DoorDash has announced an AI agent that lets customers order food through Apple Messages. U.S. users on iOS can join a beta waitlist. The September 30 announcement offers a way to ask for dinner in a text thread instead of browsing restaurant menus in an app.
TechCrunch reports that users can request a specific dish, ask for a local recommendation or say “order my usual.” DoorDash says the agent can interpret that last request as a customer’s Friday night order. It searches local restaurants, suggests a cart and sends photos of recommended food.
For group orders, DoorDash says the agent can handle mixed dietary preferences and different quantities. These are the company’s descriptions of what the agent can do. TechCrunch’s report supplies no results from a hands-on test.
Checkout stays in the conversation
DoorDash’s release says customers confirm their order inside the text thread and the agent then handles checkout. The company describes the feature as an expansion of Ask DoorDash, its existing in-app assistant.
The release also says the agent learns preferences such as food modifiers. Customers can opt to receive proactive messages about a usual order, such as a daily coffee.
TechCrunch frames the launch as an effort to gain an edge over Uber Eats and Grubhub. Its report gives no comparison of the rivals’ ordering tools, prices or order accuracy. DoorDash also announced plans to test delivery drones with select Northern California restaurants.
