Key Takeaways
DoorDash Meal Manager is free to set up, and you can have a recurring meal calendar running in less than a day.
You can set up everything in one place: your office address, restaurants, per-person budget, order deadline, payment and team invites.
Teams with multiple offices or a need for invoicing and dedicated support can explore the Enterprise version of Meal Manager.
If you're the person who sorts out lunch every week, you know the routine: send the menu link, wait for orders, chase the people who forgot, then check out before the deadline. DoorDash Meal Manager takes that routine off your plate. You set up a meal calendar once, your team orders on their own, and everyone's food shows up at the same time.
This guide walks you through setup from start to finish, how to manage your calendar from week to week, and what ordering looks like for your team.
What Is DoorDash Meal Manager?
Meal Manager is a tool for running recurring office meals. You build a shared meal calendar and choose which restaurants your team can order from each day. Each employee picks their own meal, and all the orders arrive at the office together, so your team can sit down and eat at the same time.
Once your calendar is set up, Meal Manager sends reminders to teammates who haven't ordered yet and can check out automatically at the deadline you choose. You set a per-person budget, so you know what each meal will cost before anyone orders.
Meal Manager is built for in-office teams that eat together on a regular schedule, whether that's lunch every day or a team breakfast once a week.
What You Need Before You Set Up Meal Manager
Setup takes a few minutes, but it goes faster if you have a few things ready:
A DoorDash for Business account. It's free and you can create one during setup, here’s a guide.
Your full office delivery details. Suite or floor, building name, entry code, which entrance to use and where to drop off the food.
A rough plan for your meals. Which days you want to offer meals, about how many people will order, and how much you want to spend per person.
A credit or debit card to set as your default payment. It's only charged when an order is checked out.
Ready to Set Up Recurring Lunches for Your Office? Pick your restaurants, set a budget and invite your team. Meal Manager handles the rest.
How to Set Up Meal Manager in 9 Steps
1. Create or Log In to Your DoorDash for Business Account
Go to business.doordash.com and select Create business account. It's free, takes a few minutes and you don't need a credit card to get started. If you already have an account, select Login and use your company email address.
New to DoorDash for Business? Here's a full walkthrough of how to set up your DoorDash for Business account.
2. Open Meal Manager and Check Availability
In your Admin Portal, select Meal Manager from the left menu, or select Set up Meal Manager on the Home page.
Enter the ZIP code for your work delivery address, then select Continue.
Select Get started.
Meal Manager is available in select areas. If you don't see it in your Admin Portal, it isn't available for your ZIP code yet.
3. Add Your Office Delivery Address
Enter the full delivery address, then select Next.
Choose Office as the address type.
Add your suite or floor, building details and delivery instructions. Confirm the map pin, choose a delivery preference, then select Save.
Take an extra minute here. Your delivery address can't be changed later, so double-check it before you save. The more detail you add, the easier it is for your Dasher to find your team: entry codes, which entrance to use and exactly where to leave the food all help.
4. Choose a Meal Type and Add Restaurants
If you have more than one office, select the right one from the location dropdown. Then choose your meal type: Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. Lunch is selected by default.
Now pick where your team will order from:
On your Meal Manager calendar, choose the day you want to schedule and select + Add store.
Browse restaurants, or use filters and search to narrow your options.
Select + Add store on the restaurant you want to offer.
Look for the Reliable for groups tag. These restaurants are verified for large, labeled group orders, which makes them a good fit for recurring team meals. You can add up to 6 restaurants per day, so your team has a few options to choose from. If you need more, contact support to request an increase.
5. Set Your Group Order Settings
After you add a restaurant, review its Group order settings. This is where you decide how each order works:
I'm paying: Set a per-person spending limit, or keep No spend limit. If someone orders over the limit, they pay the difference with their own card.
Scheduled delivery: Choose when the meal arrives.
Automatically checkout: Set the order deadline and how checkout happens (more on this in the next step).
Participant limit: Each restaurant takes orders from up to 15 people.
When everything looks right, select Continue.
Feeding more than 15 people? Add more restaurants to the same day. The limit keeps large orders manageable for the restaurant, and it gives your team more to choose from.
6. Set the Order Deadline and Auto Checkout
The order deadline is when your team's office lunch orders close. To set it:
Under Group order settings, select Automatically checkout.
Select the edit icon to set your order deadline. Meal Manager recommends a time based on your delivery window.
Choose how you want to check out. Select Automatically to have Meal Manager place the order at the deadline and send you a confirmation, or Manually to get a reminder to place it yourself. Then select Save.
Set your deadline at least 2.5 hours before delivery. That gives restaurants enough time to prepare and label a large order. If you choose manual checkout, place the order by your reminder time.
7. Confirm Payment and Dasher Tip
Review the card on file, or select Edit to change it.
Choose a Dasher tip: 12%, 15%, 20% or Other. 100% of the tip goes to your Dasher.
Select Confirm. The restaurant now appears on your calendar under the day you picked.
Your card is only charged when an order is checked out. You can update your default payment and tip anytime in Settings.
Repeat steps 4 through 7 for each day and restaurant you want on your calendar.
8. Invite Your Team
You can invite your team by email or share a link.
To invite by email:
On your Meal Manager calendar, select Share.
Enter your team's email addresses. Press space to add another email.
Select Invite. Your team gets an email to join Meal Manager, where they'll log in to their DoorDash account or create one.
Want to see what your team will get? Select Preview invite email before you send.
To share a link: Under Share via link, select Copy link and send it to your team however you usually do, like Slack or your team chat.
When you can, invite by email. People invited by email get order reminders. People who join from the link can place orders, but they won't get reminders. You can manage your team and their roles anytime in Settings.
9. Track Your First Order
Once orders are placed, go to your Meal Manager calendar and select the order listed under today's date.
The order status page shows where your order is and when it'll arrive. Select Show order details to review items, fees, Dasher tip and payment.
That's it. Your calendar is live, your team knows where to order, and lunch is on its way.
How to Manage Meal Manager Week to Week
Once your calendar is running, most weeks need little more than a quick check. These are the changes you'll make most often for your recurring team lunch.
Edit or Replace a Restaurant
To change the delivery time or order deadline for one restaurant, select the settings icon on that restaurant in your calendar, then update Scheduled delivery or Automatically checkout. To swap a restaurant, select the settings icon, choose Remove store, then select + Add store under the same day and pick a new one.
Update Your Calendar Defaults
Select Settings at the top of your calendar to change your defaults, like the per-person spending limit, delivery time, checkout time, payment and tip, and who has access to the calendar. Keep in mind that changes in Settings apply to restaurants you add from now on. Restaurants already on your calendar keep their current settings, so update those one by one if needed.
Add Another Office
Have more than one office? Select the location dropdown at the top of your calendar, then select Add new location. Give the calendar a name your team will recognize, choose the team account you'll be billed through, and add the delivery address. Each office gets its own calendar under the same account. Before you make changes, check the dropdown to make sure you're on the right one.
Add a Team Favorite
Your team's favorite spot isn't on the list? You can add any restaurant on DoorDash. Search for it by name on the Stores for Meal Manager page. Restaurants without the Reliable for groups tag show Not verified for Meal Manager, and they don't come with the same support for large, labeled orders. They work well as an occasional treat, while Reliable for groups restaurants are the safer pick for everyday meals.
If Something Goes Wrong
If there's an issue after checkout, you'll get an automated email explaining the problem and which restaurant it affects. On your calendar, select the restaurant marked Cart issue or Canceled to see the details. DoorDash's support team works with the restaurant to fix the issue or sends backup orders if needed. You can also select Get help at the top of your calendar anytime, or visit DoorDash for Business support.
What Ordering Looks Like for Your Team
Figuring out how to order lunch for the office usually means collecting everyone's choices yourself. With Meal Manager, each person orders on their own, and the process takes them about a minute:
They accept the invite. They open your email invite, select Join now, and log in to DoorDash or create an account. They can use a personal or work email.
They find the calendar. On the web, it's the Meal Manager icon in the left menu at doordash.com. In the app, it's under Me > Meal Manager.
They pick a meal. They select Join on a restaurant, add their items, review the cart and select Done adding items. The restaurant then shows Joined on their calendar.
A few details your team will appreciate knowing:
Going over budget is fine. If someone wants something above the per-person limit, they can pay the difference with their own card.
Backup meals. After their first order, employees pick a backup meal. If something goes wrong with their order, the backup is sent instead.
Order updates. Turning on push and SMS notifications in the DoorDash app lets them know when their meal is on the way and when it's arrived.
Self-Serve or Enterprise: Which Meal Manager Fits Your Team?
Everything in this guide covers the Self-Serve version of Meal Manager, which you can set up on your own today and pay for per order by card.
If your team spans several offices, or you need volume pricing, custom invoicing or a dedicated team to handle setup, calendar management and on-site support, take a look at Meal Manager for enterprise teams.
You can also select Get help in your calendar and choose I'm interested under Contact sales, and the team will reach out within 48 hours.
Get Lunch Off Your Plate
The first setup is the only one that takes real effort. After that, your calendar runs on its own: your team gets reminders, orders close on time and lunch shows up together. Your part comes down to swapping a restaurant now and then.
Curious what Meal Manager looks like once it’s up and running? Read how Laurel tripled office attendance and saved 10+ hours a week on meal coordination.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does DoorDash Meal Manager cost?
Meal Manager is free to set up, with no subscription and no credit card required to get started. You pay per order, with a service fee and Dasher tip included. Because you set a per-person budget when you build your calendar, you know what each meal will cost ahead of time. Employees can cover anything over that amount with their own card.
Is Meal Manager available in my area?
Meal Manager is available in select areas, and more are being added. To check, open Meal Manager in your Admin Portal and enter the ZIP code for your office. If Meal Manager doesn't appear, it isn't available for that ZIP code yet.
How many people can order from one restaurant?
Each restaurant on your calendar takes orders from up to 15 people, and you can add up to 6 restaurants per day. For bigger teams, add more restaurants to the same day so everyone has a spot and more options to choose from.
Can I schedule recurring orders on DoorDash?
Yes. With Meal Manager, you can schedule team meals ahead of time on a shared calendar and plan up to 7 days in advance. Each restaurant keeps its delivery time, order deadline and budget, and checkout can happen automatically, so you don't rebuild the order every week.
What's the difference between Meal Manager and Group Orders?
Meal Manager is for recurring office meals: you set up a calendar once, offer several restaurants per day, and orders run on a schedule. Group Orders are for one-time meals, like a team celebration or a working lunch, where everyone adds to a single order from one restaurant.
