Delivery provider DoorDash is investing $200 million over five years to help support restaurants and drivers, the company announced Thursday.
Perhaps most pressingly for restaurants, the initiative includes an extension of the cold weather grants program it announced in October.
After an “overwhelming response,” the company is offering an additional $10 million in grants and expanding eligible markets beyond the original group of Chicago, Denver, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and San Jose. DoorDash said it was still reviewing applications and did not yet know what the additional markets will be.
Grants are $5,000 each and are to be used for things like heaters for outdoor dining or additional PPE to make indoor dining safer.
The broader $200 million commitment is part of DoorDash’s Main Street Strong program, a series of initiatives launched in May to help restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to the grants, DoorDash announced a new accelerator program geared toward women and minority entrepreneurs that will launch next year.
It also includes a $12 million rewards program for drivers and a multiyear partnership with the National Urban League to help drivers of color improve job and entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy and more.
DoorDash said it would announce more details soon.
Other third-party delivery companies have made investments to help restaurants during the pandemic. Those include Grubhub’s own $2 million winterization grants program, announced this week, and Uber Eats’ $10 million donation to help support Black-owned restaurants.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.