DoorDash Drivers Will Now Scan IDs When Delivering Alcohol
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One concern raised by at-home alcohol delivery is that it can facilitate underage drinking. In theory, at a store, a trained staff member can vet a buyer's ID before approving the sale whereas, with delivery, the purchase has already been made and verifying the age of the recipient may be less of a priority. But as local restaurant and grocery delivery services have become more commonplace, having alcohol sent to your home is easier than ever before – and recently, DoorDash has announced steps to make their ID verification more stringent to assure their customers are adhering to the law.
To order alcohol, DoorDash customers have always had to upload a valid photo ID to the app. But previously, delivery drivers were only required to compare the photo on that ID to the recipient of the order. Now, DoorDash will be using a new "enhanced dual ID verification" policy where the company's Dashers will instead have to scan the front of a customer's ID again in person before handing off any alcohol.
The policy change is either similar to or stronger than DoorDash's competitors. On its website, the grocery delivery service Instacart says they "will verify your age and scan the front and/or back of your ID when they deliver" alcohol. Meanwhile, according to the websites for Uber Eats and Grubhub – both of which are more similar in scope to DoorDash – their drivers are only required to check customers' IDs to verify that they are 21 or older. All four services say they cannot deliver alcohol to anyone who is visibly intoxicated. (Grubhub's site says they currently only allow alcohol sales in two places: Cook County, Illinois, and New York State.)
DoorDash says they've already tested the new system in major cities like Dallas, Detroit, Miami, Phoenix, Portland, and Seattle, and now they are rolling it out nationwide. The company says users will be reminded of the new policy — that they will have to meet the driver at the door with a valid ID — when they place their order.
"At DoorDash, safety is a top priority and our goal is to deliver alcohol in the safest and most responsible way possible," said Erik Ragotte, the company's general manager of alcohol. "With today's announcement of two-step or dual ID verification, we're setting a new industry standard for responsible alcohol delivery. The new safety measures will help ensure alcohol is delivered to people over the age of 21. We will continue to innovate and find even more ways to promote responsible alcohol delivery."
In announcing the new policy, DoorDash included some interesting facts about the financial impact of alcohol delivery. The brand stated that restaurants and grocers that add alcohol can see their order values jump by up to 30 percent while convenience stores can see sales increase by over 50 percent. DoorDash also said that, in the final quarter of 2021, American Dashers averaged almost 30 percent more in earnings on deliveries that included alcohol.
