DoorDash ends voice-ordering pilot following customer feedback, market evaluation

GLOBAL – DoorDash has ceased the pilot of its voice-ordering product for restaurant clients, a decision announced just a year after the company expanded the product’s development team by acquiring talent from an AI startup, according to a Bloomberg report.

The voice-ordering system was designed to help restaurants manage incoming calls during busy periods by automating order taking, thereby allowing staff to focus on in-store operations.

However, the pilot concluded at the end of April 2025, as confirmed by a DoorDash spokesperson on May 20, 2025.

This move follows a statement from Donatos Pizza, a DoorDash customer, which is seeking a new vendor due to DoorDash’s decision to “sunset” its automated ordering features.

A DoorDash spokesperson explained, “We have a high bar for continued investment and remain guided by what customers and data tell us. We scale or wind down initiatives based on many factors including product-market fit, customer demand, and others.”

The company emphasized that while the voice-ordering pilot has ended, most of the AI startup staff who joined DoorDash remain with the company, working on other AI-related projects.

The spokesperson added, “We have developed proprietary technology and learnings from this pilot, and we’re excited to deploy it through a number of other customer use cases.”

The voice-ordering product was part of DoorDash’s broader strategy to expand beyond core delivery services by offering enterprise solutions that improve restaurant operations.

This strategic shift is exemplified by DoorDash’s recent US$1.2 billion acquisition of hospitality technology firm SevenRooms Inc., which aims to integrate software and table-booking features into the DoorDash app.

Additionally, in May 2025, DoorDash announced its agreement to acquire UK competitor Deliveroo for approximately US$3.8 billion, further expanding its market presence.

The termination of the voice-ordering pilot reflects DoorDash’s focus on initiatives that demonstrate strong product-market fit and customer demand.

The company continues to invest in AI-driven enhancements such as recommendation engines, dynamic pricing, and logistics optimization, which directly improve order efficiency and merchant margins.

By refining its product portfolio based on data-driven insights and customer feedback, DoorDash aims to strengthen its leadership position in the competitive food delivery and restaurant technology sectors.

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