DoorDash debuts grocery delivery

DoorDash continues expanding on its core on-demand restaurant delivery offering with a new grocery service.

The on-demand delivery platform, which opened its own online convenience stores earlier in August and introduced delivery from convenience stores in April, is partnering with grocery stores across the country to launch grocery delivery for the first time. Customers in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego and the Central Coast in California can order from Smart & Final.

In addition, Meijer and Fresh Thyme are available to customers in Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Indianapolis. In the coming weeks, DoorDash will add selection across the country with grocers such as Hy-Vee, Gristedes / D’Agostino and more, ultimately providing more than 75 million Americans access to a grocery store via DoorDash. All DoorDash grocery deliveries have a contactless option.

Customers will be able to place grocery orders on DoorDash with no scheduling, queues or waiting required. More than 10,000 grocery items, from dairy and eggs to local produce to fresh meat and fish, will be available for delivery from participating grocery stores in less than one hour. Customers can also order ready-to-heat or ready-to-eat meals from select grocery partners including Wegmans, Hy-Vee, Gelson’s, Kowalski’s, Big Y World Class Markets, Food City, Village Supermarkets, Save Mart, Lucky, Lucky California, and Coborn’s.

In addition, DoorDash is including all of its grocery partners in its DashPass subscription service that offers members unlimited free delivery fees and reduced service fees. This new service builds on the existing DoorDash Drive offering, a white-label fulfillment product which has supported direct delivery for national, regional and local grocery chains including Walmart, Hy-Vee, and Coborn’s.

As online grocery sales have surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of retailers are extending their business into on-demand delivery of grocery items. These include fast-casual retailers Denny’s, McDonald’s Australia, Subway, and Panera.