In 2020, as restaurants suspended indoor dining, customers went online to order takeout from hard-hit eateries. DoorDash—the U.S.’s most popular meal-delivery app, helmed by CEO Tony Xu—offered restaurants temporary reductions or exemptions from its commission fees as they adjusted. Sales surged, and a December IPO valued the company at over $70 billion on the day of its debut. Despite Wall Street’s buy-in, DoorDash is unprofitable, and in November, without admitting liability, it agreed to a $2.5 million settlement over claims that it misled consumers by keeping some of the tips intended for its delivery drivers. Now the company is evolving to deliver goods from stores like 7-Eleven and Wawa.
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