DoorDash Pressures McDonald’s With Slowness Fee

In the ongoing power struggle between restaurant aggregators and the merchants on their platforms, DoorDash has found a new way to get the results it wants out of its restaurants.

The aggregator will begin to impose higher fees on McDonald’s restaurants that prepare orders more slowly, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

The food delivery giant is lowering its starting rate for the quick-service restaurant (QSR) brand to 11.6% (or 14.1% for DashPass members) from 15.5%, the report stated. If a location keeps drivers waiting, however, the rate could go as high as 17.6% (or 20.1% for DashPass subscribers). Additionally, the QSR’s locations will now have to cover refunds related to errors made by the store after a set number of complaints.

A move to raise commissions on slow orders could help the delivery service make up for the cost of having an on-the-clock driver wait around to collect the consumer’s order. For restaurants, however, challenges completing orders on time are to be expected, given the ongoing labor shortages facing the industry, leaving many locations not only short-staffed but also often staffed with employees with less experience.

While many of restaurants’ labor challenges are out of their control, there are digital tools that can help keep operations running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.