How To Make $1000 A Week With DoorDash

Make $1000 A Week With DoorDash? Is that possible? Earning $1,000 a week is regarded by many as the magic number. Depending on where you live, you can afford an apartment (a roommate makes it easier), a car payment, some utilities, and generally get by. 

 If you can earn $1,000 a week delivering restaurant food on a DoorDash driver salary, that’s even better because we all know how much fun gig driving is. 

What’s the 411 on DoorDash?

Three Stanford college students—Andy Fang, Tony Xu, and Stanley Tang—founded Doordash in 2013. Gridwise’s blog post Uber Eats vs. DoorDash Pay: How Much Did Drivers Earn in 2022? describes how the trio took a gamble and sidestepped the competition, focusing on the larger suburban markets as opposed to the urban centers. Their research told them that the more family-oriented neighborhoods generated orders with a larger ticket size. 

The strategy worked; by 2019 DoorDash had a 59% market share. The rest of the competition was playing catch-up. Statistica reported that in early 2023 DoorDash’s market share grew to 65%. Uber Eats has 23%; the rest are in the single digits. 

Is it possible to make $1000 a week with DoorDash?

Achieving these earnings as a DoorDash driver certainly requires dedication and strategic planning, but it can be achieved. According to our analysis, drivers aiming for about $970 per week will need to commit to approximately 48.5 hours, strategically distributed across peak periods including lunch, dinner, and late-night shifts. This level of income means longer hours, but also smart work—choosing the right times and places to drive.

While the hours needed and the strategic approach required might seem daunting, with the right mindset and optimization of one’s schedule and tactics, driving for DoorDash can indeed be a lucrative gig. It’s about working smarter with the hours you have, ensuring that each decision and action taken is geared towards maximizing your earnings potential.

Read on as we discuss the strategies you can try. We also explore the pay and hour breakdown.

How can you earn $1000 in a week with DoorDash?

We have to do the math to see how much you can make in DoorDash weekly. Let’s start with, how much do DoorDashers make an hour? There is good news here. According to recent numbers, based on driver input, DoorDash driver earnings reached an average of $19 an hour in December 2022 through  Q1 2023. This includes base pay and tips. That puts Dashers at the top compared to other restaurant food delivery services. (By the way, when you become a DoorDash driver, you’re called a Dasher.)  

Remember, your goal is $1,000 a week. To accomplish this, it helps to be a top-performing driver. According to Gridwise numbers, the average salary for a DoorDash driver in the 90th percentile (meaning the top 10% of earners) is $20 an hour. This is what we will use for the breakdown.

So to make $1,000 a week on a DoorDash driver salary, you need to work 50 hours a week earning a higher than average hourly rate. The problem? There may not be 50 hours of prime DoorDash time available. You will have to work seven days a week, and even then, you might fall short.  

Here is one way it could work out—and this is with a broad brush, based on the earnings of a top-performing driver (based on $20 an hour driving in a higher earning zone): 

At $970.00 a week, that’s close to your goal. But there are some considerations here. First, you’re working seven days a week. That’s tough. Second, you’re counting on everything going well, and it doesn’t always happen that way. Nonetheless, some drivers claim they hit and often exceed $1,000 weekly in DoorDash driver earnings. We have seen figures go as high as $23 an hour. 

To answer “How much can you make on DoorDash”, let’s take a closer look at the Gridwise numbers. These represent a weekly average from December 2022 to Q1 2023. Again, these Gridwise numbers are based on driver input. 

Gridwise earnings—How much does DoorDash pay?

Understanding the Earnings Potential for DoorDash Drivers

DoorDash drivers’ earnings can vary, and often they are influenced by factors such as location, the number of hours worked, and delivery efficiency. On average, drivers earn around $15 per hour. These earnings can also surge during peak times or within high-demand areas, reflecting the dynamic nature of gig economy opportunities.

DoorDash drivers earn a combination of base pay, promotions, and customer tips, with typical earnings per delivery ranging from $7 to $10—although this can vary with the distance and size of the order.

When looking at Doordash daily earnings, it's important to note that these hours are average and most drivers do not work a full day driving for DoorDash.

However, it’s crucial to account for expenses like gas and vehicle maintenance, which can significantly affect take-home pay. Consequently, to optimize earnings, experienced drivers often adopt strategies such as working during peak demand hours, selectively choosing orders that offer better pay per mile, and delivering exceptional customer service to enhance tip potential. By understanding and leveraging these aspects, DoorDash drivers can effectively maximize their earnings while navigating the challenges of gig work.

Some drivers report that the DoorDash app is especially good at giving drivers two or three orders at a time. This makes it incredibly productive. 

How can drivers make $1,000 a week on DoorDash?

According to the screenshots of driver apps we see online, making $1,000 a week delivering Doordash is possible. But to bring in that kind of money, you will need to use everything in your gig driving bag of tricks and tips. Here are 19 of our favorite tactics. 

1. You have to hustle

You're pushing the envelope of how much you can make with DoorDash. The above chart shows how difficult it is to make $1,000 weekly on DoorDash. You will work hard. But it is do-able with the right strategies.

2. Verify you’re in a DoorDash region

DoorDash has a commanding market share nationally, but that doesn’t always play out at a regional level. A 2021 report by McKinsey and Company describes the restaurant food delivery market in the US as “complex,” with dominant companies at a local level changing rapidly as the platforms battle for local markets. There are some regions where Uber Eats might command the local market share. There is no way to discern if your area is strong for DoorDash other than to go out and experiment. If your market is not good for DoorDash, you're fighting an unwinnable war. 

3. Understand the evolving food business

Technology brought innovation to the restaurant food business. Lunch wagons morphed into food trucks, and those food trucks posted their daily location on social media. At the same time, the restaurant food delivery business became a thing. Then came the advent of virtual or ghost kitchens, which are kitchens without bricks and mortar, and some are pretty good. Now you have warehouses that have been subdivided, plumbed, and have HVAC installed, capable of supporting 20 of these operations or even more. It’s either pickup or delivery. As a Dasher, it's gold if you can locate a ghost kitchen market like this in your region. Check out this article in the Los Angeles Times about the growth of this restaurant industry sector. 

4. Work the right hours

You saw it in our chart. To make $1,000 a week in DoorDash driver earnings, you have two hours around lunch and four hours in the evening. It’s a split shift, and those are the hours you have to work, with maybe some variation from market to market. 

5. Become a different type of sports or TV fan

The Super Bowl, March Madness, the Grammy Awards, the Oscars, and the season finale of Game of Thrones are all television events that generate higher-than-average DoorDash orders. You'll have to watch the reruns if you want to make $1,000 a week in DoorDash earnings.  

6. Do you have colleges and universities in your area?

You know those crazy college kids. They’re up at all hours of the night, cramming for finals and coming home from parties at 2:00 am. They can be a good source of business in the late night and wee hours of the morning. Again, experiment and figure it out in your area. 

7. Schedule your dashes

DoorDash allows you to schedule your dashes up to five days in advance, starting at midnight. You should do this. It guarantees you a slot to work. The alternative is what Dashers call the Dash Now button, and the app might not let you on. Smart Dashers schedule in advance. 

8. Become a Top Dasher

Dashers with the highest acceptance rates, completion rates, and customer ratings attain what is referred to as Top Dasher status. If you achieve this, you can schedule your dashes a day earlier than regular Dashers. Check out the DoorDash website to see how you can qualify. 

9. Look for DoorDash promotions 

DoorDash Challenges let you collect bonuses for completing a designated number of deliveries during a specified window. Periodically check the Dash Now panel of the Dasher app home screen for these challenges. There is also the DoorDash Large Order program. This allows top-performing Dashers to accept high-value orders in their area (that hopefully have commensurate tips). Check out the link for details on how this program works. 

10. Learn the restaurants in your area that are good for Dashers

Some restaurants are poorly managed. Orders are never ready for the Dasher, and you're left to cool your heels and surf TikTok. Avoid these establishments. When you see an order from a restaurant where you have had this experience, pass on it. They are a waste of time. Look for orders from the restaurants that appreciate you and make the Dasher life easy. 

11. Work those tips

Remember the table. Tips make up half your income and are what set many Dashers apart. You have to work for them. Communicate with the customer about their delivery. Tell them when you're on your way and if there is a holdup. Even if there is a problem with the delivery or it’s running late, they will forgive you if you keep in contact. Include lots of condiments, napkins, and the free goodies. Even if the customer indicates they want a no-contact delivery, smile as you walk up to the door, a big one with lots of teeth. People like happy Dashers, and they tip them.

12. When it rains, be a mudder

That’s what they call racehorses that run well in the rain (it’s a golf term, too). Everyone is considering staying in when it rains, including customers and other DoorDash drivers. You need to get out your raincoat and galoshes. You’ll find fewer drivers and more deliveries. 

13. Update and restart your DoorDash app regularly 

The companies that use gig apps continually update them, add features, and fix bugs. Updating your app ensures you have the latest and best version. Some drivers claim you can refresh the DoorDash app more efficiently by turning the app on and off. 

14. Be selective about your orders

Ask yourself two questions when evaluating orders on the app. Do they pay enough (top drivers suggest you set a minimum of at least a dollar per mile driven)? Also, does the order take you too far from your region? You’ll spend too much time getting back to where the business is. Pass on orders that have either one of these red flags. 

15. Monitor Reddit and YouTube for tips and advice

There’s a lot of good information on new strategies for making $1,000 a week on DoorDash.  Once or twice perusing YouTube, and you’ll find your favorites. There is lots of complaining on Reddit, but you can also find good information. 

16. Make extra money with referrals

When you sign up for DoorDash, you receive a referral code. You get a referral bonus when someone uses that code to sign up as a Dasher. Print business cards for a minimal investment and hand them out to friends, family, restaurant workers looking for a side hustle, and anyone else that asks. Not every region offers referrals all the time. It depends on whether that region needs more drivers. The bonus amount also varies, but sometimes it's as much as $300. 

17. Practice fuel economy

Fuel is your major expense. Every dollar you save on fuel is another dollar in your pocket and another dollar saved for your DoorDash driver earnings. Downloading the Gridwise app might be the best way to save on gas as a gig driver. Once you’ve downloaded the app, you can sign up for Gridwise Gas and save up to $50/month on fuel. You can also check out the Gridwise blog post 13 Ways to Save Money on Gas as a Rideshare or Delivery Driver. Every little bit helps. 

18. Maximize your tax deductions

Like fuel, the less you pay in taxes, the more money remains in your pocket. The Gridwise app includes the best mileage tracker for gig drivers. It provides an accurate record of all the miles you drive. The Gridwise Expense Tracker is another feature that helps you to easily keep track of your expenses. Both tools are invaluable. As a gig driver, mileage is your most significant write-off, and Gridwise gives you the best record of it. 

19. Multi-app

This article primarily details how to make $1,000 a week on DoorDash, but we would be remiss if we didn’t recommend that you multi-app. Here are four reasons you should do so: 

1. You might be unjustly suspended from the app while DoorDash investigates an erroneous customer complaint. It happens. Multi-apping means you have exposure to other apps and services, so you can continue earning. 
2. We’ve already mentioned that restaurant food delivery is a shifting market. Companies regularly trade the top spot in select regions. Multi-apping allows you to monitor the activity on other apps. 
3. If you are a high-performing driver, you’re likely to find success, and more business and income, on other apps, too. 
4. There are gaps between primetime hours for DoorDash. Instead of going home, you can drive another gig for a few hours. That’s one of the secrets of a top-performing driver. 

For more information on multi-apping, check out the Gridwise blog post, The Art of Multi-apping: How-Tos and Strategies for Gig Drivers. 

How do Doordashers get paid?

The Dasher workweek is from 12:01 am Monday to midnight the following Sunday (Monday morning to Sunday night). Payment usually hits your bank account Wednesday night, which means you will see it Thursday morning. 

The final tip–use the Gridwise app 

DoorDash drivers are getting more out of their earnings by tracking everything in one place for FREE with Gridwise. On top of getting free trackers to organize your info for tax season, you'll also get data on hot neighborhoods and profitable days of the week to drive (so you can hit that goal of $1000 a week!).  

Are you looking for more Doordash articles or looking to earn more as a Doordash driver? Look at these articles:

• How to make $1000 a week with Amazon Flex
• Here's how to make $1000 with Uber Eats a week
• Compare earnings: DoorDash vs. Uber Eats
• Maximize earnings with Gridwise features
• Check out the Gridwise Job Board

*Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries you accept and complete, time of day,
location, and any costs. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from tips, peak pay, and other incentives.