The DoorDash rating system often confuses customers who want to provide honest feedback but worry about privacy. They are concerned about whether a Dasher can link a negative rating or comment back to their identity or address. Understanding the mechanics of the rating system clarifies how the platform balances Dasher accountability with user anonymity.
The Anonymity of Customer Ratings
Dashers cannot see individual customer ratings, names, or addresses associated with specific feedback. The system is intentionally designed to aggregate all customer input to protect the identity of the person who left the review. This means if a customer submits a one-star rating, the Dasher does not receive an alert pointing to that specific delivery or the customer who ordered it. Dashers are only shown their overall Customer Rating, which is a single average score out of five stars, along with the total number of ratings they have received. The delay in when a customer leaves feedback, which can be days later, further prevents a Dasher from connecting a change in their average score to a particular delivery.
What Delivery Metrics Dashers Actually See
The Dasher app dashboard displays four specific metrics that collectively determine a Dasher’s standing on the platform.
- The Customer Rating shows the average star rating, which is the most subjective measure of performance.
- The Completion Rate tracks the percentage of accepted deliveries the Dasher successfully finishes, with a minimum requirement typically enforced to remain active.
- The Acceptance Rate shows the percentage of offers a Dasher accepts out of the last 100 offers received, although there is no minimum requirement to remain on the platform.
- The On-Time or Early Rate measures how frequently a Dasher completes an order by the estimated delivery time.
These four metrics offer the Dasher a comprehensive, yet entirely anonymized, overview of their professional performance.
How Doordash Protects Customer Identity
DoorDash employs several technical mechanisms to ensure customer feedback remains confidential when it is processed. Ratings and any optional text comments are not linked back to the customer’s personal profile data, such as their name or home address. When a rating is submitted, the system strips any identifying information before applying the feedback to the Dasher’s overall calculation. Furthermore, the platform’s policy is to filter out ratings that are clearly outside of the Dasher’s control, such as long restaurant wait times or severe weather delays. This automatic adjustment process ensures the final rating accurately reflects the Dasher’s performance while maintaining the customer’s anonymity.
Why Customer Ratings Matter to Dashers
The Customer Rating is a high-stakes metric for Dashers because it directly impacts their ability to continue earning on the platform and to access incentive programs. DoorDash maintains a minimum Customer Rating threshold, which is typically 4.2 out of 5 stars, below which a Dasher may face deactivation from the service. Maintaining a score above this baseline is necessary to ensure continued access to delivery opportunities. A higher rating also influences a Dasher’s eligibility for incentive programs like “Top Dasher,” which provides perks such as priority access to orders and the ability to “Dash Now” without needing to schedule shifts. To qualify for this status, Dashers must generally maintain a rating of at least 4.7, along with meeting certain minimum acceptance and completion rates.
How the Dasher Rating System is Calculated
The Customer Rating is not a lifetime average of every delivery a Dasher has ever completed, but rather a dynamic, “rolling average.” This calculation is based only on the last 100 customer ratings received. If a customer does not leave a rating, that delivery is not included in the calculation. This rolling system allows Dashers to improve their score over time by consistently delivering good service, as newer, positive ratings will eventually push older, lower ratings out of the 100-rating window. Because many customers do not leave feedback, it can take a significant number of deliveries for a single rating to be replaced in the average. The system’s design emphasizes recent performance.