DoorDash : Introducing ultra-fast deliveries, new opportunities for local businesses, and more ways to earn with DoorDash

Today, we are excited to announce new, direct-to-your-door grocery and convenience offerings for New Yorkers with ultra-fast grocery deliveries from DashMart locations. To start, deliveries in 10-15-minutes will be offered from a DashMart location in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood, with more locations coming over the next few months in New York and other cities.

With the launch of this new area of our business, we're focused on meeting the needs of customers, merchants, and workers. In addition to expanding access to groceries and other essentials for New Yorkers, we are helping local merchants, especially women- and people of color-owned businesses, extend their reach by connecting them with new customers, and we're bringing hundreds of bodegas and other local retailers online through our Marketplace, with a commitment to helping them offer ultra-fast deliveries from their own stores. With the introduction of DashCorps, a DoorDash company that is redefining logistics and management services, anyone looking for full- and part-time employment now has the opportunity to deliver from and work in our DashMarts, creating more choices for those looking for earning opportunities in New York.

As we begin to provide this new level of convenience and access to New Yorkers, we are committed to doing so in a sustainable, responsible way that delivers on DoorDash's mission: to grow and empower local economies. We are growing economic opportunities for small business owners, expanding access to food through donating excess produce to the Chelsea Community Fridge & Cupboard, and providing more earning opportunities for New Yorkers. To do that, we are partnering with community stakeholders with the goal to make New York an even stronger and more dynamic place for workers and local businesses alike.

Helping local businesses meet new customers

When we introduced DashMart in 2020, we not only sought to create a virtual one-stop-shop for customers in need of household items on-demand, but to also connect our customers with the best products from small merchants in their cities. In turn, we could help small businesses expand their reach, meet new customers, and grow their business. With DashMarts nationwide, we already support over 400 local and regional producers/retailers.

In New York City, our commitment remains the same. With our launch of our first New York City DashMart, we're ensuring that we're making small businesses, and especially those owned by women and people of color, like Shaquanda Will Feed You, more accessible to consumers. DoorDash will also donate $100,000 to support Hot Bread Kitchen's mission to support women and people of color with stronger pathways to economic mobility.

This is just the beginning of the steps we're taking to start as we prioritize partnering locally and supporting New York businesses and business owners. We're bringing a wide range of products from beloved local restaurants and merchants into our DashMart inventory, with a goal of offering hundreds of locally produced items by next year.

Accelerating growth for New York's bodegas

Since day one, we've believed in the importance of small business and ensuring that local merchants are set up to succeed, particularly as customers continue to move online. In New York City, we're proud that over 400 local convenience stores/grocers are on our platform, connecting with new customers and growing their sales through delivery and other services we offer. We're in the process of exploring additional programming to support local bodegas by making it easy and affordable for bodegas to work with DoorDash if they choose.

In the coming months, we'll be expanding ultra-fast deliveries to select partners through partnerships with DashCorps, including bodegas, enabling these critical small businesses to continue innovating and growing. In addition, to ensure we're growing our offerings with feedback and guidance from those who know New York City business best, we are also announcing the New York Small Business Advisory Council, a group of small business owners and leaders from civic and small business organizations who can advise us on how DoorDash can best serve small businesses across New York City. We're proud to welcome Cindy Estrada of the New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Sam Pierre of the Hatian American Caucus, Lisa Sorin of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, and Youssef Mubarez of the Yemeni American Merchant Association as the first members of the Council, and we look forward to sharing more on additional members in the weeks to come.

As part of our commitment to New York's bodegas and small businesses, we're also proud to partner with the Yemeni American Merchant Association (YAMA), a leading and widely respected small business advocacy and social support organization in New York representing 6,000 Yemeni American owned bodegas. Together, we will partner on a comprehensive program to bring beloved local bodegas online through the DoorDash Marketplace, helping grow the exposure local bodegas have to customers. In addition, we will help equip bodegas with technology to grow their businesses through delivery, and work together on ongoing efforts to support local merchants, all with the goal of sustaining small businesses for the long term.

"New York City's bodegas have been the lifeblood of so many communities across all five boroughs," said Youssef Mubarez, YAMA Public Relations Director. "As technology advances, we want to help our members innovate alongside, and we're excited for the opportunity to partner with DoorDash in this way. Through our work together, we'll be able to arrive at more solutions that help bodegas meet the current moment, and move into the future with promise."

Offering more choices through DashCorps for people looking for work

Achieving ultra-fast delivery times inherently requires more structure and organization to ensure orders are fulfilled quickly and merchant and customer expectations are met. As a result, DashMart deliveries will be powered by DashCorps, which will hire local employees who will be paid an hourly wage starting at $15 per hour plus tips, and qualifying employees will receive benefits that traditionally come with employment, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as Employee Assistance Programs, Flexible Spending Accounts and commuter benefits, among others.

The work associated with powering instant delivery from DashMarts is fundamentally different from dashing, and it requires individuals looking for a different type of work. DashCorps employees will complete a variety of tasks beyond delivery, including shelf-stocking, customer support, and administrative work. They'll work set schedules, working an average of around 20 hours per week, with many working full-time; wear uniforms; report to a manager; and use a new app designed specifically for their unique work. While powering quick commerce from DashMarts is DashCorps' first offering, it will soon offer best-in-class quick commerce logistics services directly to other New York merchants - like bodegas - to help their businesses thrive.

Ensuring courier safety is also a critical component of the DashCorps business. In addition to providing courier employees with safety training and equipment, the new courier app will also integrate DoorDash's in-app safety toolkit, SafeDash, which we launched in New York City and several other markets last month and will be available across the country by the end of the year.

"Bike New York's mission is to empower bike riders and increase bike ridership, and a key part of that work is ensuring that bike riders feel safe and have the resources they need. DoorDash shares that commitment, and we commend them for prioritizing rider safety and embarking on this new offering responsibly," said Ken Podziba, President and CEO of Bike New York. "By working together on safety policies, building safety culture, and education and training - we can help ensure that riders have the skills they need to confidently navigate New York City streets on and off the job."

In addition, these 15-minute or less deliveries will be limited to a smaller radius from the DashMart location, reducing the distance required to travel and ensuring a familiar route for couriers. E-bikes will have a maximum speed capped at 20 miles per hour, and DashCorps will gather feedback from couriers on how to ensure the best delivery experience.

Our commitment to independent work

We are thrilled that DashCorps now offers this new employment option in New York City because we recognize that different workers have different needs at different times. Working as an employee courier for DashCorps may be best for someone looking for a reliable, consistent schedule and hourly earnings, responsibilities beyond delivery, and the structure that comes with employment. On the other hand, those who work as independent contractor Dashers on the DoorDash platform overwhelmingly value the flexibility to design their own schedule, enabling them to earn when, where, and for however long they want. This flexibility is why 90% of Dashers nationwide say they want to remain independent contractors, and we're steadfastly committed to protecting and strengthening this independent work.

As we have long believed, the binary choice between working as an employee or an independent contractor that current law provides for is outdated and doesn't reflect the needs of the modern workforce. Technology has introduced new types of work, and we're committed to working with policymakers, including those in New York, to find third way policy solutions that protect the independence of workers like Dashers, while guaranteeing new legal protections and benefits that are proportional to the amount that they choose to work, portable between work on different platforms, and flexible to meet their unique needs.

This announcement brings together much of what DoorDash has pursued since our founding: connecting customers to the best in their neighborhoods, providing new channels and resources for merchants to thrive, and providing economic opportunity for those who earn with our platform. We look forward to expanding our efforts in the coming months as we help drive opportunity and economic growth across all five boroughs and beyond.