How Long Before DoorDash Cancels Order

We never place orders with the intention of them being cancelled or our money being refunded.

However, unforeseen circumstances can occur from time to time.

So, how long does it take before DoorDash decides to cancel an order?

How Long Before DoorDash Cancels Order

Several scenarios could lead to DoorDash canceling your order, and each one may have a different timeframe for when DoorDash takes action.

Before discussing how long it takes, let’s briefly explore these scenarios

Note: If you cancel your order yourself, it only takes 5 minutes (usually immediately) to have it cancelled. Keep in mind you’ll only have the option to cancel an order only when the restaurant hasn’t approved your request.

When searching for a driver takes forever

This is the most common reason for cancellations and likely why you’re here.

The DoorDash driver search algorithm sends order requests to drivers one after another.

When an order is placed, a request goes out to a driver. If the driver accepts, the order is confirmed; if they decline, the request is sent to another driver. If the second driver also finds the order unappealing, it continues to be passed along in the loop until a driver accepts the delivery

This is one reason you might have encountered having the “searching driver” taking forever. It’s slow due to its successive nature.

Generally, if searching for a driver takes forever, the company is likely to cancel your order after a while.

As we’ve seen, this is usually between 30 minutes to 1 hour of continuous searching.

Keep in mind that this may also vary by location.

For instance, the higher the density of drivers in your location, the more DoorDash may want to do some more searching for drivers.

This would lead to more time spent before your order gets cancelled.

Issues from the restaurant

One common reason your order might be delayed or canceled is related to the restaurant, and this can happen in various ways.

For instance, the restaurant might not have the meal you ordered, or it could be closed for the day. Sometimes, restaurants may even choose to cancel orders themselves, which is quite possible—especially for late-night orders.

Interestingly, DoorDash doesn’t automatically cancel orders when a restaurant is unavailable. Instead, it allows the driver to proceed to the restaurant, even if they may not be able to fulfill the order.

According to DoorDash, drivers are expected to use a special feature in the app to notify them if a restaurant is closed after visiting.

Editor’s Note: Why couldn’t DoorDash simply create a feature that allows restaurants to report when they’re closed? 🤦‍♂️And why don’t these restaurants turn off DoorDash in the absence of a dedicated “closed” feature.

In any of these scenarios, you, as a customer, may experience a delayed order that eventually gets canceled.

Typically, the cancellation occurs a few minutes after the driver reports the situation to DoorDash.

Order taking too long to be delivered

As we’ve discussed, several factors can deliberately lead to an order being canceled.

However, issues like a car breakdown (which is uncommon), slow-moving traffic, and road blockages are beyond our control and can happen to some extent.

In the event of such issues, how long does it take for an order to be delivered—or, more importantly, canceled?

Typically, an order is canceled only if it takes too long to be delivered, which may be around an hour or so.

Keep in mind that you can request a refund or at least some credit when an order is delivered extremely late.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, determining the exact time before an order gets canceled can be quite difficult—if not impossible—especially when seeking a definitive timeframe.

My advice is to stay in contact with your driver. A good driver should always be able to update you on what’s happening with your order.

If you’re looking to get a refund after a canceled order, check out our article on that.