that corresponds with the Customer’s choice:
Merchant recommendation
Refund
Contact Customer
Or cancel the entire order
If you do not have a DoorDash Tablet:
Login to the Merchant Portal and temporarily deactivate the item until it is back in stock:
Navigate to the Menus section
Select the menu you would like to edit
Hover the mouse over the item you want to deactivate. Click "Deactivate."
You will need to manually reactivate the item when it is back in stock. To reactivate, find the item category and locate the item(s) that have a strike-through, then click "Reactivate."
Contact Support to help resolve the existing order with the Customer.
2. If your kitchen is too busy to keep up with order volume.
If the kitchen is busier than usual and your staff needs some extra time or to pause orders, you have a few options:
Mark your store as busy and add additional prep time
Pause all new orders for a specific period of time
Temporarily deactivate your store
TIP: All of these actions will only affect new orders—not existing orders.
If you have a DoorDash Tablet:
You have the option to either add additional prep time or temporarily “pause” your store from receiving new orders.
Mark your store as busy and add additional prep time
Go to the Orders tab in your Tablet
Tap the kitchen status button (it will say Accepting if you haven’t already marked busy or paused)
Tap Busy to add more prep time to orders, then select an amount of time to add
Your kitchen status will remain as Busy for 1 hour and then revert back to Normal
Pause all new orders for a specific period of time
Go to the Orders tab in your Tablet
Tap the kitchen status button (it will say Accepting if you haven’t already marked busy or paused)
Tap Pause to pause new orders, then select a period of time to pause orders. The maximum amount of time your store can be paused via your tablet is 30 minutes. If you need to pause your store for a longer period, you can do so in the Merchant Portal or contact Support.
If you do not have a DoorDash Tablet:
Pause all new orders for a specific period of time.
Click Special Closures/Hours
Click Pause Store
Specify the date and time you would like to re-open for orders
Go to the Business Hours section of the sidebar menu in the Merchant Portal
For POS merchants, please increase your prep times directly as recommended by your provider
TIP: Marking your store as busy and adding prep time will not impact your operational metrics, but pausing or temporarily deactivating will, so we recommend only pausing or deactivating when necessary.
3. If an order is running late.
If you have a DoorDash Tablet:
Use the Tablet to adjust pickup time:
Go to the order details
Tap Issue with Order
Tap Adjust Prep Time and choose when the order will be ready
Best Practices
Your business does best when your customers are satisfied. Make sure your team is committed to improving and maintaining customer satisfaction by keeping these best practices in mind:
Ensure your hours are correct, especially on holidays. Confirm your business and menu hours to avoid cancellations due to your store being “closed.”
Confirm orders quickly. Confirm orders as soon as you can so customers know their order has been received and is being prepared. This leads to fewer cancellations.
Quote accurate prep times. Late orders are one of the biggest reasons customers give poor ratings, so selecting an accurate pickup time helps manage expectations.
Label orders. Label orders clearly to ensure Dashers pick up the correct order.
Check for modifications and special requests. Avoid order errors and low customer ratings by paying special attention to modifications and special requests.
Updated Dasher instructions. Set parking and pickup tips in the Portal if your store is hard to locate or can be easily missed by Dashers.
