Thousands receive refunds as DoorDash outage leaves customers without meals
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If you opened the DoorDash app on Wednesday morning only to be met with blank screens, frozen orders, or false “closed” notices from restaurants, you weren’t alone.
A nationwide outage disrupted the platform’s operations just before peak breakfast hours, impacting both customers and drivers.
While DoorDash has since resolved the issue, the fallout included widespread service interruptions, missing meals, and delayed deliveries.
The company is now issuing refunds to affected users and compensating restaurants whose orders were never completed.
Reports began trickling into outage tracker DownDetector around 5 a.m. ET, initially totaling about 200 complaints.
That number quickly escalated as users attempted to place early morning orders, rising to a peak of nearly 5,500 by 8 a.m.
App functionality varied widely during the outage, with some users able to log in but unable to complete transactions or receive updates.
By 9:19 a.m., reports had dropped to roughly 500, as DoorDash’s internal systems began coming back online.
The company has not released detailed technical specifics about the cause of the disruption, but engineers reportedly worked quickly to stabilize the platform.
A spokesperson for DoorDash told, “We’re actively issuing refunds to all customers who were charged for undelivered orders and to merchants who prepared orders that were not completed.”
The same spokesperson added, “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate everyone’s patience.”
Customers and merchants are being advised to check for automatic refunds and to contact support if charges remain unresolved.
The outage also hit Dashers—DoorDash’s delivery workforce—who rely on the app to accept and fulfill delivery requests. In online forums, drivers expressed concerns over wasted time, potential earnings loss, and the impact on their customer ratings due to missed or delayed deliveries.
One Dasher warned peers, “With this kind of outrage you are setting yourself up for a ton of headaches and frustration if you try to Dash right away.” Another commented, “Hopefully it will be up soon. Don’t really want to waste my entire day.”
Some Dashers feared that the platform’s glitches might unfairly penalize them if deliveries were delayed or canceled without their control.
Several shared screenshots showing the app falsely marking all restaurants as closed, even as some orders appeared to go through.
Others reported inconsistent behavior in different parts of the country, with some areas resuming service sooner than others. One driver noted, “DoorDash is slowly bringing it back up for all states… Be patient and keep checking every 10 min… I’m up and running now making $$.”
On the customer side, frustration mounted quickly as the outage hit during one of the busiest ordering windows of the week.
Social media posts flooded platforms like X (formerly Twitter), with users voicing confusion and irritation over long waits and lack of communication.
One user wrote, “DoorDash not working right now is ruining my day ?? I’m so hungry.” Another said, “I'm so thirsty and finally ordered drinks and now its just.. nothing.. for an hour and a half. No updates.”
Also read: This DoorDash driver gave back a customer's tip – Here’s why
Many users reported duplicate charges or incomplete orders stuck in processing limbo, with no clear path to resolution.
Although the app showed all restaurants as closed, users were sometimes still able to place orders, which then never arrived.
This mismatch between app status and actual service availability created more confusion and compounded user dissatisfaction.
As service slowly returned, DoorDash urged patience and encouraged users to follow up with support if issues persisted.
Also read: Savor now, pay later: DoorDash and Klarna introduce flexible payment for your favorite deliveries
DoorDash also reminded users of a delivery PIN policy implemented last summer to prevent false claims and improve drop-off security.
The feature assigns a 4-digit PIN to certain deliveries, which customers must provide to their Dasher upon receipt of the order. DoorDash explained, “We already have safeguards in place to prevent inaccurate and false reports and help protect Dashers from being wrongly accused.”
The company added, “As an additional safeguard, we’re launching a new feature that requires consumers to provide a PIN code to receive a delivery in certain situations or if the consumer frequently reports issues with their deliveries.”
DoorDash has faced similar technical disruptions in the past, though most are resolved quickly and without significant public fallout.
The company continues to experiment with new delivery methods, including drones and automated vehicles, which may contribute to occasional service instability.
For users relying heavily on food delivery, it may be wise to keep backup options—such as direct restaurant ordering or alternative apps—ready in case of future outages.
And for everyone affected: keep checking your account, and don’t hesitate to speak up if your refund hasn’t landed.
Read next: Will your food ever arrive? DoorDash crashes without warning sparks outrage
Were you impacted by this outage, or are you still waiting on a refund or resolution? Share your experience in the comments and let us know how DoorDash handled your case.
A nationwide outage disrupted the platform’s operations just before peak breakfast hours, impacting both customers and drivers.
While DoorDash has since resolved the issue, the fallout included widespread service interruptions, missing meals, and delayed deliveries.
The company is now issuing refunds to affected users and compensating restaurants whose orders were never completed.
Reports began trickling into outage tracker DownDetector around 5 a.m. ET, initially totaling about 200 complaints.
That number quickly escalated as users attempted to place early morning orders, rising to a peak of nearly 5,500 by 8 a.m.
App functionality varied widely during the outage, with some users able to log in but unable to complete transactions or receive updates.
By 9:19 a.m., reports had dropped to roughly 500, as DoorDash’s internal systems began coming back online.
Thousands receive refunds as DoorDash outage leaves customers without meals. Image source: Marques Thomas / Unsplash
The company has not released detailed technical specifics about the cause of the disruption, but engineers reportedly worked quickly to stabilize the platform.
A spokesperson for DoorDash told, “We’re actively issuing refunds to all customers who were charged for undelivered orders and to merchants who prepared orders that were not completed.”
The same spokesperson added, “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate everyone’s patience.”
Customers and merchants are being advised to check for automatic refunds and to contact support if charges remain unresolved.
The outage also hit Dashers—DoorDash’s delivery workforce—who rely on the app to accept and fulfill delivery requests. In online forums, drivers expressed concerns over wasted time, potential earnings loss, and the impact on their customer ratings due to missed or delayed deliveries.
One Dasher warned peers, “With this kind of outrage you are setting yourself up for a ton of headaches and frustration if you try to Dash right away.” Another commented, “Hopefully it will be up soon. Don’t really want to waste my entire day.”
Some Dashers feared that the platform’s glitches might unfairly penalize them if deliveries were delayed or canceled without their control.
Several shared screenshots showing the app falsely marking all restaurants as closed, even as some orders appeared to go through.
Others reported inconsistent behavior in different parts of the country, with some areas resuming service sooner than others. One driver noted, “DoorDash is slowly bringing it back up for all states… Be patient and keep checking every 10 min… I’m up and running now making $$.”
On the customer side, frustration mounted quickly as the outage hit during one of the busiest ordering windows of the week.
Social media posts flooded platforms like X (formerly Twitter), with users voicing confusion and irritation over long waits and lack of communication.
One user wrote, “DoorDash not working right now is ruining my day ?? I’m so hungry.” Another said, “I'm so thirsty and finally ordered drinks and now its just.. nothing.. for an hour and a half. No updates.”
Also read: This DoorDash driver gave back a customer's tip – Here’s why
Many users reported duplicate charges or incomplete orders stuck in processing limbo, with no clear path to resolution.
Although the app showed all restaurants as closed, users were sometimes still able to place orders, which then never arrived.
This mismatch between app status and actual service availability created more confusion and compounded user dissatisfaction.
As service slowly returned, DoorDash urged patience and encouraged users to follow up with support if issues persisted.
Also read: Savor now, pay later: DoorDash and Klarna introduce flexible payment for your favorite deliveries
DoorDash also reminded users of a delivery PIN policy implemented last summer to prevent false claims and improve drop-off security.
The feature assigns a 4-digit PIN to certain deliveries, which customers must provide to their Dasher upon receipt of the order. DoorDash explained, “We already have safeguards in place to prevent inaccurate and false reports and help protect Dashers from being wrongly accused.”
The company added, “As an additional safeguard, we’re launching a new feature that requires consumers to provide a PIN code to receive a delivery in certain situations or if the consumer frequently reports issues with their deliveries.”
DoorDash has faced similar technical disruptions in the past, though most are resolved quickly and without significant public fallout.
The company continues to experiment with new delivery methods, including drones and automated vehicles, which may contribute to occasional service instability.
For users relying heavily on food delivery, it may be wise to keep backup options—such as direct restaurant ordering or alternative apps—ready in case of future outages.
And for everyone affected: keep checking your account, and don’t hesitate to speak up if your refund hasn’t landed.
Read next: Will your food ever arrive? DoorDash crashes without warning sparks outrage
