How to Increase Your DoorDash Average Order Value by 25%

More orders is one way to grow. But there's a faster way: getting more from every order you already have.

Average Order Value (AOV) is the secret weapon of profitable DoorDash restaurants. A $5 increase in AOV across 200 monthly orders is an extra $1,000/month — with zero additional marketing spend.

Here are the proven tactics to boost your AOV by 25% or more.

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1. Create Strategic Combos

Combos are the single biggest AOV lever you have. When you bundle items together, customers spend more without feeling like they're spending more.

Best practices for combos:

• Create 3-5 combos at different price points (good/better/best)
• Include your most popular entree in at least one combo
• Name them clearly: "Family Meal" > "Combo #3"
• Show the savings: "$18 (Save $4)"

2. Offer Family/Group Sizes

Family bundles can be 30-40% of weekend orders. If you're not offering them, you're leaving massive revenue on the table.

What works:

• "Family Feast" - feeds 4-5 people
• "Party Pack" - feeds 8-10 people
• "Date Night for 2" - romantic positioning
• "Game Day Bundle" - event-specific

Price these at a slight discount vs. ordering individually, but your margins will be better because you're selling more volume in one transaction.

3. Add Strategic Modifiers

Every item should have upsell modifiers. These small adds compound into serious revenue.

If just 30% of customers add one $2 modifier, that's an extra $0.60 per order. Across 200 orders/month = $120/month from one tiny change.

4. Position Drinks & Sides Prominently

Drinks and sides have the highest margins. But if they're buried at the bottom of your menu, customers forget to add them.

Fixes:

• Include drinks/sides in your combos
• Add a "Complete Your Meal" section near the top
• Use photos for your best sides — they're impulse buys
• Offer a "Drinks for the whole family" bundle

5. Use Anchor Pricing

Add a premium "luxury" option to make your regular items feel like better value.

Few people order the anchor item, but it makes everything else look more affordable.

6. Add Desserts (Seriously)

If you don't offer desserts, you're missing a $5-10 add-on opportunity on every order.

Don't have desserts? Partner with a local bakery, or add simple items that travel well: brownies, cookies, cheesecake slices. Even "add a chocolate chip cookie - $2" works.

7. Create "For the Table" Add-Ons

Appetizers and shareable items positioned as "for the table" convert better than individual starters.

• "Chips & Guac for the table" (+$8)
• "Garlic bread for sharing" (+$5)
• "Sampler platter" (+$15)

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Quick AOV Wins You Can Do Today

1. Create one combo using your most popular entree + side + drink
2. Add "make it a double" as a modifier on your proteins
3. Add a dessert — even just one option
4. Create a "Family Meal" that feeds 4
5. Add photos to your sides — visual = impulse buy

These five changes alone can add $3-5 to your average order. Do the math on what that means for your monthly revenue.