‘No Cheese’ Costs Extra? Viral DoorDash Video Sparks Heated Debate

According to a video posted on X by @WallStreetApes, DoorDash is "charging to remove" food items. A viral DoorDash clip highlighting hidden customization fees has sparked frustration among food delivery users. In a video viewed more than 40,000 times, the platform's order screen shows patrons being charged an additional $0.09 for basic ingredient removals, such as opting for "No Cheese" or "No Egg." The video's overlay text says, "DoorDash charging to remove [customizations] now." Also, the narrator asks why customers would have to pay to have ingredients removed, especially for allergies.

"Bro, they're (...) charging to remove [customizations] on the… burrito," the narrator says. "Imagine you're allergic to cheese… Charging to remove items from food is pretty wild." The video also shows a separate receipt that shows a restaurant charging 75 cents to cut a burrito in half as the narrator adds: "American businesses have lost their minds."

However, DoorDash does not set the charges one sees in the video. According to DoorDash's merchant menu management system, restaurants are in charge of their own menus, including the cost of add-ons and changes. So, as part of their inventory and menu settings, restaurant partners can set up customization options, such as charging for additions/deletions. As a result, the cost of removing ingredients on DoorDash varies.

While many other restaurants are continuing to offer ingredient removals at no extra cost, others have complained about paying minor fees, like 9-cent charges. Commenters on X, however, talked about the pricing strategy and the growing use of food delivery apps. One user said, "Never used it, never will. Get (...) out of the house and pick it up."

Another added, "Cook your own food. Problem solved!"

Other commenters suggested alternative services or criticized delivery culture. "You can do this for free on Uber Eats," one claimed, while another wrote, "If you order on DoorDash, you get what you get. Never done it, never will." Some were frustrated with DoorDash's business practices: "Those drivers are definitely not gonna get a bigger tip."

Another person who chimed in on this conversation claimed to have completed DoorDash training in 2018 and said that drivers were also told to put extra pressure on restaurants over food preparation delays. The Daily Dot hasn't been able to verify the claim independently.

Several users also said that the video only makes them more enraged about à la carte charges being imposed by restaurants. Many thus were against these increasingly common à la carte charges.