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How Do I Communicate With Dashers as a Merchant?

You can communicate with Dashers by setting clear pickup instructions, monitoring arrival alerts, and leaving feedback in the Merchant Portal or on your DoorDash Tablet. This article walks you through each task step by step, so you can help orders move smoothly — from pickup to delivery.

Mar 25, 2026
3 min read
Mx learning Center - Dasher Relations

How do I set Dasher pickup instructions?

Clear pickup instructions help Dashers find your store quickly and avoid delays. To set up pickup instructions:

  1. Log in to the Merchant Portal

  2. Select Settings from the left navigation

  3. Click Account Settings

  4. Scroll to Dasher Pickup Instructions

  5. Next to Default Instructions, select Edit

Mx - Portal - Pickup Settings

Choose how Dashers should pick up orders

When editing instructions, you can select from several options for when a Dasher enters your store, including:

  • Store walk-ins

  • Pickup window or entrance

  • Curbside pickup

  • Drive-thru

  • Other

After selecting an option, you can add more detail, including:

  • Tips for parking

  • Instructions for inside your store

  • Additional notes

You can also add dynamic instructions, which appear only for active orders and temporarily override your default instructions.

How do I know when a Dasher is arriving?

When a Dasher is about five minutes away, your DoorDash Tablet alerts your staff so you can prepare for pickup.

Here's what to expect:

  • A full-screen yellow alert appears on the tablet

  • You'll hear a chime that's different from the new order sound

  • Inside the order, you'll see a countdown showing how many minutes away the Dasher is

If a new order arrives at the same time as a Dasher, the tablet prioritizes the new order alert sound.

Mx - Learning Center - ORS - Dasher On The Way

How do I turn off the Dasher arrival alert?

If you don't want to receive the five-minute arrival notification, you can turn it off at any time:

  1. On your DoorDash Tablet, tap Settings

  2. Scroll to Alert when Dasher is arriving

  3. Turn the toggle to Off

Mx - Learning Center - ORS - Settings

How do I leave Dasher feedback on a delivery?

Mx - Tablet - Rate Dasher

Providing feedback helps recognize great Dashers and address issues when they arise. To leave feedback on a past or live delivery:

  1. Once an order has been completed, you will be prompted to rate your Dasher on your DoorDash Tablet

  2. Choose one of the following:

    • Good

    • Needs Improvement

    • Block Dasher

If you select Needs Improvement, you can:

  • Mark specific issues under Dasher issues (for example, unprofessional behavior)

  • Leave comments with additional details

If an issue is severe, you can also select Do not offer this Dasher future deliveries from this location.

If needed, you can also select Block Dasher, choose a reason, and leave a comment. Keep in mind that blocking a Dasher reduces the overall pool of Dashers available to your store. Use this option only in serious situations.

How can I rate a Dasher in the Merchant Portal?

  1. Go to Orders and select the History tab

  2. Select the completed delivery

  3. Click on Rate dasher

Mx - Portal - Completed Order - Rate Dasher

How can I improve the Dasher pickup experience?

Improving the pickup experience helps reduce wait times and order issues. Here are practical ways to streamline Dasher pickups:

  • Designate a clear pickup area: Use signage and warming equipment to keep orders organized and fresh

  • Ask Dashers to identify themselves: Confirm their name, order details, and delivery platform when they arrive

  • Have staff hand off orders: Avoid self-service to reduce missing items

  • Use a consistent order-check process: For example, highlight items on receipts before sealing bags

  • Set accurate prep times: Adjust prep times based on kitchen workload so Dashers arrive at the right moment

  • Monitor performance trends: Review metrics like Dasher wait time, missing items, and customer ratings in the Merchant Portal

  • Encourage proper equipment: Ask Dashers to use hot bags and ensure orders are sealed

  • Build positive relationships: Familiarity with regular Dashers can help resolve issues faster when something goes wrong

Author

Merchant Learning

Merchant Learning

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This tablet feature will let you know how long Dashers have been waiting at your store to pick up an order. During busy moments when you may be running a bit behind, this timer can help you prioritize which orders to focus on.

On that note, we will show a Dasher is waiting as soon as they arrive.

If you are running late and the merchant-confirmed prep time has already lapsed (Ready), these late orders will show Dasher waiting for [Xm XXs]. The Dasher wait will align with your avoidable wait time, and the timer will continue to increase as each second passes.

If you want to reduce your wait time, head over to How to Reduce Avoidable Wait Time.

Any ready order not picked up by the Dasher yet will show the wait duration until they have swiped Picked Up on their Dasher app.

Here are some important definitions:

“Dasher Waiting” Status
To ensure the Dasher has arrived at the store, they are considered ‘Waiting’ (on the left side of the screen) if the Dasher has swiped on their app that they have arrived and the Dasher is within 100 meters of the store. Both conditions must be met, and the “waiting” status starts when the latter of the two events occurs.

Timer Trigger
To start the timer (Dasher waiting for Xm XXs), the above two “Dasher Waiting” criteria must be met, and the current time must be greater (later) than your confirmed ready time.

Timer Reset
If a waiting Dasher unassigns from an order, the timer will reset, and the required events for the next Dasher will be used.

If a Dasher arrives at a store and it is closed, DoorDash enables the Dasher to report the store as closed via their Dasher app. To be able to report a store as closed, a Dasher must be within a close radius (i.e., the “geo-fence”) of your store, and the store must not have had any recent DoorDash activity (e.g., pick-ups, order confirmations).

We also require the Dasher to submit a photo of the closed store, which is then later reviewed by our internal teams.

The store closure report will impact your store in the following ways:

  1. One closed store report results in an order cancellation.

  2. Two consecutive closed store events (i.e., no completed deliveries in between) result in a robocall to the store. If the store confirms it is closed or doesn’t pick up, the store will be deactivated until 4:00 am, and outstanding orders will be canceled. A deactivation email will be sent to the contact(s) listed for the store.

This program aims to preserve the quality of experience for our mutual Customers and the Dashers. Here’s more information on what to do if your restaurant is temporarily deactivated.

Dashers play a critical role in your business and community. Like you, they are human, have bad days, get stressed, and sometimes feel overwhelmed. Get to know them and build your relationship, as you’ll probably see them often and probably relate to the issues you deal with.