How to Get Catering Orders on Doordash

To pay the bills, buy groceries, and pay for the kids’ team sports and school supplies, numerous families have found it necessary to make extra money by joining the gig economy. You can make some serious money delivering food. To learn more about it, we’ve written this step-by-step tutorial in which we’ll explain how to get catering orders on DoorDash and the DoorDash large order program.

Each food delivery company has rules and standards with which its delivery personnel must comply. These rules, such as delivering 100 orders per month and maintaining a high customer rating, make customer service as close to perfect as it can get. Excellent customer service gets drivers invited into programs with higher pay and tips. We know about these programs, so trusting us to tutor you will net you some very good money.

The Catering And Large Order Programs Are Called DoorDash Drive

DoorDash offers both restaurants and drivers a program dedicated to large orders and catering. It’s called DoorDash Drive. Drivers who have complied with the below-listed requirements are invited to join.

The invitation is extended in the Schedule app, but only if the driver’s area can support such orders. If you weren’t issued an invitation, you can sign up for the program’s waitlist. When the invitation arrives, you’ll upload a video explaining why you’re such a great driver. It should take about a week for DoorDash to text you that you got with the program.

Drivers should be aware that when they’re in the program, they still have to maintain their star rating, completion rate, and number of orders each month. If you fall out of the program, you can reapply.

Drivers should also be aware that how to get catering orders on DoorDash and the DoorDash large order program is the same thing. It’s part of knowing how to get bigger orders on DoorDash.

How To Get Catering Orders On DoorDash

Along with the high customer rating, there are two requirements drivers must meet in order to be eligible for both DoorDash catering orders as well as the large order program DoorDash:

Drivers must have completed over 200 deliveries over the lifetime of their service to the company.
Drivers must have completed over 100 deliveries in the past month.
Drivers must have made and maintained at least a 4.7 customer star rating in the past month.
Drivers must have a 95 percent completion rate for the past month.

The second requirement is a dedicated catering bag. Drivers must have purchased, either from DoorDash or from Amazon (often cheaper, but more importantly DoorDash approved,) an approved catering bag. You’ll upload a picture of the bag in the invitation email. The bag from the DoorDash online store is around $40, with a special promo code. That might feel a little expensive but trust us. You’ll make the money back in no time.

There Are Two Ways To Get DoorDash Catering Orders

The first way is through the Schedule portion of the app. These orders will appear on the app the night before the delivery at specific times:

For drivers new to the program, a notification will appear at 8 pm.
Early access orders are available at 7 pm for qualified drivers: four deliveries completed, 70 percent on-time rating to the restaurant over the past 20 deliveries (on time to store means arrival at the pickup time but no longer than 10 minutes early.)
Preferred dashers can see their deliveries at 6 pm the previous night. Preferred drivers are those chosen by merchants because the drivers gave them excellent service and want only those drivers to take their orders. You’ll get a special email about the delivery. Tap it, and then log back in at 7 pm to choose early access orders. Note that preferred dashers make an extra $2 on merchant orders.

When you see an order you want, tap on it to schedule it. It will park in the Drive portion of the schedule. If you’re dismayed by the pay for the order, keep in mind that this is only DoorDash’s base pay for the order. You’ll see the tip and other payment information during or after delivery.

Note: DoorDash Drive large orders also pay the driver a $2 one-time payment. This is paid when the driver arrives at the restaurant no earlier than 20 minutes before pick-up time and no later than the delivery time. So if the customer wants their order at one pm, then the driver should be at the merchant no earlier than 12:40 and no later than one pm.

Note: Some things can happen to prevent the driver from getting the $2:

The restaurant is overwhelmed and behind on the order.
DoorDash gave you too much time to get to the restaurant so you’re earlier than 20 minutes.
Traffic is heavy and you’re late for your delivery.
Delivery and set-up took longer than you thought it should.

Some Drive orders specifically ask the driver to help set up the customer’s food. Compensation for this is $3, and set-up will be specified on the app. Note that drivers must upload a picture of the completed order with the food arranged on the tables to be paid the $3.

The second way drivers learn how to get bigger orders on DoorDash for catering orders is by direct order. It’s called On Demand, and it comes in just like any other order except with a twist. You’ll see the large order total first. On the regular (not the Schedule) DoorDash screen, large direct orders will show drivers what they earn on that order and not DoorDash’s half.

What Are The Benefits Of The Large Order And Catering Program?

Feeding a large number of employees for lunch on a holiday, for instance, is expensive (we all know what prices are like today.) The chosen restaurant often charges more for catering or large orders. Delivery services regularly charge more for catering and large orders. So big money is the name of that tune.

Now the DoorDash driver is putting into practice how to get catering orders on DoorDash, so he taps on the order in the app and gets on it. In the app, he sees the base pay, the tip, the $2 on-time, and $3 set-up payments. Thus, he sees a total of what he’s making on that delivery. Catering and large orders pay more, and that benefit is why drivers fight so hard to be invited into the program.

Add to this the fact that when people place a large or catering order, they pay a driver’s tip at 20 to 25 percent more than ordinarily. On a large order, that could come up to between $20 and $30 to $50 on tip alone. The driver is often asked to set up the order, for instance in the break room, and people tend to pay more when they actually see someone working (lots of them don’t consider driving through heavy traffic “work.”) So, long story short, more money is the main benefit of catering and large orders.

How To Get Catering Orders On DoorDash FAQ

How Do DoorDash Drivers Get Catering Orders?

Drivers must comply with several rules, and continue complying each month. When they do, DoorDash will invite the dasher into the program that will show him how to get big orders on DoorDash. When the dasher gets an email welcoming him into the program, he’ll upload a picture of his catering bag, and he’s pretty much in.

How To Get Big Orders On DoorDash

While dashers are waiting for large or catering orders, they have to maintain their delivery rate to remain in the Drive program. That means dashing in the rush hours (11 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 8 pm,) scheduling your dashing availability in advance, avoiding the lowest paying orders, being professional at all times, and practicing excellent customer service. This can be done before and after delivering a large catering order.

Do Scheduled Dashers Get Priority Regarding How To Get Catering Orders On DoorDash?

Yes. Drivers get onto the app at midnight to schedule a shift to receive priority over drivers who “Dash Now.” Drivers scheduling “Early Access” get large orders first. Drivers should know that by using Early Access, they can set their schedule up six days in advance. So if you tap Early Access on Wednesday, you can schedule your shift for the next Tuesday.

Why Is A Dedicated Catering Bag Necessary?

Every food company requires their delivery drivers’ cars to be spotlessly clean. Food delivery bags are also required so that absolutely no speck of dirt gets into the food. Add to this essential rule the fact that catering and large orders involve many containers of food, some of which might contain liquid like gravy. Do you want that loose on your car’s seat? Of course not. You’ll need a catering bag.

Now envision carrying the food into the company’s break room for set up. Using delivery bags gets it all there in one trip, and it’s not messy. Your customers see a dasher who has it going on, sets up flawlessly, and is professional to the last step. And it all started with a catering bag.

Has The Large Order Delivery Process Changed?

Yes. The DoorDash app now places large and catering orders in the regular app. You’ll see a “catering bag required” notification on the screen. The orders might not be pre-scheduled in the Schedule portion of the app, but Drive and Top Dasher drivers will still be the priority. You haven’t been dropped from the program.

Final Thoughts

DoorDash Drive is a program offering dashers higher paying large and catering orders. These now appear on the regular dash app and are represented by a “catering bag required” notification.

Drivers must comply with several requirements to be invited into the program. They must have completed over 200 deliveries over the life of their employment, 100 deliveries in the past month, maintain a 4.7-star rating over the past month, and had a 95 percent completion rate over the past month. Drivers must also be equipped with a catering bag.

The Drive program helps dashers manage how to get catering orders on DoorDash because those orders pay the most and give drivers higher tips. Top Dashers and drivers invited into the Drive program get top priority on large and catering orders. More money is the main benefit of the Drive program.