Applying best-in-class technology bolstered by machine learning has strengthened ID verification as part of our four-step at-the-door compliance check
New Dasher App features like in-app compliance modules and Dash Preferences have made compliance resources easier for Dashers to access and increased uptake
We’ve tailored our product return order flow, including offering more direct guidance for Dashers on how to proceed if a fake ID has been detected, to help ensure they better understand compliance processes.
Today we are sharing updates on some of the latest steps we have taken to help ensure ordering alcohol with our platform meets the highest standards for safety.
When it comes to delivering alcohol, nothing is more important to DoorDash than safety. It’s why we’ve led the industry forward with a four-step compliance check at the door before a delivery may be completed, geofencing certain high-risk locations to pre-emptively block deliveries, and putting safeguards in place for Dashers that allow them always to return alcohol penalty-free and with additional pay if a delivery cannot be completed.
Partnership and collaboration are crucial to helping ensure safe and responsible delivery of alcohol. We were proud to join with organizations like the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) and sign on to the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) Global Standards Coalition to achieve our shared goals around promoting safety. We also regularly work with policymakers and regulators to ensure that our services meet the highest safety standards in the states where we operate.
Though we’re proud of our progress, we’re constantly looking for new ways to further strengthen our robust protocols and processes, and to continue to promote trust and confidence in the DoorDash platform when it comes to the responsible delivery of alcohol.
“We’re sending an unmistakable message when it comes to responsible alcohol delivery on DoorDash: safety comes first,” said Jacob Moriello, DoorDash's General Manager of Alcohol and Convenience. “We strive to make getting alcohol delivered even safer than a typical in-store transaction. We hope that these improvements will continue to allow us to lead the industry forward when it comes to responsible alcohol delivery and offer a best-in-class experience for everyone who uses our platform.”
“With more people than ever ordering alcohol for at-home delivery, this comprehensive approach from DoorDash prioritizes safety by using technology to keep drunk drivers off the road and alcohol out of the hands of minors,” said Leslie Kimball, Responsibility.org's Executive Director. “It is through policies and commitments from companies in this space in addition to community education and individual dedication to responsible consumption that we can help ensure an increase in alcohol responsibility across the board.”
Strengthening Checks At The Door
Central to our safety efforts on alcohol delivery is our ID verification process. Just like with any alcohol purchase, some underage people — while exceedingly rare — may try to use fake IDs to get alcohol delivered. Together with our third-party partner, we’ve implemented a more robust and sophisticated scanning technology nationwide to better detect fake IDs and further prevent unlawful deliveries. The scanning technology has improved to automatically analyze barcodes for many characteristics, from order of fields to barcode size and encoding, and deploys machine learning to instantly identify characteristics that do not match the expected format for a given state to help identify fakes. Customers who use IDs identified as fake are also blocked from placing future alcohol orders.
Even before checkout, consumers must attest to their understanding that a digital ID verification scan is required before a Dasher can complete the delivery. At the door, our enhanced process combines a physical and digital ID four-step check using this sophisticated scanning technology to analyze the customer’s ID and validate that the barcode is legitimate, as well as a physical check to ensure it does not display typical signs of fake IDs like texture or weight. Dashers are also required to check that the ID presented at the door matches the presenting consumer, and, as a final safeguard, Dashers must confirm that the consumer does not display any signs of intoxication. Only after all of these steps is a Dasher prompted to complete delivery.
Making Dasher Compliance Easier Than Ever
We understand the responsibility we have when it comes to facilitating alcohol deliveries, and have built processes, technologies, and resources to help Dashers understand their role too. We provide Dashers with a compliance module that contains best practices for managing alcohol deliveries, such as how to check for a valid ID and the typical signs of a fraudulent ID. The module also covers how to identify signs of intoxication to prevent deliveries to an intoxicated consumer and re-emphasize the risks and legal repercussions of doing so. Where required, Dashers must also pass a test at the end of the module before they will be offered opportunities to deliver alcohol.
We’re now making this process even easier for Dashers to access these resources. Compliance modules are now right in the Dasher App, and available for 100% of iOS and Android users of the Dasher App in states where alcohol delivery is allowed. Dashers can also now toggle their alcohol delivery preferences directly in the Dasher App to see what kinds of deliveries they are qualified for and easily access these resources if they want to be able to receive the kinds of orders that they want.
By making these resources easier to access, we have seen significant uptake from Dashers. From August through September 2024, there was a 229% increase in Dashers who received their certification to deliver alcohol in states where allowed compared to the same three-month period in the prior year.
Enhancing The Dasher Return Order Flow
If a Dasher ever finds themselves in a situation where a customer is visibly intoxicated or a fraudulent ID has been detected — however rare — we have put in place even more robust safeguards to assist them. These include providing direct prompts to alert them that a fraudulent ID has been scanned, offering immediate support for the Dasher, and making them aware of how to proceed in the situation to comply with law.
Importantly, if an alcohol delivery cannot be completed, Dashers are paid for the whole trip, including the original pay plus more for the return, and a Dasher’s ratings are not impacted if they cannot complete the delivery. Simply put: Dashers never have and never will have to choose between completing a delivery or complying with the law.
We want to be a resource for Dashers to help them feel comfortable while delivering alcohol, so if they have any questions before, during, or after a dash involving alcohol, we encourage them to get in touch with us through the Dasher App.
Ultimately, the responsible service of alcohol is much more than just compliance with the law – it is about helping to promote safety for everyone who uses our platform. We know there will always be more work to be done to help make sure that these deliveries are done as safely as possible.
To learn more about how we support the sale and delivery of alcohol responsibly and compliantly, visit our Help Center. Click here to be added to our voluntarily self-exclusion list to stop seeing alcohol via our Marketplace platform.
