DoorDash officially announced on Tuesday the rollout of a new creator program designed to compensate users for producing short-form video content within its app. Alongside this initiative, the delivery giant introduced “Going Out,” a service offering in-store rewards for dine-in experiences, and a suite of advanced AI-driven features to enhance user personalization.
Short-Form Video Content for Discovery
The creator program allows users to record and post short videos of meals from local restaurants, providing customers with a visual preview before they place an order. This move mirrors strategies seen in other platforms, such as Uber Eats, which began testing a TikTok-style video feed last year to boost restaurant discovery.
Currently, residents in 20 U.S. cities—including Austin, Atlanta, Miami, and San Francisco—can now apply to become a DoorDash Creator. While the company has not yet disclosed the specific monetization model for these videos, it confirmed plans to expand the program to additional cities by the end of the year.
“Going Out” Rewards and Restaurant Reservations
DoorDash is also scaling its “Going Out” feature, which enables DashPass members to earn rewards when dining at local restaurants. The feature aims to bridge the gap between delivery and physical dining experiences.
“With Going Out, you can find and redeem exclusive in-app offers when you dine in and earn rewards just for coming back,” said Parisa Sadrzadeh, vice president of strategy and operations. According to the company, users have seen an average of $9 in value per order when utilizing these offers. The feature is currently available at thousands of restaurants across the U.S. and Australia, with temporary access granted to all consumers, not just DashPass members.
Furthermore, an integration with SevenRooms—a company acquired by DoorDash earlier this year—now allows users to book restaurant reservations directly within the app.
AI-Driven Personalization and Smart Tagging
The update introduces significant artificial intelligence enhancements to the user experience. The app’s homepage now features personalized recommendations tailored to individual order history, budget, dietary restrictions, location, and time of day.
To streamline the shopping process, DoorDash has implemented two new AI tools:
- Complement your Cart: A checkout-page feature that suggests relevant additions to grocery orders, helping users complete their lists more efficiently.
- AI Smart Tags: These tags appear on restaurant menus, allowing users to filter dishes based on specific attributes such as “high-protein,” “vegetarian,” or “gluten-free.”
“We use every piece of information—customer reviews, merchant text, and photos—to infer attributes about items,” explained Austin Haugen, DoorDash’s VP of product. These smart tags are currently rolling out to users in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Additionally, the app has expanded its comparison tool, allowing users to browse nearby stores, view delivery estimates, and compare prices for electronics, beauty products, and pet supplies in a single interface, extending functionality previously reserved for alcohol delivery.