The Shit List / Delivery / DoorDash · full spec sheet · jump to the Wall ↓
Severity
35 / 100▼2
MODERATEpeak 40ranked #36 of 42people’s rank #26 · preview
Case 036 · Delivery · Admitted 2019
The Enshittification of DoorDash
The Enshittification of DoorDashDoorDash's pay and fee practices have drawn repeated regulatory action, beginning with a 2017-2019 model that used customer tips to offset guaranteed base pay, which led to settlements with the District of Columbia in 2020 and New York's attorney general in 2025. When dozens of cities capped restaurant commissions in 2021, the company added 'Regulatory Response Fees' to customer orders, and when New York City set a delivery worker minimum pay rate in 2023, it added new fees and moved the tipping prompt to after checkout. Analyses have found app orders cost substantially more than the same food in-restaurant once markups and stacked fees are included, and the company has expanded into advertising as an additional revenue stream.
First symptom
Jul 2019
Symptoms on file
9
Categories
3
Prognosis
Moderate
7 pricing · 1 ads · 1 features
Alternatives
The Paper Trail
| Date | Category | Symptom · rating · source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-07 | pricing | Tipping model changed after public outcryFollowing a New York Times report, CEO Tony Xu announced DoorDash would stop using customer tips to subsidize workers' guaranteed base pay, a model in place since 2017. Under the old system, a customer's tip often did not increase the courier's total earnings.↳ Fortune |
| 2020-03 | pricing | Analysis finds delivery orders cost up to 91% moreA New York Times analysis cited by TechCrunch found that an identical Subway order cost 46% more through DoorDash than in the restaurant, after menu markups, a delivery fee, a service fee, and higher sales tax. Competing apps showed total markups ranging from 25% to 91%.↳ TechCrunch |
| 2020-11 | pricing | $2.5 million settlement over tip practices in D.C.DoorDash settled a lawsuit by the District of Columbia attorney general alleging it misled consumers into believing tips would increase worker pay when tips instead subsidized DoorDash's own payments. The company paid $1.5 million to workers, $750,000 to the District, and $250,000 to charity.↳ CNBC |
| 2021-03 | pricing | 'Regulatory Response Fees' added in cities that capped commissionsAn NBC News investigation found DoorDash added flat surcharges of $1 to $2.50, often labeled a 'Regulatory Response Fee,' on customer orders in 57 of 68 jurisdictions that had capped its restaurant commissions. The fee revenue went directly to DoorDash.↳ NBC News |
| 2022-10 | ads | Advertising business expands across the appDoorDash announced an expansion of its advertising business, adding self-serve ad tools for consumer packaged goods brands and extending sponsored listings to more markets. The company said ads and promotions had generated $3 billion in sales for merchants over the prior year.↳ Marketing Brew |
| 2023-11 | features | Warning screens shown to customers who don't tipDoorDash confirmed it was testing a pop-up telling customers that orders with no tip might take longer to be delivered, asking 'are you sure you want to continue?' The prompt appeared when users selected a zero tip at checkout.↳ CNN |
| 2023-12 | pricing | Tipping removed from checkout and new fee added in NYCAfter New York City's minimum pay rate for delivery workers took effect, DoorDash and Uber Eats removed the tipping prompt from checkout, allowed tips only after delivery, and added a new fee to each order. The city's consumer protection agency later said the changes cost workers hundreds of millions in tips.↳ Good Morning America (ABC News) |
| 2025-02 | pricing | New York secures $16.75 million over withheld tipsThe New York attorney general announced DoorDash would pay $16.75 million in restitution to roughly 63,000 delivery workers for using customer tips to offset guaranteed base pay between May 2017 and September 2019. The settlement also required transparency in pay breakdowns for workers and customers.↳ New York Attorney General |
| 2026-01 | pricing | Court declines to block NYC tip-prompt law DoorDash sued overDoorDash and Uber failed to win a pause of a New York City law requiring delivery apps to prompt customers with a default tip suggestion of at least 10% at or before checkout. The companies had sued to block the rules, which followed their 2023 removal of checkout tipping.↳ Insurance Journal (Bloomberg) |
The Wall
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<a href="https://enshittification.xyz/doordash"><img src="https://enshittification.xyz/badge/doordash.svg" alt="DoorDash on the Enshittification Index"></a>The Enshittification Index · 42 case files · no source, no entry · updated Jun 2026
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