What is the best time to DoorDash? Understanding the best time to DoorDash is one of the most important things to figure out if you want to maximize your delivery earnings. I’ve been delivering with DoorDash for over 5 years and regularly earn $30 or more per hour when I’m working. I’m able to maximize my earnings by strategically working during the best hours.
So what is the best time to DoorDash? The answer is fairly straightforward. In general, you want to focus on doing DoorDash during peak hours, specifically during the lunch and dinner hours (which is when the most people are placing orders on DoorDash). However, like with anything, there’s always some nuance you need to consider.Â
In this post, we’ll look at the best time to DoorDash and how those times might change depending on what day you’re working. Hopefully, the information and tactics in this post can help you maximize your DoorDash delivery earnings.
The Best Time To DoorDash
As with any food delivery or gig economy app, you can only make money when you’re working. Unlike a regular hourly job where it might be advantageous to have nothing to do, with DoorDash, you always want to be busy because if you’re sitting around doing nothing, you’re also not making any money. As a result, it’s important to work at the correct times, when the most orders will be coming in.Â
As you can probably expect, the busiest times for DoorDash typically coincide with when people eat – specifically during lunch and dinner hours. That means, in general, you want to aim to work during the lunch and dinner rushes, typically from 11 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to 8 pm. With my schedule, I typically aim to work during the lunch hour, since that’s when I’m usually free. Most days, I do very well working over lunch.Â
While lunch and dinner are when most people should work, it can sometimes make sense to look at other times too. However, this will mainly depend on your schedule and where you live. Not all of us have schedules that let us work at the very best times, so if your only option is to work during non-peak hours, you have to work with what you have.
In my experience, working early in the morning (during breakfast hours) usually isn’t worthwhile. I’ve rarely had busy mornings delivering for DoorDash and think that most people should avoid working before lunch.Â
For some people, working during the late night hours could be worthwhile. However, I also tend to avoid working late at night since most restaurants are closed and the only restaurants open are usually fast food restaurants that make you go through the drive-through line.Â
In sum, the best time to work on DoorDash will usually be during the lunch and dinner hours. For most people, the dinner rush will probably be busier, but depending on where you live, the lunch rush can be the more lucrative one.
The Best Days To DoorDashÂ
In addition to the hours that you work, picking the right days to work matters too. There are some days that will be busier than others and the best time and places to work may differ depending on what day it is.Â
In general, this is what I’ve noticed when it comes to the best days to DoorDash:
- During weekdays, the lunch and dinner rush is usually the best time to work. During the lunch rush, I recommend sticking to busy urban areas, primarily in downtown areas with offices. During the dinner rush, busy residential areas will usually be the busiest (think hip, young professional neighborhoods or college campuses).Â
- On weekends, I find that demand is generally steady throughout the day, although the dinner hours will usually be the busiest.
- For late-night delivery, I recommend working on weekends, primarily on Friday and Saturday nights. These are usually the days when people are up late and still ordering food.
- In my experience, Mondays and Tuesdays are typically the slowest days of the week for DoorDash. It’s not clear why this is, but I think it’s that people are starting the work week and aren’t “treating” themselves to delivery the way they do towards the end of the week.
- Big events where people are at home watching TV are typically good for DoorDash drivers. You’ll usually find things are busier during large sporting events, awards shows, or similar types of events where people are in front of the TV and ordering food with a group of people.
- Most holidays tend to be slow. The major holidays especially will always be slow (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc). Summer holidays such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day also tend to be slow (people are either on vacation or are grilling food at home, rather than ordering delivery).
In short, the time and the day that you work matter. Stick to working during lunch and dinner hours and consider what day it is to determine whether you’re working at the best possible time.
Final ThoughtsÂ
When you work is important. DoorDash isn’t a normal job – you need to think like a business and be strategic about when you work. Simply turning on the app and working like it’s a regular job isn’t going to be the best way to earn money with DoorDash.
I usually stick to working during lunch hours, mainly because I’m at home with my family during the dinner rush and lunchtime is when I have the availability to work. During weekends, I can usually make solid money at any time, even during the middle of the afternoon (people seem to order more randomly during the weekend), although the dinner rush tends to be the best time to work on weekends.
Hopefully, this post was helpful to you. For some additional strategies to maximize your DoorDash earnings, check out this post I wrote: How To Make $500 A Week With DoorDash.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:
- GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
- Himiway Escape Bike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Bike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks, $100 cash reward, 1 stock of Tesla or Google) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 3 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Webull (24 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 24 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- GO2Bank ($100) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $100 referral bonus.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($750) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Fifth Third Bank ($225) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
- Netspend ($40 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $40 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link.Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($35) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $35 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $750 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- DCU. Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a savings account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000.
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
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