Step-by-Step Guide: Building a DoorDash Clone with Adalo

Building a food delivery app like DoorDash from scratch typically requires a team of developers, months of coding, and a significant budget—putting it out of reach for most entrepreneurs and small businesses. The complexity of managing multiple user types (customers, drivers, and restaurants), handling real-time orders, and processing payments creates technical hurdles that demand serious programming expertise. Yet the demand for on-demand delivery solutions continues to grow, leaving many aspiring founders wondering how to bring their marketplace vision to life.

That's where Adalo comes in. Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms. AI-assisted building and streamlined publishing enable launch to the Apple App Store and Google Play in days rather than months. With the right template and step-by-step guidance, you can create a fully functional DoorDash clone complete with ordering, payments, and multi-user functionality—all without writing a single line of code.

Why Adalo Works for Building a Food Delivery App

Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This makes it the perfect choice for creating a DoorDash-style delivery marketplace, where you need to manage complex databases of restaurants, menu items, orders, and multiple user types—all while reaching customers on their preferred devices.

Publishing your food delivery app to the app stores gives you access to push notifications, which are essential for alerting customers about order updates, notifying Dashers of new delivery requests, and keeping restaurants informed about incoming orders. With Adalo, you can build once and deploy everywhere, saving significant time and resources compared to traditional development approaches.

This comprehensive tutorial walks you through creating a DoorDash-style delivery app using Adalo's platform. While some features like real-time tracking have limitations, you'll build a complete marketplace with ordering, payments, and multi-user functionality similar to DoorDash's core experience. You can even publish the same app to the web, native iOS, and native Android with Adalo, all without writing a line of code or rebuilding anything.

Prerequisites and Initial Setup

Step 1: Choose Your Adalo Plan

1. Visit Adalo.com and sign up
2. Start building on a free app
3. When you’re ready to publish or use paid features, upgrade to a paid plan

Step 2: Start with Restaurant Template

1. Click "Create New App"
2. Choose "Mobile App" for optimal performance
3. Select Restaurant Ordering template from feature templates
4. Name your app (e.g., "DashClone")
5. Configure DoorDash-inspired brand colors (red/white theme)

Setting Up the Database Architecture

Step 3: Configure User Roles System (DoorDash Model)

1. Access Database section in left sidebar
2. Enhance the default "Users" collection:
   
   • Add Role (Text property)
   • Values: "Customer", "Dasher", "Restaurant" (using DoorDash terminology)
   • Add Phone Number (Text)
   • Add Profile Picture (Image)
   • Add Current Location (Location property)
   • Add Is Online (True/False - default: false)
   • Add Dasher Rating (Number - for driver ratings)

Step 4: Create Restaurants Collection (DoorDash Style)

1. Click "+ Add Collection"
2. Name it "Restaurants"
3. Add properties matching DoorDash structure:
   
   • Name (Text)
   • Description (Text - multiline)
   • Logo (Image)
   • Cover Photo (Image)
   • Address (Location)
   • Phone (Text)
   • Cuisine Type (Text)
   • Delivery Fee (Number)
   • Service Fee (Number)
   • Minimum Order (Number)
   • Is Open (True/False)
   • Rating (Number - default: 0)
   • Estimated Delivery Time (Number - minutes)
   • Is DashPass Eligible (True/False)

Step 5: Create Menu Items Collection

1. Add new collection "Menu Items"
2. Configure properties like DoorDash menus:
   
   • Name (Text)
   • Description (Text)
   • Price (Number)
   • Image (Image)
   • Category (Text)
   • Is Available (True/False)
   • Preparation Time (Number - minutes)
   • Is Popular (True/False - for "Popular Items" section)
   • Customization Options (Text - for modifiers)

Step 6: Build Orders Collection (DoorDash Order Model)

1. Create "Orders" collection
2. Add properties matching DoorDash order flow:
   
   • Order Number (Text)
   • Status (Text) - Values: "placed", "confirmed", "preparing", "ready_for_pickup", "picked_up", "delivered"
   • Subtotal (Number)
   • Delivery Fee (Number)
   • Service Fee (Number)
   • Tax (Number)
   • Tip (Number)
   • Total Amount (Number)
   • Special Instructions (Text)
   • Created At (Date & Time - automatic)
   • Delivery Address (Location)
   • Phone Number (Text)
   • Estimated Delivery Time (Date & Time)

Step 7: Create Order Items Collection

1. Add "Order Items" collection
2. Properties needed for DoorDash-style ordering:
   
   • Quantity (Number)
   • Unit Price (Number)
   • Total Price (Number)
   • Special Requests (Text)
   • Customizations (Text)

Step 8: Set Up Database Relationships

1. In Restaurants:
   
   • Add "Owner" → Users (Many to One)
2. In Menu Items:
   
   • Add "Restaurant" → Restaurants (Many to One)
3. In Orders:
   
   • Add "Customer" → Users (Many to One)
   • Add "Restaurant" → Restaurants (Many to One)
   • Add "Dasher" → Users (Many to One)
4. In Order Items:
   
   • Add "Order" → Orders (Many to One)
   • Add "Menu Item" → Menu Items (Many to One)

Database guide

Building the Customer Interface (DoorDash Style)

Step 9: Create Restaurant Discovery Screen

1. Add new screen "Browse Restaurants"
2. Add Custom List component:
   
   • Data source: Restaurants
   • Filter: Is Open = true
   • Show restaurant logo, name, cuisine type
   • Display delivery fee, rating, and delivery time like DoorDash
   • Add "DashPass" indicator for eligible restaurants
3. Add DoorDash-style filters:
   
   • Price range
   • Delivery time
   • Rating threshold
   • Cuisine type

Step 10: Build Menu Screen (DoorDash Layout)

1. Create "Restaurant Menu" screen
2. Add restaurant header with cover photo and info
3. Add Custom List for menu items:
   
   • Filter by selected restaurant
   • Group by category (sections)
   • Show "Popular Items" section first
   • Display item image, name, price, description
4. Add quantity selectors and "Add to Cart" buttons

Step 11: Implement DoorDash-Style Shopping Cart

1. Create "Shopping Cart" screen with DoorDash layout
2. Display selected items with quantities
3. Calculate totals including:
   
   • Subtotal
   • Delivery fee
   • Service fee
   • Tax calculation
   • Tip options (15%, 18%, 20%, Custom)
   • Final total
4. Add quantity modification controls
5. Show estimated delivery time

Shopping cart

Step 12: Configure DoorDash-Style Checkout

1. Create "Checkout" screen matching DoorDash flow
2. Collect delivery information:
   
   • Address (Location property)
   • Delivery instructions
   • Phone number
   • Contact preferences
3. Add tip selection interface
4. Add Marketplace Payments component
5. Create order record on successful payment

Setting Up Payment Processing (DoorDash Model)

Step 13: Configure Stripe Integration

1. Create a verified Stripe account 
2. Add the Marketplace Payments component in Adalo  
3. Connect Stripe and set your platform fee  
4. Route payouts to the restaurant’s connected account

Note: Dasher payouts aren’t handled natively by the component (use a manual or external payout workflow if needed). See Marketplace Payments.

Step 14: Implement DoorDash Payment Flow

1. Add Marketplace Payments to Checkout  
2. Set the charge amount via Magic Text (subtotal + fees + tax + tip)  
3. Configure success/failure actions:
   
   • Success: Create order, send confirmations
   • Failure: Display error message
4. Test with Stripe test mode first

Building Location Features (DoorDash Style)

Step 15: Add Maps Functionality

1. Install Maps from the marketplace  
2. Add your Google Maps API key — see Maps and API key  
3. In Browse Restaurants, show restaurant locations  

Note: Distance/ETA calculations and delivery zones aren’t native; use stored fields or an external API if needed.

Step 16: Handle Location Permissions

1. Request location access during onboarding
2. Use Current Device Location magic text
3. Store user location for delivery suggestions
4. Critical limitation: Cannot replicate DoorDash's real-time tracking
   
   • No continuous background location updates
   • Location only refreshes on user action
   • Cannot show live Dasher movement

Creating Order Management (DoorDash Flow)

Step 17: Build Customer Order Tracking

1. Create "Order Status" screen like DoorDash
2. Show order progress with visual indicators:
   
   • Order placed
   • Restaurant preparing
   • Ready for pickup
   • Driver on the way
   • Delivered
3. Display estimated delivery time
4. Add contact options for Dasher and restaurant

Step 18: Create Restaurant Dashboard

1. New screen "Restaurant Orders"
2. Filter orders by restaurant:
   
   • Restaurant = Current User's Restaurant
   • Status ≠ "delivered"
3. Add status update buttons matching DoorDash merchant flow:
   
   • Confirm order
   • Start preparing
   • Ready for pickup
4. Send notifications on status changes

Step 19: Implement Dasher Interface

1. Create "Available Orders" screen for drivers
2. Show orders ready for pickup with:
   
   • Restaurant location
   • Customer location
   • Order total
   • Estimated payout
3. Add "Accept Order" action:
   
   • Updates order with Dasher
   • Assign order to the Dasher; set status to picked_up only when the driver confirms pickup
4. Limitation: Cannot provide DoorDash's live GPS tracking

Setting Up Push Notifications (DoorDash Style)

Step 20: Configure Notification System

1. Go to Settings → Push Notifications
2. Upload iOS/Android certificates
3. Set up DoorDash-style notification triggers:
   
   • Order confirmation
   • Restaurant confirmed order
   • Food ready for pickup
   • Dasher assigned
   • Order delivered

Learn more about Notifications

Step 21: Create Notification Actions

1. On order creation:
   
   • Notify restaurant of new order
   • Send confirmation to customer
2. On status updates:
   
   • Alert customer of progress
   • Notify Dasher when order ready
3. Use Trigger Notification action with order details

Adding DoorDash-Style Features

Step 22: Create Reviews Collection

1. Add "Reviews" collection
2. Properties matching DoorDash reviews:
   
   • Restaurant Rating (Number 1-5)
   • Dasher Rating (Number 1-5)
   • Food Quality (Number 1-5)
   • Comment (Text)
   • Created At (Date & Time)
3. Relationships:
   
   • Customer → Users
   • Restaurant → Restaurants
   • Order → Orders

Step 23: Implement Rating Interface

1. Install Star Rating component from marketplace
2. Add post-delivery rating screen
3. Separate ratings for restaurant and Dasher
4. Calculate and display average ratings

Step 24: Add DashPass-Style Subscription

1. Create "Subscriptions" collection
2. Add subscription status to Users:
   
   • Has Premium (True/False)
   • Premium Expires (Date & Time)
3. Implement reduced delivery fees for subscribers
4. For recurring billing, trigger Stripe subscriptions via Custom actions

Performance Optimization for Scale

Step 25: Optimize for DoorDash-Level Performance

1. Limit restaurant lists to 20 items maximum
2. Use “Load items as the user scrolls” (or a Load more button) for long lists
3. Enable Load items as the user scrolls on long lists  
4. For large datasets, use External collections and follow Optimize performance

Step 26: Implement Image Optimization

1. Compress images before upload
2. Optimize restaurant and food images
3. Limit file sizes for fast loading
4. Use appropriate image dimensions for mobile

Testing Your DoorDash Clone

Step 27: Test Complete DoorDash Flow

1. Create test accounts for each user type
2. Test end-to-end ordering process:
   
   • Browse restaurants → Select items → Checkout → Payment
   • Restaurant receives and confirms order
   • Dasher accepts and completes delivery
3. Verify all notification triggers
4. Test on iOS and Android devices

Step 28: Prepare for App Store Launch

1. Upgrade to paid plan for publishing
2. Create DoorDash-inspired app store assets:
   
   • Professional icon design
   • Screenshot showcasing key features
   • App description highlighting delivery service
3. Configure privacy policy for location and payment data
4. Set up customer support system

Advanced DoorDash Clone Features

Step 29: Add External Integrations

1. Use Custom Actions (requires a paid plan)
2. Integrate third-party services:
   
   • SMS notifications via Twilio
   • Email receipts via SendGrid
   • Analytics tracking
3. Consider delivery logistics APIs:
   
   • Route optimization services
   • Estimated time calculations

Step 30: Implement DoorDash-Style Search

1. Add global search functionality
2. Search across:
   
   • Restaurant names
   • Cuisine types
   • Menu items
3. Add search filters and sorting options
4. Save recent searches and favorites

Working with DoorDash Clone Limitations

Step 31: Address Real-Time Tracking Gap

Cannot Replicate from DoorDash:

• Live Dasher location tracking on map
• Automatic location updates during delivery
• Background GPS monitoring
• Real-time ETA updates

Workarounds for Your Clone:

• Manual status updates by Dashers
• Static ETA estimates based on distance
• SMS updates for key delivery milestones
• Integration with external mapping services

Step 32: Handle Scalability Like DoorDash

1. Monitor database performance closely
2. Implement data archiving for completed orders
3. Move heavy calculations or historical data to a backend via External collections  
4. Use Custom actions for advanced API features

Cost Planning for DoorDash Clone

Step 33: Calculate Total Investment

Monthly Operating Costs:

• Plans & limits: see Pricing  
• Components & external services: varies by provider

Additional Considerations:

• App store fees: $99/year (iOS)
• Google Play: $25 one-time
• Marketing and user acquisition
• Customer support infrastructure

Additional Resources

• Adalo App Academy - Comprehensive no-code training
• Component Marketplace - Extended functionality
• YouTube Tutorials
• Help Documentation
• Restaurant Templates

Note: This DoorDash-style clone implements core menus, ordering, cart/checkout, and basic order status using Adalo’s native features. Advanced logistics—live driver location, automatic dispatch/batching, distance/ETA fee calculations, and background jobs—aren’t native. If you need those, plan a lightweight backend for data/logic and trigger server-side workflows where required. Keep lists lean, enable progressive loading, and test on real devices to maintain performance.

FAQ