Local businesses frustrated by months of DoorDash unreliability and delays
By Sonia Isaacs
BEERWAH café and restaurant owners say ongoing problems with food delivery platform DoorDash are costing them time, money and customer trust, with orders frequently delayed or cancelled due to a shortage of local drivers.
Flips co-owner Mel Hammill said her business had struggled for months to secure reliable drivers, with deliveries left uncollected or picked up late.
“We don’t have anyone local,” she said. “Drivers are coming from all over the Coast, and customers are waiting up to an hour and a half for their food.”
Ms Hammill said the lack of communication and support from DoorDash had left her feeling frustrated and disheartened. “There’s no communication between us and the customer – I can’t cancel an order without being out of pocket,” she said.
She said the problem was damaging her business reputation and leaving loyal customers disappointed. “We work hard to provide a consistent, reliable product, but these delays make us look bad,” she said. “It’s disappointing for customers who want to order dinner and relax, only to be left waiting for food that may not even arrive.”
Ms Hammill said she initially hoped DoorDash would become a valuable service for Beerwah as the town grew, but her experience had left her doubtful.
“I thought it would be a great resource for the community if we could get local uni students or young people involved as drivers,” she said. “But with so many complaints and no local support, it’s hard to promote something that’s not working.”
She added that the poor communication had created difficult situations for both staff and customers. “I’ve had people call to say they’ll just pick up the order themselves because the driver never arrived. But I can’t cancel the order, so the driver still gets paid, and I lose money. It’s not fair.”
Local café owner Peter Kennedy (PK) said the ongoing driver shortage had also hurt his business. “It’s frustrating – people don’t want to wait an hour for a coffee,” he said. “We’re monitoring it to see if things improve, but at the moment it’s not working.”
Despite the challenges, PK acknowledged that DoorDash had been supportive and responsive, and didn’t blame the company for the lack of available drivers in the region.
Steve Lessells, from Gochu Korean Fish and Chips, said he had trialled the platform for six weeks before abandoning it. “It was absolutely disappointing – sometimes we had a two hour wait for a driver, and other times we had customers waiting and eventually giving up and coming in themselves,” he said. “We’ve had so many people complaining – we now call them DoorDawdle,” he added.
A spokesperson for DoorDash said the company was actively increasing Dasher recruitment and reviewing delivery zones to improve reliability and reduce wait times. “DoorDash remains committed to supporting local cafes, restaurants and grocers by helping them reach more customers,” the spokesperson said.
The company said it also sought to support local incentive by “providing locals with more earning opportunities when they Dash, giving them the flexibility to earn when and how they choose.”
