DoorDash launches Ask DoorDash chatbot for ordering with text and photos

In short: DoorDash is launching a new chatbot called Ask DoorDash that lets people order food and groceries by typing what they want and by sharing photos.

What happened

DoorDash announced a new feature called Ask DoorDash. It is a chatbot, which means you can “chat” with it in the app like you would message a person, and it suggests what to order.

Instead of scrolling through long lists of restaurants and stores, people can describe what they want in their own words. For example, you could ask for a “filling dinner for a family of 4,” then narrow it down with follow-up requests like “kid-friendly vegetarian spots with mild options.” DoorDash says it will show matching restaurants and a short note explaining why each result fits.

For groceries, DoorDash says the chatbot can build a cart from a photo, like a picture of a cookbook recipe or your handwritten shopping list. It can also add the right quantities and remind you to check whether you already have common items like sugar and butter, so you do not buy duplicates.

DoorDash also says you can ask it to reorder your last grocery cart, or suggest items based on your past orders.

A related feature, Ask DoorDash for Reservations, can help find available tables. You can ask for something like “a table for two downtown around 8 PM,” then refine the results.

The rollout starts on iOS in select regions for restaurant search, grocery shopping, and DoorDash Reservations. DoorDash says it will expand to more people across the U.S. in the coming weeks.

Why it matters

For everyday users, this could make DoorDash feel more like telling a helpful clerk what you need instead of hunting through aisles yourself (the aisles are menus and search filters). It also shows how delivery apps are trying to make ordering more conversational, similar to AI helpers recently introduced by Uber Eats and Instacart.

Source: TechCrunch AI