Cate’s Students Order DoorDash More Than 100 Times Per Week

By Naomi Chen '26

DoorDash usage at Cate School has risen drastically in recent years, reaching an estimated 100 to 120 orders per week, according to Director of Risk Management & Campus Operations Jorge Reynoso. While this phenomenon has improved student life with convenience and variety, it has also raised safety concerns, logistical problems, and theft issues. 

Reynoso comments that the spike in deliveries has caused “unnecessary concerns” for campus operations, including students ordering items that are not allowed, misplaced or delayed deliveries, and security risks posed by outside drivers on campus. Cate started logging deliveries two years ago to understand why students were ordering so much, trying to discern a correlation between the number of orders and that evening's Flik menu to improve the situation. The logging has since shifted toward safety monitoring, with all dashers vetted at the gate and added to the Daily Activity Report (DAR). 

Despite these adaptations, some problems still persist. One major problem is when students request dashers to deliver directly to dorms, in violation of campus policies. When this happens, Reynoso receives an alert and must intervene, often forcing drivers who are expecting payment to turn around mid-delivery. 

Theft is another issue. While some missing deliveries may be blamed on raccoons, security cameras have captured other drivers stealing students' food during deliveries. Additionally, late-night deliveries raise significant safety questions. Drivers who arrive after lights out are sometimes turned away to prevent campus invasion. 

The behavior of orders has also changed with increased volume. In previous years, students used to wait weeks after returning from breaks before resuming ordering. This year, Reynoso notes, many begin ordering immediately, sometimes the same night they return. Roughly 70% of all the orders placed are meals, while 30% are convenience items like groceries and toiletries. Spills and leftover orders further strain facilities staff, who must clean or dispose of untouched food. 

For many students, however, DoorDash remains an essential part of boarding life. Kunqi Wang ’28 says he orders three to four times a week, both for personal meals and social settings. 

“After I walk into Booth and see the disappointing menu, I take out my phone immediately,” Wang said. While he acknowledges the nutritional balance of Booth’s meals, he says they lack “oriental flavors” that remind him of home. For Wang, an international student from China, ordering food is not just about convenience but also about reclaiming a brief moment of familiarity. 

Wang’s comfort, however, is often disrupted by the very same issues that Reynoso and the administrators are trying to solve. Wang describes tracking his driver in real time: “After I order, I check my phone every 10 minutes. So I check on my driver’s little car, and I see where he/she is, and I’m like, Oh, you’re here, you’re here, you’re here.”

“And then two things really get me,” Wang exclaims, “One is when they get stopped at the bottom of the hill, they can’t come up for some reason, and the second is when they put it {my food} somewhere I can’t find.” In one instance, Wang posted an Instagram story about a missing McDonald's order and allegedly received DMs from over 30 students, many of whom joked they had found his food. 

In response to the challenges, some students have begun proposing solutions. The Sophomore F Block Seminar, led by Wang and Alaia Muller ’28, developed a project to better delivery organization. The group put up a reflective sign reading “Deliveries” in four languages (Chinese, Russian, English, and Spanish) based on the four largest dasher demographics they identified. They also collaborated with the facility to put in a new metal cabinet with motion-sensor lights. 

Reynoso comments that the new cabinet has improved conditions, but notes that cleanliness problems still persist. 

Students might be open to moderate regulation. Wang said he would support policies requiring students to pick up their deliveries on time to prevent food from rotting, but opposes limits on the number of deliveries, joking that such restrictions would infringe on his “Fifth Amendment rights.” Ashley Chan ’27, who uses DoorDash twice a week, expressed similar sentiments. 

Reynoso declined to comment when asked about the internal disagreements among Cate administrators regarding how strictly DoorDash should be regulated moving forward. 

Naomi Chen is a senior at Cate School, where she serves as the Teacher’s Assistant for the Sophomore F Block Seminar.