Doordash Opens Waitlist For AI Food Ordering By Text
DoorDash is previewing an AI agent that can suggest meals and handle orders by text, while also announcing drone delivery tests and a wider retail returns service.
DoorDash has announced an AI agent designed to let customers order food through a text conversation instead of opening its app. People in the US can now join a waitlist to try the feature, though it is not yet available for general use, according to The Verge.
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Ordering through a conversation
The agent is intended to understand requests such as “order my usual,” recommend local options and assemble a suggested cart. TechCrunch reports that a customer could ask for a particular dish or a recommendation, then receive suggestions and photos of the food by text. DoorDash says the agent can also put together group orders with different dietary preferences and quantities.
The Verge says the feature builds on Ask DoorDash, an AI chatbot introduced in the company’s app in June. The new experience would move recommendations, cart building and checkout into a message thread. DoorDash also says it will learn customers’ preferences and remember them for later orders, according to The Verge.
The reports describe the announcement differently: TechCrunch calls it a launch through Apple Messages and says DoorDash has opened a US waitlist. The Verge emphasizes that text ordering remains a preview, with iOS users able to join a waitlist for a beta rather than place orders through the feature now. The Verge says it has asked DoorDash about the rollout schedule and Android availability.
Drone delivery tests in Northern California
Alongside the AI announcement, DoorDash said it will test delivery drones with select restaurants in Northern California, TechCrunch reports. The Verge identifies Chipotle and Popeyes among the participating food businesses, but says DoorDash has not specified the pilot’s exact location or when consumers will be able to use the service.
According to The Verge, DoorDash estimates that about 80 percent of typical restaurant orders are light and small enough for the aircraft to carry safely. The company also says food has reached customers’ doors within five minutes in initial testing; that is a test result, not an announced delivery time for a consumer service.
Retail returns to expand
DoorDash is also expanding a service that lets customers pay its couriers to return eligible items to local retailers. The Verge reports that the option, currently limited to select cities, will expand across the US in November. Scheduling an eligible return costs $7.99, and customers do not need a box or shipping label: a courier collects the item and takes it back to the store.
TechCrunch frames text ordering as DoorDash’s attempt to distinguish itself from Uber Eats and Grubhub as companies explore AI agents that can complete tasks without requiring customers to navigate an app or website. For now, the waitlist marks the opportunity to try that approach, not a broad release.
Sources
This story was compiled by AI from the reports below. Read the originals for the full details.