We Will Never Look At Takeout The Same Way Again Thanks To 'DoorDash Texting' Memes

So long as it remains our preferred method of communication, memes about texting never go out of style. The nature of the format means that it has often tended to focus on the topic of personal relationships (think Seen or Boy and Girl Texting), but over the course of their development, the subjects have begun to diversify.

Most recently, this has come in the form of the use, and abuse, of the text conversation feature used by food-delivery app DoorDash. Perhaps you end up flirting with your delivery driver or they seem to be making a "Garfielf" reference. Whatever the topic, progressively weirder exchanges have begun to be shared on multiple platforms over the past few months.

As with any iMessage-style image, they’re easily faked, but that doesn’t detract from the commentary or humor. A homage to neglecting professionalism at work, they have seen a modest but steady rise in popularity as of late. This increased interest comes as little surprise when you consider the factors that have contributed to it.

First up, there’s the increasing commonality of the kind of job that allegedly produces these interactions. Estimates suggest more than 50 million Americans are part of the "gig economy," with delivery drivers for companies like UberEats, Postmates and DoorDash making up a significant minority of that number. While many choose this kind of work for its flexibility, it’s also criticized for being unpredictable and having the potential for employers to exploit freelancers.

On top of this, the restrictions of the pandemic have put a dampener on eating out in the past year. This has allowed dining in to come into its own, with food-delivery apps enjoying a noticeable rise in profits from mid-2020 onwards.

As the U.S. industry leader, DoorDash has reaped the most benefits from this and, predictably, this has rebounded on them in meme form. The business has also not been without its share of controversies, coming under fire in 2019 for withholding tips from its drivers.

There is no surprise, then, that takeout has taken the spotlight in our lives and followed on into our memes. Being a delivery driver is a job that may currently be more stressful than usual, and the internet is taking that as an excuse to show the release of that pressure. While the behavior involved may not be what you want to see as a consumer, they play to the basest desires of anyone who has worked a low-paid service job: When you’re rushed off your feet with no break in sight, it probably is tempting to take a bite out of the chicken tendies you’re delivering. The success of the format comes from understanding both perspectives.

These memes depart from previous takeout-related content, which has often made the whims of the person ordering the food the focus of attention. Drawing from the history of prank calling takeout joints and mixing it with some good old-fashioned troll spirit, Special Delivery Instructions exclusively targeted takeout pizza. Its contributors submitted unusual requests with their order, such as having it cut into weird shapes or getting drawings on the box.

The requests may have been outlandish, but they were often made from the perspective that they provided some entertainment to the employees asked to perform them, as well as those who ordered it. As a result, it contextualizes the shift in attention towards those delivering the food.

The king of this format was undeniably None Pizza With Left Beef — a test of the logistical limits of Domino’s then-new online ordering service. Aside from its famously barren presentation, it achieved its impact through working within the confines of what ordering takeout allows. Similarly, the DoorDash texts genre takes something that is a practical feature and plays with the possibilities of it. There’s much more of an element of free will, but it still places an unexpected element in something normally mundane.

Social media has given us more perspective on many common jobs than we have ever had before, offering a behind-the-scenes look into everything from how making your burger works to employees voicing their frustrations. It has led many people to have a greater knowledge of how you experience customer-focused industries when you work for them, even if they don’t have any personal experience with it themselves.

DoorDash texts manipulate this awareness, presenting their protagonists as fed up with maintaining the veneer of social acceptability. However, the joke also comes from the outrage it provokes. Service workers hear a lot about the customer always being right, but these memes dare to imagine those serving them happily being in the wrong.

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