After just one month in the Australian marketplace, DoorDash has been accused of falsely signing up restaurants to the platform.
Currently operating in Melbourne, two cafe owners told the Sydney Morning Herald their businesses had been listed on DoorDash without their knowledge.
E-Gene Soh from Jack B Nimble cafe and Luke Lucas from Foddies Cafe were both unaware their venues were live on DoorDash, and said they only realised once they received a call from a DoorDash representative telling them a delivery driver was on the way to pick up an order.
It’s reported DoorDash drivers paid for the meals themselves before leaving the cafes. “There is no contract,” says Soh. “I am worried about a customer getting our food and if it is cold or they get sick I am not sure who is responsible.”
Soh and Lucas received numerous emails from DoorDash asking them to join the service, with both owners electing not to sign up.
“We were hounded for months … but never agreed to it,” says Lucas. “We don’t use delivery services as it is and aren’t interested in starting with new or existing ones.”
DoorDash has responded to the claims and confirmed Melbourne venues have been listed on the platform without their knowledge, with drivers acting as couriers for customers.
Australian GM Thomas Stephens said drivers have an allocated card to pay for orders and that restaurants can request to be removed from the listings.
The delivery sector is notoriously competitive, with Australia’s marketplace currently dominated by UberEats, Deliveroo and Menulog.
When DoorDash entered the marketplace in September, it claimed “thousands of restaurants will be available for delivery through DoorDash”, however Stephens declined to disclose the number of venues that had signed up to the SMH.
The GM said the platform is currently “actively seeking out restaurants to better understand their needs and move forward in helping them grow”.