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DoorDash, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Orders, GOV and revenue all grew: Total Orders rose 27% year-over-year to 933 million, Marketplace GOV rose 37% to $31.6 billion, and revenue rose 33% to $4.0 billion. Excluding Deliveroo, GOV rose 24% and revenue 21%. Source
  • Net income fell while Adjusted EBITDA rose: GAAP net income attributable to DoorDash common stockholders fell 5% to $184 million. Adjusted EBITDA rose 28% to $754 million, but was down 3% from the fourth quarter's $780 million. Source
  • US restaurant GOV growth slowed from Q4: U.S. restaurant Marketplace GOV growth was above the Q1 2025 pace and slightly above the 16-quarter average, but below the Q4 2025 pace. New-consumer and mature-cohort order-rate growth continued. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin fell to 2.4%: Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of Marketplace GOV was 2.4%, down from 2.6% in the first quarter of 2025 and the fourth quarter of 2025. GAAP gross margin was 48.2%, against 48.7% a year earlier. Source
  • Guidance assumes stable demand and FX: Management's guidance assumes aggregate consumer demand and key foreign currency rates stay relatively stable at current levels. Source
  • Operating cash flow and FCF declined: Net cash provided by operating activities was $594 million and Free Cash Flow was $420 million, down from $635 million and $494 million in the first quarter of 2025. Source
  • Global technology platform tracking well: Progress on the new global technology platform in Q1 2026 was meaningful, and management said the program is tracking well against its expectations. Source

“We had a strong start to 2026, with rigorous execution across our business.”

DoorDash, Inc., press release

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Marketplace GOV SourceQ2 2026$32.4 billion - $33.4 billion
Adjusted EBITDA SourceQ2 2026$770 million - $870 million
Deliveroo contribution to Adjusted EBITDA Source2026approximately $200 millionKept
Stock-based compensation expense Source2026$1.3 billion to $1.4 billion
Depreciation and amortization expense Source2026$1.1 billion to $1.2 billion
Dasher gas relief program gross cost SourceQ2 2026over $50 million

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Full-year Adjusted EBITDA as a percent of Marketplace GOV, excluding Deliveroo, is still expected to rise slightly versus 2025. Source
  • Guidance kept: Management said it still expects Deliveroo to contribute about $200 million to 2026 Adjusted EBITDA. Source
  • New: New features began going into production as part of the transition to a single global technology platform. Source
  • New: The company said it took steps to streamline its global operations during the quarter. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Orders, GOV and revenue all grew: Total Orders rose 27% year-over-year to 933 million, Marketplace GOV rose 37% to $31.6 billion, and revenue rose 33% to $4.0 billion. Excluding Deliveroo, GOV rose 24% and revenue 21%. Source
  • Net income fell while Adjusted EBITDA rose: GAAP net income attributable to DoorDash common stockholders fell 5% to $184 million. Adjusted EBITDA rose 28% to $754 million, but was down 3% from the fourth quarter's $780 million. Source
  • Revenue growth followed GOV growth: Management said the year-over-year revenue increase was driven mainly by Marketplace GOV growth. Net Revenue Margin was 12.8%, compared with 13.3% in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 13.1% a year earlier. Source
  • Order growth came from more consumers: The company attributed the Total Orders increase mainly to more consumers. Excluding Deliveroo, Total Orders rose 16%, and currency rates added about 2% to Marketplace GOV growth. Source

Segments and regions

  • US restaurant GOV growth slowed from Q4: U.S. restaurant Marketplace GOV growth was above the Q1 2025 pace and slightly above the 16-quarter average, but below the Q4 2025 pace. New-consumer and mature-cohort order-rate growth continued. Source
  • Restaurant partner sales more than doubled: Investment in the U.S. restaurant product, selection and experience has helped the company more than double the sales it drives to U.S. restaurant partners over five years. Source
  • Grocery and retail drew record new consumers: U.S. grocery and retail attracted more new consumers than in any prior quarter, and order rates among mature cohorts grew Y/Y. Source
  • Deliveroo growth accelerated in three markets: Deliveroo MAUs and Total Orders grew faster year-over-year, and Marketplace GOV growth accelerated in the U.K., France and Italy. Source
  • International growth slowed but stayed above US: Excluding Deliveroo and at constant currency, international Marketplace GOV growth slowed from Q4 2025 but stayed above U.S. growth. International unit economics rose year-over-year. Source

“We expect these efforts will allow us to invest more efficiently, operate more effectively, and drive higher levels of growth in the communities we serve.”

DoorDash, Inc., press release

Products and customers

  • Record membership sign-ups and MAUs: Product improvements and healthy consumer demand trends were cited as helping drive record membership sign-ups and a new high for monthly active users. Source
  • US DashPass membership growth accelerated: Year-over-year growth in U.S. DashPass members accelerated on sign-ups and reduced churn. International DashPass, Wolt+ and Deliveroo Plus growth also accelerated, but these programs are still nascent. Source
  • SevenRooms and Reservations expanding early: New SevenRooms partner signs accelerated significantly, and Reservations reached a fourth U.S. city, Chicago. The company said these efforts remain early. Source
  • Grocery selection widened into new categories: Selection expanded into newer categories such as apparel and auto parts, quality metrics improved, and new merchant-onboarding tools were built. Initial engagement among newer cohorts rose year-over-year. Source

Costs and margins

  • Adjusted EBITDA margin fell to 2.4%: Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of Marketplace GOV was 2.4%, down from 2.6% in the first quarter of 2025 and the fourth quarter of 2025. GAAP gross margin was 48.2%, against 48.7% a year earlier. Source
  • Cost of revenue fell as share of GOV: Cost of revenue, excluding depreciation and amortization, was 6.3% of Marketplace GOV, down from 6.5% in each of the first quarter of 2025 and the fourth quarter of 2025. The dollar increase was driven by Total Orders. Source
  • Sales and marketing rose on advertising: Sales and marketing was 2.4% of Marketplace GOV, down from 2.5% a year earlier and in line with the fourth quarter. The dollar increase came mainly from advertising and personnel costs. Source
  • R&D and G&A ratios held or fell: R&D was 1.3% of Marketplace GOV, in line with a year earlier and down from 1.4% in the fourth quarter. G&A was 1.4%, in line with a year earlier and down from 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Source
  • Restructuring and legal costs rose: Restructuring charges were $48 million, against $1 million a year earlier. Legal, tax and regulatory items excluded from adjusted G&A were $45 million, and the company said it took steps to streamline operations. Source

“At Deliveroo, early output from our investments and integration work has been promising.”

DoorDash, Inc., press release

Guidance assumptions and demand

  • Guidance assumes stable demand and FX: Management's guidance assumes aggregate consumer demand and key foreign currency rates stay relatively stable at current levels. Source
  • Consumer spending could fall short: Management cautioned that consumer spending in any geography could deteriorate relative to its guidance, which could drive results below expectations. Source
  • Significant ongoing investment planned: Guidance anticipates significant ongoing investment in new categories, international markets and system capacity, as well as growing investment in new initiatives and the global technology platform. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Operating cash flow and FCF declined: Net cash provided by operating activities was $594 million and Free Cash Flow was $420 million, down from $635 million and $494 million in the first quarter of 2025. Source
  • Buybacks of 1.4 million shares year to date: Through May 5, the company repurchased 1.4 million Class A shares for $205 million under the February 2025 authorization of up to $5.0 billion. Source
  • About $4.8 billion of authorization remains: About $4,795 million remains under the current repurchase authorization. Management said it may or may not repurchase any portion of that amount. Source

Strategy and investment

  • Global technology platform tracking well: Progress on the new global technology platform in Q1 2026 was meaningful, and management said the program is tracking well against its expectations. Source
  • Core infrastructure in place, traffic ramping: Foundational infrastructure is in place for payments, fraud, support, subscriptions, merchant tooling and logistics, and live production traffic is ramping across all three global brands. Source
  • Deliveroo run with a long-term focus: Management said it will run Deliveroo with a long-term focus and expects cost efficiencies over time from a larger global business, while investing in people and products. Source
  • Membership aimed at consumer affordability: Global membership programs aim to improve affordability for consumers, which management said is meant to drive higher partner sales and raise retention and order frequency. Source

Coming up, as management said on 6 May 2026

  • Functional features still to be built: Management said much of the functional product work on the global platform remains ahead, while the team has executed well so far. Source
  • International membership value still in progress: International membership programs are still nascent, and management said it will continue working to increase the value they provide. Source
  • More investment in SevenRooms and Reservations: Management said it will continue investing in these areas to increase the value provided to merchants and consumers. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Total Orders Source933 million
Marketplace GOV Source$31.6 billion

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management said the program is tracking well against its expectations. Source
  • Not stated: Management said it continues to expect this full-year margin change. Source
  • Not stated: Management said it continues to expect this contribution. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.