DoorDash is one of the biggest food delivery services in the United States, but one TikToker got more than he bargained for when he placed a DoorDash pick-up order directly from somebody’s house.
The creator, who posted under the handle @Iont, began the clip sitting in his car as he asked, “Y’all, why am I outside a random stranger’s house right now about to pick up a DoorDash order? This is crazy. I ordered some food, and they are cooking outside the house. This is ridiculous. They gave me the gate code and everything. This is really crazy.”
The TikToker said he went to knock on the door because “I need to see how this food is being prepared.” Concerningly, he said he was then told that the food providers had the wrong address, so he was sent to pick up food at another person’s house.
“I mean, I feel kind of better about it because it was other people outside the house picking up food,” he said. “Now I’m gonna try it.”
Much to the disappointment of some viewers, the creator never returned with his verdict on the food. “No review is crazy,” one commenter wrote. “We wanna see the food friend, is it good?” another asked.
The video was subtitled “Illegal DoorDash, food fraud, and I’m hungry,” — but as other commenters pointed out, there weren’t necessarily any illegalities or fraud. Instead, what the TikToker was experiencing was a “ghost kitchen.” A ghost kitchen, also known as a virtual kitchen, refers to a workspace for restaurants that offer delivery or pick-up rather than a dine-in experience. This business model benefits the restaurant because it means that they can save on real estate costs.
It’s possible to have multiple restaurants operating in the same ghost kitchen, but this can increase the risk of cross-contamination. However, it’s worth noting that restaurants operating from ghost kitchens are still required to meet a certain standard by the Food Standards Agency if they want to trade legally and be available on apps like DoorDash.
The Daily Dot reached out to @Iont via TikTok comment and to DoorDash via email for more information.