The issue with Doordashing on campus
Even though dashers tend to drop off orders at the lunch drop-off table, some orders still end up delivered to the main office.
December 7, 2022
As Doordash and other food delivery apps rise in popularity, more students at Amador choose to order from restaurants and have their lunches delivered to them rather than eating lunch at Amador or bringing lunch.
Confusion and potential theft
Even though DoorDashing provides convenience, students run into problems when receiving orders.
“I Doordash lunch 1-2 times a week. While it’s easy, it’s annoying that usually the food gets dropped off at the main office instead of the drop-off table. It’s also hard to make sure that it arrives on time for lunch. If it’s too late then I won’t have time to eat it. If it’s too early it might get stolen.” said Gavin Wang (‘23).
Theft of drop-off orders is one of the main obstacles for students who Doordash their lunches. Students find strategies to prevent their orders from being stolen.
“I prevent my order from getting stolen by getting to the drop-off table a few minutes before the scheduled delivery time and waiting for my dasher. The best way to make sure the order doesn’t go missing is to have the dasher hand it to me in person.” said Anran Tan (‘25).
Lack of tipping
Food delivery drivers experience problems of their own. They struggle with poor treatment from their companies and the abuse of the free tipping system of the apps.
(Jiawen (Sarah) Yan)
“I definitely don’t get a lot of tips. Most students don’t tip at all, so it is really hard for me to make a profit because gas prices are so high. The tips I make can barely cover up for the money I spend on gas.” said dasher Natalia Garcia.
Students order food via their phones, violating the school’s phone policy in the process. They must leave class to pick up their orders, interrupting class time.
“Minimally, the class that it mostly affects is Access. I’m not against it in principle as long as it doesn’t take kids out of class. I don’t think it’s a particularly good use of money. But I understand it because the school lunch is less than desirable. I’ve had school lunch in my life and I’ve Doordashed as well.” said teacher Mr. Kushner.
