DoorDash announced a $1 million restaurant disaster relief fund and new advertising tools to help restaurants reach new customers through self-serve Sponsored Listings. Both were unveiled during the delivery provider’s annual Main Street Strong Restaurant Conference.
The $1,000,000 Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund will provide $10,000 cash grants to 100 eligible local restaurants across the United States affected by state- or federally-declared natural disasters throughout the next year in partnership with Hello Alice.
“Restaurants are at the heart of Main Street and they have exhibited immense resiliency when disaster strikes, providing for their communities even when their resources on hand are limited,” said Tasia Hawkins, social impact program lead at DoorDash. “The Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund is one way we are aiming to reduce the financial burden imposed on restaurants following a natural disaster, helping keep restaurant doors open for years to come.”
DoorDash started this initiative as part of its ongoing five-year, $200 million Main Street Strong pledge to empower local communities. Applications for the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund open on Monday, November 1 at doordash.helloalice.com. The fund will be open for eligible restaurant owners and operators including those affected by Hurricane Ida and the ongoing California Wildfires.
- Eligibility: Applicants must be experiencing hardship due to a state- or federally-declared natural disaster, be a restaurant located in the United States, operate a brick-and-mortar location, own three stores or less, employ fewer than 50 employees per location, be open for at least six months, and maintain revenues of $3M or less per location in the last 12 months. A partnership with DoorDash or Caviar is not required or considered.
- Grant Information: Grants will each be $10,000. Restaurants can utilize the funds for rent, utilities, maintenance, supplies, payroll, and other essential expenses.
- Timeline: Restaurateurs can apply for the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund here. Applications will be processed every three months, with funding distributed for grant awardees shortly thereafter.
“These grants will help small business restaurants recover while the operators focus on what they do best, offering essential nourishment and comfort to their neighbors,” said Mike Whatley, vice president for State Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy at the National Restaurant Association. “Restaurants are the cornerstones of their communities, and we appreciate the commitment DoorDash and Hello Alice are making to the recovery of our operators and employees following a disaster.”
Self-serve sponsored listings
In addition, DoorDash is launching a new suite of advertising tools to help restaurants reach new customers in a variety of ways. The centerpiece of these offerings is DoorDash’s self-serve Sponsored Listings, designed to help local restaurants increase their visibility, generate orders, and find additional customers. The differentiating feature of DoorDash’s Sponsored Listings is that merchants pay only for orders placed via their ad and not for ad clicks or impressions.
Below is a quick summary of the new features:
- Any brand listed on DoorDash is able to reach millions of consumers with banner placements on the DoorDash marketplace homepage or the Offers Hub homepage.
- Restaurant merchants have the opportunity to elevate their business in relevant DoorDash search and cuisine results with Sponsored Listings. With Sponsored Listings, DoorDash is expanding self-serve marketing solutions beyond promotions and helping merchants increase their visibility—and sales—by appearing at the top of relevant search results. With DoorDash Self-Serve Sponsored Listings, merchants only pay for orders placed through their ad and not for ad clicks or impressions.
- CPG brands can also boost placement in relevant categories within the convenience and grocery categories with Featured Listings.
“From day one our goal has been to empower local economies by providing access to opportunity,” said Toby Espinosa, vice president, DoorDash Ads. “Today we are excited to announce the next step in this journey: a flexible ad platform that allows any brand on main street to reach more consumers and grow their business on DoorDash. Sponsored Listings and our suite of ad solutions will help highlight relevant content to consumers at the point of purchase and in turn help brands flourish.”
