$DASH Unveils AI Text Ordering, "DoorDash Air" Delivery Drones and Retail Expansion

DoorDash announced a series of new features, including the ability to text DoorDash to order food, ask for recommendations or say "order my usual," with its AI handling the search, cart and checkout. A beta waitlist is opening for U.S. iPhone users.
The company also unveiled DoorDash Air, its own autonomous delivery drone system. Pilots will begin in Northern California with Chipotle ($CMG) and Popeyes ($QSR). DoorDash says about 80% of typical restaurant orders are small enough for the aircraft, with initial tests averaging under 5 minutes from restaurant to doorstep.
Retail is expanding as well, with Macy's ($M), Anthropologie ($URBN), The North Face, Vans and Timberland ($VFC) joining the marketplace. DoorDash is also rolling out returns, where a Dasher can pick up eligible items from a customer's home and take them back to the store.
For businesses, DoorDash launched DashOS, which connects ordering, reservations, loyalty, guest management and marketing in one system, along with an MCP connector that lets companies bring DoorDash ordering into workplace AI tools. For Dashers, it launched DashBuddy, an AI assistant for questions about scheduling, hotspots, payments and other parts of dashing.