DoorDash Basic vs Plus vs Premier: Which Plan Should Your Restaurant Pick?

The commission changes, and so does how far DoorDash shows your store and how much the customer pays for delivery. Here's what DoorDash lists for each plan right now:

Source: DoorDash pricing page. The guarantee and intro rates have conditions in the footnotes.

So the real decision is about reach. Each step up buys a bigger delivery area and a cheaper checkout for the customer. You're deciding whether that reach is worth 10 more points (Basic to Plus), and then another 5 (Plus to Premier).

DashPass is the first reason. Only plans at 25% and up can reach DashPass members, and only those plans let you aim a campaign at them. DoorDash says DashPass members order twice as often and spend 2.5 times more than non-members. That's DoorDash's claim, but either way Basic leaves you out of that audience completely.

The second reason is the radius. Basic keeps you local, and I've seen it stall a store. A Yemeni coffee house we worked with in Atlanta was sitting on Basic, and its DoorDash sales went flat until we moved it up.

Think about it this way. On a $30 order, Basic takes $4.50 and Plus takes $7.50, so Plus costs you $3 more per order. If the wider reach and DashPass bring in enough extra orders to cover that, Plus pays for itself. A low commission on very few orders doesn't add up to much.

For a short stretch, maybe. DoorDash's own pricing page pitches Basic to stores that are new to delivery and want to get operations running smoothly first. Errors and bad ratings feed DoorDash's algorithm, so if your kitchen can't keep up yet, a smaller reach keeps volume down while you fix prep times and packing.

Once orders go out clean, move up to Plus. Staying on Basic to save on commission is how stores end up flat for months without knowing why.

Rarely, especially in dense areas. Most of Premier's extras are a marketing trick. The pitch is that your customers pay lower fees. But someone pays for those lower fees, and it's you, through the extra 5 points of commission. They're passing on the customer fees over to you.

Look at the rest of the list. The order guarantee refunds your commission in a month you get fewer than 20 orders, which only matters for a store that barely sells. The $200 styling credit is a one-time thing. The perk I do value is the sponsored listing boost. In my experience, DoorDash also saves its sponsored listing credits for new stores and stores on the 30% plan.

Premier can make sense when:

• You're running sponsored listings anyway, and the boost and credits cover the extra 5 points. Check it on a full month of numbers.
• You've negotiated the Premier perks at a lower rate. More on that below.
• Your area is spread out, and the widest range adds customers your kitchen can actually serve well.

If none of those fit, stay on Plus.

Push back on the rep. When an owner says no to Premier, reps often keep "the underlying benefits… but the commission number will scale back from 30% to like 25% or 26%. They do this all the time."

Make it a trade. What I say to reps is: "We'll run these campaigns and we'll run this much sponsored listing daily spend, but you need to give us a better deal on our commission rate." Keep in mind the rep works for DoorDash, not for you. Get the final rate in writing and check it on your next statement. If you can't get a rep on the phone in the first place, here's how to reach a human at DoorDash.

DoorDash lets you switch plans any time in the Merchant Portal, with no contract and no penalty. Changes take up to five business days to go through, and DoorDash suggests running a plan for two to three weeks before switching (DoorDash pricing page). I'd give it longer. This is how I do it:

1. Switch at the start of a month, so the new plan gets a clean full month.
2. Write down last month's numbers on the old plan: sales, orders and payout ratio.
3. Change nothing else that month. No new campaigns, no price changes. One change at a time, or you won't know what moved the number.
4. Judge it on the full month. The algorithm swings day to day. Compare orders and payout, not only sales, and do the month-over-month math yourself instead of trusting the dashboard's "vs 7 days prior."
5. Moving down from Plus? Check any campaign aimed at DashPass customers. Basic can't target them.

If the bigger question is whether DoorDash is paying off at all, run the test in is DoorDash worth it for restaurants first.

Whatever plan you land on, price your menu for it. The markup parity calculator shows what your prices need at your actual commission. If you're choosing a plan for a store that isn't on the apps yet, should a new restaurant join DoorDash, Uber Eats or Grubhub covers the decisions before you sign.

Which DoorDash plan is best for restaurants?

Plus, at 25% per delivery order, for most restaurants. It adds a wider delivery radius and access to DashPass members, which Basic doesn't have. Premier, at 30%, adds extras that rarely justify the extra 5 points.

What is the difference between DoorDash Basic and Plus?

Basic charges 15% per delivery order and lists you to nearby customers. Plus charges 25% and adds a wider delivery radius, a lower delivery fee for customers and access to DashPass members. Pickup is 6% on both.

Is DoorDash Premier worth it?

Rarely. Premier costs 30% and adds the widest range, a DoorDash-managed sponsored listing, a $200 styling credit and a 20-order guarantee. The lower customer fees are paid for by your higher commission. Ask the rep for Premier perks at 25% or 26% instead.

Can I change my DoorDash plan at any time?

Yes. DoorDash lets you switch plans in the Merchant Portal with no contract or penalty, and changes take up to five business days. Switch at the start of a month and judge the new plan on a full month of numbers.

Can I negotiate my DoorDash commission rate?

Often, yes. Reps frequently keep Premier's benefits while dropping the commission to 25% or 26%. Offer committed campaigns and sponsored listing spend in return, and check the rate on your next statement.

Not sure which plan your store is on, or whether it's the right one? Send me your last full month from DoorDash and I'll tell you what I'd change and what I'd ask your rep for. Plan and rate checks are part of the audit we run in the first two weeks of every campaign management engagement. Get in touch here.