--- title: "First Week Dashing - What Should I Know? - DoorDash Driver Hub | SideHustlr" description: "Just got approved and I'm starting this weekend! Any tips for a complete newbie? I'm in a suburban area with lots of restaurants. Should I focus on dinn..." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "DiscussionForumPosting", "@id": "https://sidehustlr.ai/forum/doordash-driver/first-week-dashing-what-should-i-know-dd000001", "url": "https://sidehustlr.ai/forum/doordash-driver/first-week-dashing-what-should-i-know-dd000001", "headline": "First Week Dashing - What Should I Know?", "text": "Just got approved and I'm starting this weekend! Any tips for a complete newbie? I'm in a suburban area with lots of restaurants. Should I focus on dinner rush only or try lunch too? Also, what's the deal with these zones and scheduling?", "datePublished": "2026-01-07T23:31:23.821952+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-01-07T23:32:16.655688+00:00", "inLanguage": "en", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "SpeedyCarlos", "url": "https://sidehustlr.ai/u/SpeedyCarlos" }, "interactionStatistic": [ { "@type": "InteractionCounter", "interactionType": "https://schema.org/LikeAction", "userInteractionCount": 8 }, { "@type": "InteractionCounter", "interactionType": "https://schema.org/CommentAction", "userInteractionCount": 2 } ], "isPartOf": { "@type": "DiscussionForum", "name": "DoorDash Driver Community Hub", "url": "https://sidehustlr.ai/hub/doordash-driver" }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://sidehustlr.ai/forum/doordash-driver/first-week-dashing-what-should-i-know-dd000001" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "SideHustlr", "url": "https://sidehustlr.ai" }, "image": "https://auwlwdihpyweqjalfitu.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/side-hustle-logos/yt7phc0czgp-1765246491225.png", "commentCount": 2, "comment": [ { "@type": "Comment", "@id": "https://sidehustlr.ai/forum/doordash-driver/first-week-dashing-what-should-i-know-dd000001#comment-9ad30e76-f532-4f05-bca2-975e1629661a", "text": "Welcome! Definitely try both lunch and dinner your first week to see what works in your area. Lunch is faster pace, smaller orders. Dinner has bigger tips but more traffic. Schedule yourself in advance - don't rely on Dash Now as a newbie.", "datePublished": "2026-01-07T23:32:16.655688+00:00", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "DeliveryQueen", "url": "https://sidehustlr.ai/u/DeliveryQueen" }, "interactionStatistic": [ { "@type": "InteractionCounter", "interactionType": "https://schema.org/LikeAction", "userInteractionCount": 6 } ] }, { "@type": "Comment", "@id": "https://sidehustlr.ai/forum/doordash-driver/first-week-dashing-what-should-i-know-dd000001#comment-abc1d2ab-ed4d-4ec5-b502-b23b17f7d81e", "text": "Suburban can be tricky - longer drives but often better tips. My advice: learn 5-10 reliable restaurants first, decline anything under $6, and always check the mileage before accepting. A $8 order for 2 miles is way better than $10 for 8 miles.", "datePublished": "2026-01-07T23:32:16.655688+00:00", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "TipTopTina", "url": "https://sidehustlr.ai/u/TipTopTina" }, "interactionStatistic": [ { "@type": "InteractionCounter", "interactionType": "https://schema.org/LikeAction", "userInteractionCount": 8 } ] } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sidehustlr.ai/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Hustle Hubs", "item": "https://sidehustlr.ai/hustle-hubs" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "DoorDash Driver Community", "item": "https://sidehustlr.ai/hub/doordash-driver" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "First Week Dashing - What Should I Know?" } ] } ] --- [$ Earn as a mentor](/become-a-mentor)[How it works](/how-it-works) [![SideHustlr - Earn more. Stress less.](/SideHustlr-Logo.png)](/) [Take the Quiz](/quiz)[Sign In](/auth) Toggle menu [![SideHustlr - Earn more. Stress less.](/SideHustlr-Logo.png)](/)[Sign In](/auth) 1. [Home ](/) 2. [Hustle Hubs](/hustle-hubs) 3. [DoorDash Driver](/hub/doordash-driver) 4. First Week Dashing - What Should I Know? DoorDash Driver · newbie # First Week Dashing - What Should I Know? ![SpeedyCarlos](https://api.dicebear.com/7.x/avataaars/svg?seed=SpeedyCarlos) SpeedyCarlos 8 months ago Just got approved and I'm starting this weekend! Any tips for a complete newbie? I'm in a suburban area with lots of restaurants. Should I focus on dinner rush only or try lunch too? Also, what's the deal with these zones and scheduling? 2 replies 8 ## Replies (2) ![DeliveryQueen](https://api.dicebear.com/7.x/avataaars/svg?seed=DeliveryQueen) DeliveryQueen · 8 months ago Welcome! Definitely try both lunch and dinner your first week to see what works in your area. Lunch is faster pace, smaller orders. Dinner has bigger tips but more traffic. Schedule yourself in advance - don't rely on Dash Now as a newbie. 6 ![TipTopTina](https://api.dicebear.com/7.x/avataaars/svg?seed=TipTopTina) TipTopTina · 8 months ago Suburban can be tricky - longer drives but often better tips. My advice: learn 5-10 reliable restaurants first, decline anything under $6, and always check the mileage before accepting. A $8 order for 2 miles is way better than $10 for 8 miles. 8 Login to join the discussion Login to Reply [![SideHustlr - Earn more. 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