By Marissa Kaplan, Strategy & Operations Manager
At DoorDash, we’re all about speed. We work to optimize the entire delivery experience to help users get their meals as quickly as possible: from the DoorDash mobile app, to vehicle types, to restaurant integrations, and more. Of course, we’ve also found that the laws of physics just can’t be changed: if you live 8 miles from your favorite restaurant, it will still take a car, electric bicycle, or robot at least 8 minutes to drive from the restaurant to your home. And if you live 18 miles from your favorite taqueria, we won’t even offer delivery since we don’t feel confident we can bring it to you warm and fresh from that far away. If only there was a way to move the restaurant closer to you…
Well, we’ve found a way. Today we’re announcing the pilot launch of DoorDash Kitchens, the first step in a new project to set up commissary kitchens for DoorDash restaurants across the country. To kick it off, we’re starting with Little Star Pizza, one of our most loved Bay Area restaurants and the first take part in this brand new delivery-only concept, with the launch of “The Star,” in San Jose. Following the Northern California pilot, we hope to expand DoorDash Kitchens to other markets in the months to come.
Little Star, with locations in San Francisco and the East Bay, offers both Chicago-style deep dish and thin crust pizza made with its signature cornmeal crust. About 20% of Little Star’s revenue comes from delivery and take-out orders, but on some nights that percentage can be as high as 70%. They know the power of delivery and have been eager to expand to other parts of the Bay Area.
With DoorDash Kitchens, restaurants like Little Star are able to test news concepts in a new city, without the overhead and upfront costs of opening an entire restaurant. Meanwhile, customers in the area get to order from a local favorite exclusively on DoorDash, without having to drive far out of their way. And for restaurants that may already operate in that city, DoorDash Kitchens offers additional capacity to kitchens that are overloaded by demand for delivery.
DoorDash is the first delivery platform in the US to launch commissary kitchens, and we’re excited to expand to more cities next year. As we continue investing in projects like DoorDash Kitchens, we’re excited to help create an experience on DoorDash where proximity will no longer get in the way of ordering from your favorite restaurants.
Bringing Restaurants Even Closer to Your Door with DoorDash Kitchens was originally published in DoorDash on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.