DoorDash announced new products, features, and hardware for both consumers and operators on Tuesday, including the company’s first robot and a SmartScale that can measure and weigh delivery bags for better accuracy.
The announcements were made during the third-party delivery company’s annual Dash Forward event on Monday, which introduced DoorDash’s new and upcoming innovations that continue to expand its capabilities beyond the delivery marketplace.
“We’ve graduated from being a single restaurant delivery marketplace in the United States into a multi-product, multi-category global business, creating the future of local commerce,” Tony Xu, cofounder and CEO of DoorDash, said during the event.
Here are some of the new product highlights and how they measure up in the restaurant tech space:
Dot the DoorDash robot
DoorDash is entering the robotics industry for the first time with the debut of Dot the delivery robot.
While competitors Uber Eats and Grubhub have been working with sidewalk delivery robotics companies for a long time, this innovation cuts out the middleman for DoorDash.
DoorDash claims that Dot is the first delivery robot that can “travel seamlessly across bike lanes, roads, and sidewalks” at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. Dot’s software is powered by the company’s AI-backed autonomous delivery platform, which can use smart technology to assign a human, robot, or drone as the best Dasher for specific jobs.
The robot has humanoid qualities, some basic speech capabilities, and its electronic display system can display the name of the current customer. Currently Dot is being tested in the Phoenix, Ariz. metro area.
Competes with: Serve Robotics, Nuro, Kiwibot
SmartScale
SmartScale is DoorDash’s first foray into custom hardware outside of direct delivery order fulfillment. The scale uses predictive modeling to measure and weigh delivery orders before they go out to the customer, allegedly cutting down on incorrect orders. DoorDash claims that this scale helps to reduce missing item claims by up to 30%.
Employees place each delivery bag on the scale and based on the items in each order, match the weight of the bag to the weight of what the scale thinks it should be.
Panera Bread has implemented DoorDash’s new feature, with chief digital officer Meenakshi Nagarajan saying “it is easy to use and takes up virtually no counter space.”
Competes with: No directly comparable products out there, similar to smart scales through companies like Sekom, Linga, and PreciTaste.
Restaurant reservations
DoorDash is also trying to implement more in-store dining tools and perks. The company’s new Going Out feature offers DashPass members the ability to make reservations, as well as earn rewards and get offers in one place.
The reservations feature will be fee-free for the company’s paid members, available through the DoorDash integration with SevenRooms. It will also be available to any diner, regardless of DashPass status, for a limited time.
On the operator side, the Going Out platform lets them manage tables, promote events, and lean on personalized guest experiences through customer profiles (created through the app’s delivery and dining-out data on guests).
“We’re more focused on building omnichannel ways for restaurants to grow,” Parisa Sadzareh, vice president of DoorDash, told Nation’s Restaurant News. “The biggest thing we’ve heard across the board from restaurants of all sizes and types is that they want to grow both in-store and off-premises dining, and reservations is a key tactic to connect diners with restaurants.”
Competes with: OpenTable and Resy
Dine-in rewards
As part of the Going Out platform, the new rewards system lets DashPass members redeem in-store offers and earn rewards for repeat visits.
On the operator side, at first, DoorDash is automatically creating one-size-fits-all offers and discounts for operators to apply, but they will be more customizable in the future. While operators will have to fund the discounts themselves, there are no fees associated with using the rewards, and the rewards and discounts run on a credit model.
“The vast majority of people offering Going Out rewards today actually are the QSR restaurants, and that’s purely because of our SevenRooms integration,” Sadzareh said. “Everybody wants more in-store traffic, from McDonald’s down to the small mom and pop smoothie shop down the street.”
Competes with: Blackbird Labs, Thanx, PopID, Toast
Social video and influencer partners
DoorDash is now implementing social videos into restaurant profiles, allowing operators to post videos of their dishes and space to enhance their profile on the marketplace.
The delivery company is also debuting a creator program, allowing influencers to apply to partner with DoorDash to post videos and social content on restaurants that will appear on users’ feeds. Creators will be able to earn money for each approved submission.
The creator program is available in 20 U.S. cities.
Competes with: Uber Eats (which launched a video feed in 2024) and Atmosfy
Contact Joanna at [email protected]
