How do Doordash Hotspots Work? (What You Need To Know)

As a Doordash driver knowing how the app works is very important.

You may realize that there are listed hotspots on the app when you get into dasher mode.

This blog post will go over how Doordash hotposts work and how relevant they are to making more money as a doordash driver.

What is Doordash?

Doordash is a food delivery app that lets drivers pick up orders from restaurants and deliver them to customers.

Doordash drivers are independent contractors who use their own vehicles to deliver food.

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Short Answer To The Question How Do Doordash Hotspots Work?

Doordash hotspots are where you can make the most money.

So in order to get more deliveries and therefore making more money you should always be looking for hotspots on your map when driving around town.

Hotspots are usually places where the most restaraunts are close together.

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How Do Areas Become Hotspots?

You may realize hotspots are sometimes different on a daily basis.

The reason for this is because areas become hotspots with the combination of being busy and also being a restaurant heavy area.

So it can be a restaurant heavy area but if it’s not busy that day it may not be listed as a hotspot.

They also show previous hotspots also known as historical hotspots on the map.

What Do Hotspots on Doordash Look Like?

An active hotspot will be shaded in red and a previous hotspot will have a flame icon.

Do You Need to Go To Hotspots To Get Orders?

No, Doordash does not require drivers to go to hotspots.

You can actually go into the dasher app from home and get an order while waiting on the couch.

Do You Make Extra Money Per Delivery With Doordash Hotspots?

No you don’t earn extra money for going to hotspots, but sometimes you can get a peak pay opportunity in which you can earn more money, but it is not always the case.

Peak pay means you are during a time of day in which Doordash tends to give extra tips and therefore your delivery fee will be higher than normal. This is usually during times where it’s unusually busy and there’s not enough drivers out to fill the demand.

Can Hotspots Hurt You?

Sometimes you can go to hotspots and not get orders as fast as you’d think.

The reason for this is because usually other drivers also go to the hotspots which creates more competition.

Pro Tip:

Instead of going to the active hotspots, it may be better to go to a historical hotspot.

The historical hotspot may not be as busy but there will be significantly less competition which will give you a higher percentage of the orders in the area which is probably still relatively busy.

Should You Go Out Of Your Way To Go To A Hotspot?

If you live close to a hotspot it can’t hurt to go to it.

If you don’t live close you are better off ignoring them and staying in your regular area where you know there will be orders available at all times if the hotspot on your map is to far away.

It’s best just to keep driving around until a delivery comes up near you or within your normal route that day.

Other Tips To Get More Orders On Doordash (Other Than Hotspots)

Dash at The Best Times:

Dashing at lunch time and dinner time is highly recommended for Doordash drivers.

You can make significantly more money if you dash at the right time, which usually means late night in most cities.

Try And Catch Peak Pay:

Peak pay is when you are delivering during a time of day where there is very high demand, but not enough drivers to fill it.

Doordash will give extra money per delivery in order to fill the need of the high demand.

If you get out there at these times you can make pretty good extra money.

Peak pay usually only lasts an hour or two, so you need to be on the ball when it comes.

Drive When It’s A Bit Rainy:

A lot of drivers will take the day off if it rains. That’s a huge opportunity if you want to get a larger share of orders because usually on rainy days people want comfort food and order out.

Just be sure not to go out if it’s a major storm and be safe!

Go To a City, If You’re Close:

If you’re in a small town, go to the closest city and drive around there.

You will be able to get more orders as opposed to staying in your rural area where maybe not many people are using Doordash or even have heard of it yet.

Keep Your Gas Tank Full:

If you’re wasting your time going to fill up your tank during your shift it will take time away from doing deliveries. Make sure you have your tank full before you get started.

Drive In Areas Where People Have Disposable Income:

The more money people make the more they are likely to order out.

Drive in areas with higher incomes, such as college towns or cities where people have jobs and make money.

Conclusion:

Takeaway:

The best thing you can do is learn your market as a whole. Don’t always rely on the different hotspots they offer.

You can also figure out which works better for you. Work five hours by a hotspot one day and work 5 hours the next doing your own thing.

I hope this article helped you out with how doordash hotspots work.

If you’re interested in more information and want to sign up for doordash, go to their website!

Wondering if you can use doordash and uber eats at the same time? Check out this article to see everything you need to know!

Drive safe and always be alert when dashing! Let us know some of your experiences in the comments below.

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Take a look at our other recent posts below:

How do Doordash Hotspots Work? (What You Need To Know)

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