Chicago clinched an $18 million settlement with DoorDash after alleging the delivery giant misled customers and quietly listed restaurants without permission—moves the city says padded bills and frayed trust. The deal sends a mix of cash and credits to restaurants, drivers, and users, capping a yearslong probe into third-party delivery tactics during and after the pandemic. City officials say the agreement aims to make harmed merchants and consumers whole while covering the costs of bringing the case.
How the $18M breaks down
Here’s where the money and credits go: $3.25 million for restaurants the city says were added to the platform without consent; $5.8 million in delivery‑commission and marketing credits for eligible restaurants currently on DoorDash; $4 million in credits for eligible Chicago users with active accounts; $500,000 to drivers who were delivering in Chicago as of September 2019; and $4.5 million to the City for legal costs and fees. As CBS Chicago notes, consumer credits can be used on future orders for qualifying accounts.
What the city alleged
The complaint took aim at a few familiar pain points: a lack of transparency around full costs, menu prices that were sometimes higher on the app, and a so‑called “Chicago Fee” that—spoiler alert—wasn’t a City Hall charge. The city also said DoorDash listed restaurants without their say‑so, causing reputational and financial harm. Coverage in Wired has flagged those pandemic‑era tactics as central to Chicago’s case.
DoorDash's response
DoorDash, for its part, said it was “pleased to have settled a years‑old lawsuit,” emphasizing the agreement is not an admission of wrongdoing. The company said the issues “focus on business practices that no longer exist,” pointing to changes in its Dasher pay model and its process for listing non‑partner restaurants. As quoted by CBS Chicago, DoorDash said it’s ready to move on and refocus on merchants, customers, and Dashers in the city.
Part of a wider crackdown
The settlement lands amid broader enforcement against delivery‑app fees, tipping policies, and pay models. The Illinois Attorney General previously reached an agreement with DoorDash over tipping disclosures and pay practices; see the Illinois Attorney General’s announcement for details. In New York, the Attorney General secured roughly $16.75 million in restitution for delivery workers after probing a past DoorDash pay model, as reported by the Washington Post.
What comes next
City officials say they’ll work with a settlement administrator and DoorDash to identify eligible restaurants, users, and drivers, with credits and payments rolling out in the weeks ahead. For local restaurants and delivery workers, it’s partial restitution—and a reminder that regulators still have delivery apps squarely in their sights. The big watch item now: how quickly relief lands and whether this nudges Chicago toward stricter rules on fee disclosures and platform listings.
