Meet Golden State
Golden State is a large sports and entertainment organization with about 700 full-time employees and nearly 3,000 part-time team members across five office locations in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Oakland.
The Challenge
Multiple Tools
The Workplace Experience and Operations team is responsible for ensuring food needs are met across all of their organizations, including Chase Center, Golden State Warriors, Golden State Valkyries, Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State Entertainment, and Thrive City. Before DoorDash for Business, the workplace team relied on a patchwork of tools and vendors for meal support – some local caterers, occasional DoorDash group order links, and other platforms.
Prior to DoorDash for Business, I would spend probably 15-20% of all of my work time focused on [food management], whether it was small group orders, large company-wide orders. I would spend almost one full day out of a work week sourcing restaurants, finding potential caterers, making sure that they were available for that date, and could accommodate allergens.
Complex Logistics
Given the security and complexity of Chase Center, Golden State also dealt with frequent delivery issues.
One of our biggest challenges is that we would lose our delivery drivers everywhere prior to implementing DoorDash for Business, so I would personally spend time going around the arena trying to find people, or calling security to try and help me find them.
Dietary Restrictions
Supporting multiple teams and organizations at scale means the Workplace Experience and Operations team needs to accommodate various allergies and dietary preferences, which was a frequent challenge.
Prior to DoorDash for Business, we would order 10 vegan options and 500 regular options, but sometimes the vegan options wouldn’t come – which was a problem.
The Solution
Golden State turned to DoorDash for Business to streamline and reduce the operational burden of large scale meals. The organization uses large-format catering to support all of their employees.
We used to have one line and one food station just at Chase Center, and now we have 8 locations. And for our employees, the experience has gotten a lot better, because the lines are much shorter. The partnership in terms of the logistics and on-site delivery has been huge…We now have established DoorDash delivery drivers that have credentials and access to our building
And with DoorDash for Business, they are able to easily meet all of the specific dietary needs. Typically, 10-15% of all of their orders have vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian options. The onsite team sets them up in different sections of the office and notifies those employees where those options are.
Extending meal benefits beyond the workplace
Through sponsored DashPass and work-linked benefits, employees get $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders, so the same tool they use for a game-night shift or office lunch can also help cover weeknight dinners or busy weekends at home.
Hundreds of Golden State team members have enrolled in DoorDash, and so it’s nice to think that they’re able to find a meal solution for families, or home life, or whatever it may be as well.
In practice, this means a Golden State employee who spends the week supporting late games or concerts can use their DashPass perk to get dinner delivered for their family, with lower fees and access to a wide range of local restaurants.
A Dedicated Partner
In addition to being the Official on Demand Delivery and Pickup Partner of the Golden State Warriors and Golden State Valkyries, the DoorDash for Business team handles all of the operational details that used to fall on the Workplace Experience and Operations team.
The DoorDash for Business team handles all of the operational details that used to fall on the Workplace Experience and Operations team. Instead of spending the majority of their time managing food logistics and coordination, they can now put in the request and trust that the DoorDash for Business team can do the rest.
Now, truly, I spend 5 minutes every 2 days being the final stamp of approval for things. It has been wonderful. I would say it's probably reduced my time [on food management] by 80%
Looking Ahead
As Golden State’s business evolves — with new teams like the Golden State Valkyries, new event formats, and continued growth across offices — the need for flexible, reliable food support will only increase. The Workplace Experience and Operations team now sees DoorDash for Business as an ongoing partner for daily meals, special events, and pilot programs that test new ways to support employees on site.
With centralized tools, dedicated support, and a shared focus on employee experience, Golden State can adjust menus, locations, and formats quickly based on feedback and upcoming events. Meals have become a consistent, well-run part of the workday that helps people feel cared for — whether they are working a weeknight game, a weekend concert, or an early-morning conversion shift.
What we needed didn’t really exist. DoorDash for Business really built out what we need — we’ve kind of built it together.
