Customers across 20 states and the District of Columbia can now order wine, beer, or spirits for on-demand delivery or pickup from thousands of restaurants, grocery stores, and retailers
DoorDash announced today it is facilitating the delivery of beer, wine, and spirits via the DoorDash Marketplace, across 20 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada and Australia, reaching over 100 million customers worldwide. Customers in select markets, where legally permissible, can toggle to the Alcohol tab of the DoorDash app to browse and safely order from a wide selection of drinks from restaurants, grocery stores, local retailers, and convenience stores. This news follows a multi-year journey of fulfilling alcohol on-demand delivery for many national and local merchants via their own channels with DoorDash Drive, DoorDash’s white-label fulfillment service.
“Over the past year, many cities where we operate evolved their legislation in order to permit the delivery of alcohol to residents’ homes. Over that time, we worked tirelessly to build a trusted alcohol ordering and delivery experience for merchants, customers and Dashers,” said Caitlin Macnamara, Director, Alcohol Strategy & Operations at DoorDash. “We’re committed to providing new earning opportunities for merchants and Dashers, a safe, high quality experience for customers, and being a responsible leader in compliant alcohol delivery.”
DoorDash is proud to offer a wide selection of beverages for all special occasions. In an effort to create a seamless alcohol ordering experience for customers, DoorDash has built an alcohol catalogue including 30,000 SKUs available for purchase across thousands of retailers and restaurants nationally, whether it’s to-go drinks from a favorite local restaurant or a celebratory champagne from a nearby local store. Additionally, with the recent roll out of DoubleDash, customers in select markets can now bundle alcohol with their restaurant meal on certain orders.
Creating Opportunities for Restaurants and Retailers to Grow Online
According to a recent Nielsen report, alcohol is the fastest growing e-commerce vertical across all consumer packaged goods, and many retailers and restaurants on DoorDash see increased sales due to the reach and visibility of the DoorDash Marketplace. Today, according to the National Restaurant Association, 56 percent of customers over the age of 21 say they would be likely to order alcoholic beverages if they were offered them as part of a food delivery order from a restaurant.
On DoorDash, adding alcohol may increase restaurants’ and grocers’ average order values by up to 30% and convenience stores by over 50%. This is why DoorDash stands with restaurants in actively supporting legislation that enables restaurants to offer alcoholic beverages and thus expand their sales through delivery. DoorDash has worked closely with local governments to ensure that restaurant partners can add alcohol to their delivery menus and benefit from increased sales that it brings.
“We’re excited to expand our online business to reach guests in new ways and create special moments at home,” said Laura LaVigne, Director of Marketing at Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar. “It’s great to have the option to add handcrafted cocktails, a four-pack of our craft house beer, or wine to any celebration or casual meal as part of our partnership with DoorDash.”
Committing to the Responsible, Compliant and Safe Delivery of Alcohol
DoorDash is committed to building a product that can support the complexities and responsibilities that come with the delivery of alcohol. DoorDash has enhanced the industry standard in implementing several safeguards within its product, including:
- Rigorous ID verification prior to checkout and multiple ID check points along the delivery to ensure customers are of legal age;
- More on the company’s ID verification processes and other restrictions on alcohol delivery can be found here;
- A compliance course available to Dashers 21 years or older to ensure Dashers are aware of the laws around the delivery of alcohol, and regular communication with Dashers across the timespan of a delivery to remind them of the proper protocols for lawful delivery;
- Enabling customers to voluntarily exclude themselves from receiving alcohol orders from DoorDash. An exclusion from alcohol delivery will also exclude persons from direct marketing communication surrounding alcohol-related promos. Click here to submit an exclusion request;
- Additional support and resources related to alcohol consumption can be accessed anytime, here.
To reinforce these commitments, DoorDash is proud to announce partnerships with two organizations – Responsibility.org and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) – aimed at promoting alcohol responsibility and preventing under age drinking. The company has partnered with Responsibility.org, a national not-for-profit that aims to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking and empower adults to make a lifetime of responsible alcohol choices as part of a balanced lifestyle. Responsibility.org will help DoorDash continue to advance its corporate responsibility initiatives surrounding alcohol delivery, provide guidance for future product builds based on their industry-leading research and provide shared resources surrounding responsible decision making with DoorDash customers. Additionally, DoorDash has teamed up with Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) in order to open the dialogue around preventing under age drinking through marketplace purchases. DoorDash has also partnered with Retail Drinks Australia and Drinkwise in Australia to further expand our commitment to responsible service of alcohol in other countries.
“We are proud to work alongside DoorDash to strengthen responsibility efforts in our communities and on our roadways by providing guidance and proven resources to help prevent impaired driving and underage drinking,” said Chris Swonger, President & CEO, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and Responsibility.org. “Whether you’re a Dasher, a restaurant employee, or a customer – we are all stronger when we’re united by a commitment to a culture of alcohol responsibility.”
