Skip the Dishes Vs. DoorDash: Which One Is Better in Canada?

When you are craving fast food, it can be difficult to resist the temptation—that is, until you think about the extra cost. Delivery fees, service fees, and marked up prices can make food delivery a very expensive indulgence. With such a steep price tag, it is important to choose a food delivery company that makes the process as painless as possible—both in terms of finances and the overall ordering experience.

To help readers narrow down the search for the best food delivery company, we will be comparing Skip the Dishes and DoorDash across a variety of categories. Although we will ultimately crown one service as superior, we will also highlight how each service’s features work better for different lifestyles along the way. 

Skip the Dishes vs DoorDash: Restaurant Selection Process

It can be incredibly satisfying to order a craving and have it delivered straight to your doorstep. However, when you are hungry but do not know what you want to eat, it can be easy to scroll through a delivery platform’s listings in a quest for an elusive ‘perfect’ option. Ideally, a food delivery service should make it easy to narrow down your choices. 

Fortunately, DoorDash’s layout is great at helping you decide what to order. The top of the screen allows you to choose from cuisine categories. Tapping on an option brings up a list of relevant restaurants that deliver to your address. 

DoorDash users can also filter for restaurants that currently offer promotions, accept pickup orders, have a high star rating, or are eligible for <30 minute delivery. Additionally, they can set an approximate price range for their order. All DoorDash restaurants are rated as either 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-dollar sign establishments. Users can filter out restaurants with scores that are either too low or high.

In comparison, Skip the Dishes’s layout is less useful. Again, cuisine categories are displayed near the top of the screen. However, only four categories are shown at a time (on the desktop interface), making it harder to see the platform’s choices at a glance. 

Skip the Dishes allows users to sort restaurants by rating, estimated delivery time frame, and delivery fee. In theory, this can make it easier to find better deals (and get food delivered quickly when your household is hungry). However, Skip the Dishes does not actually offer any way to filter out restaurants with expensive dishes.

Winner: DoorDash

At the end of the day, DoorDash’s restaurant selection tools are both more powerful and more helpful than their Skip the Dishes counterparts. Not only can users filter a wider variety of conditions, but the restaurant category selection interface is more intuitive and allows for easier comparisons. That being said, Skip the Dishes’ ability to sort by estimated delivery time would undoubtedly be helpful when trying to order a meal that will arrive as quickly as possible. Similarly, the ability to sort by delivery fee could help budget-conscious customers narrow down their restaurant choices.

Skip the Dishes vs DoorDash: Pricing and Fees

Fees are by far the most frustrating part of the food delivery process. Unfortunately, it can be tough to figure out which fees apply to an order in advance (and how much each fee will cost).

Skip the Dishes usually charges customers a delivery fee and a service fee. My local restaurants had delivery fees ranging from $0.99-4.49, although some restaurants also advertised free delivery fees if you spent a certain amount of money (usually about $20). Service fees are calculated as a percentage of your subtotal, but Skip the Dishes claims that the exact percentage varies by restaurant. Notably, when I created two test carts, Skip the Dishes applied a service fee to my $22 cart that qualified for free delivery, but not my $1.59 cart that was subject to a delivery fee. 

Similarly to Skip the Dishes, DoorDash typically adds a delivery fee, a service fee, and (when applicable) a small order fee to each order. When scrolling through my local restaurants, I found that delivery fees were typically listed as $1.99-4.99. Service fees are calculated as 11% of your subtotal, but will always cost at least $1.99. DoorDash’s small order fee is listed as $2.50 on its customer support articles, but the fee did not show up when I created a test cart with a $2.49 subtotal. 

Winner: Skip the Dishes

Ultimately, Skip the Dishes’ fees seemed to come out slightly cheaper than their DoorDash counterparts. However, keep in mind that delivery fees generally vary based on each service’s driver availability. If you want to prioritize finding the lowest possible fees on a particular date, it may be wise to build a cart through both services and compare the totals.

Skip the Dishes vs DoorDash: Membership Programs

Both Skip the Dishes and DoorDash offer membership programs that can offer a bit of extra value to frequent customers. However, these programs operate differently: Skip the Dishes offers a standard rewards program, whereas DoorDash sells passes that waive delivery fees on certain orders.

Skip Rewards, Skip the Dishes’ free membership program, allows customers to earn 5 rewards points per dollar spent on most orders. Customers who order two or more times in a single month will earn 10 points per dollar spent on each of those orders. Rewards can eventually be redeemed for Skip the Dishes credit. However, be forewarned that it will take a while to redeem your points. Customers can trade 2,500 points for $2.50 in Skip the Dishes credit. In other words, even if you ordered at least twice per month, you would need to spend $250 before redeeming $2.50 worth of points. Skip the Dishes also notes that Skip Rewards members have access to “exclusive members-only deals”, so customers may be able to save a bit of extra money. 

DoorDash does not have a rewards program, but instead allows customers to purchase a DashPass membership for $9.99/month. DashPass members do not pay delivery fees on $15+ orders from participating restaurants. Additionally, they may receive discounted service fees. Subscribers who use DoorDash to order pickup also receive 5% of the purchase price back in DoorDash credits.

Winner: DoorDash

Despite the fact that DoorDash offers a paid membership while Skip the Dishes’ membership is free, the DashPass is significantly more useful than Skip Rewards. Frequent Skip the Dishes customers may eventually enjoy the benefits of Skip Rewards, but the earning rate is low. On the other hand, a DashPass provides tangible benefits for frequent DoorDash customers—and those who order less frequently can simply skip the membership.

Skip the Dishes vs DoorDash: Promotional Offers and Free Trials

When scrolling through Skip the Dishes and DoorDash, it is hard not to notice the abundance of deals. Many restaurants on both platforms offer promotions (e.g., free appetizer when you spend $30+). Similarly, some Skip the Dishes restaurants waive the delivery fee (but not the service fee) when customers spend a certain amount of money. Ultimately though, since these promotions can vary wildly by restaurant, platform, and purchase history, they can be very tough to compare.

In addition to the deals mentioned above, DoorDash offers a couple of DashPass-related discounts. Students can purchase a DashPass for just $4.99/month. Additionally, thanks to a recent partnership between DoorDash and RBC, many RBC card holders qualify for a complimentary 3- or 12-month DashPass.

Winner: DoorDash

DoorDash and Skip the Dishes offer so many different coupons that it can be tough to compare the two. However, when you add the fact that DoorDash’s DashPass-related discounts can lead to significant savings (both on the membership itself and on subsequent food deliveries), DoorDash becomes the clear winner of this category.

Which Delivery Service is Best: Skip the Dishes or DoorDash?

Although both Skip the Dishes and DoorDash have their perks, DoorDash comes out ahead in our comparison. The site’s interface makes it easy to pick a restaurant, their fee structure is relatively simple to understand, and DashPass offers significant value for those who order frequently. 

That being said, Skip the Dishes’ restaurant filters, lack of a minimum order threshold, free delivery offers, and rewards program are all helpful perks, too. If these features align with how you order food delivery, Skip the Dishes may be a better fit for your lifestyle. Ultimately, I highly recommend that you take a look at your habits, then pick the service that works best for you.