Xu points out, there is no reason to think that those who deliver Seamless orders have it any better. Those who are dubious of the contractor model might reasonably question DoorDash’s relationship with its delivery staff. DoorDash is also in a group of companies that have pledged, through involvement in a workers’ rights framework called the Good Work Code, to support policies in workers’ best interests. Xu offers a standard defense of the courier model, saying the company treated its “dashers,” as it calls its delivery workers, “exactly as our customers, and we always want to give our customers what they want.” For the dashers, that means flexibility. It has also faced legal trouble over using modified versions of merchants’ logos. Indeed, DoorDash was one of the parties accused of doing so in a recent lawsuit filed in California.

Using this structure places the company at the center of a debate over whether apps are incorrectly classifying employees as contractors. DoorDash also takes a commission from the restaurants.ĭoorDash uses a courier model popularized by Uber, meaning that it sends independent contractors to pick up and deliver orders. Ordering food in Manhattan costs $2 to $3 in Brooklyn, it costs $3 to $4. Another advantage for customers, particularly in Brooklyn, is a broad delivery radius that Seamless often cannot match. Many of these restaurants are more upscale, although its model does allow DoorDash to deliver meals from McDonald’s and other fast-food restaurants that do not offer such service. DoorDash has partnered with many restaurants that do not deliver through Seamless, its greatest competitive advantage.

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