Support Channel-Based Menus
Publish distinct menus, items, and pricing per DoorDash channel — required for the Omnichannel Preferred and Platinum partner tiers
Overview
Channel-based menus let a merchant publish separate menus — with distinct items and pricing — to each DoorDash channel: Marketplace, Marketplace Catering, first-party Online Ordering (formerly Storefront), and first-party Catering. This doc covers how to configure a menu for a specific channel using the experience field, channel-based menu requirements for each DoorDash Integrations Program partner tier, and the pricing and item-reuse rules that apply across channels.
Channel-based menu support is optional for partners Certified on Marketplace, but required for higher integration tiers:
| Channel scope | Required for |
|---|---|
| Marketplace + Marketplace Catering | Marketplace Preferred tier |
| First-party Online Ordering + First-party Catering | Omnichannel Preferred and Platinum tiers |
Before You Begin
The mechanics of creating and updating a channel-based menu are identical to standard menu integration — see Menu Integration for the full reference. This doc covers only what's different: populating the experience field so a menu publishes to the correct channel.
The experience Field
Each menu you submit can carry an experience value that tells DoorDash which channel it should publish to. If you omit the field, the menu defaults to standard Marketplace.
| Channel | experience value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace (standard) | (omit the field) | Default behavior when experience is not set |
| Marketplace Catering | catering | Also serves as the default catering menu shown on the first-party Online Ordering catering channel if no separate first-party catering menu is configured — see Support Catering Orders |
| First-party Online Ordering (formerly Storefront) | storefront | Standard first-party ordering menu |
| First-party Catering (Online Ordering) | online_ordering_catering | A separate catering menu specific to first-party Online Ordering |
Choosing the right value
If you don't configure a separate first-party catering menu, the Marketplace Catering menu (experience = catering) is shown by default on both the Marketplace and first-party Online Ordering catering channels.
Pricing Considerations
Dual pricing (separate pickup and delivery prices via price and base_price) is not supported for catering or first-party Online Ordering menus.
We recommend you do not pass both price and base_price on catering or first-party menus. If both are passed, price is ignored and only base_price is displayed on the customer-facing menu.
See How to Build Dual Pricing for the full dual pricing reference.
Reusing Item IDs Across Channels
It's acceptable to reuse the same item ID across multiple channel-based menus where the item is genuinely the same. That said, catering menus typically carry different items, portion sizes, and pricing than a merchant's standard menu — so a catering menu must always be represented as its own separate menu, not as a variation of an existing one.
Merchant Experience
To satisfy channel-based menu requirements, there must be a merchant-facing flow within your platform, ideally self-serve, for managing channel-based menus. This flow must clearly communicate that each menu publishes separately to its corresponding DoorDash channel. Merchants should be able to tell, at a glance, which menu maps to which channel before they publish changes.
FAQ
Q: Is channel-based menu support required for my integration?
A: It depends on your partner tier. It's optional for partners Certified on Marketplace. Marketplace Preferred requires it for Marketplace and Marketplace Catering. Omnichannel Preferred and Platinum require it for first-party Online Ordering and first-party Catering as well.
Q: What happens if I don't set the experience field at all?
A: The menu defaults to standard Marketplace.
Q: Can I reuse the same item ID on my Marketplace menu and my catering menu?
A: Yes, where the item is genuinely the same across channels. However, catering menus should still be built as separate menus from your standard menu, since items, portions, and pricing typically differ.
Q: Can I use dual pricing (price and base_price) on a catering or first-party Online Ordering menu?
A: No — dual pricing isn't supported on those menu types. If you pass both fields, price is ignored and only base_price is shown to customers.
Next Steps
- Review Menu Integration for full menu build instructions
- Review Support Catering Orders for catering menu fallback behavior
- Review How to Build Dual Pricing for pricing field details