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How to build your own guest list when delivery apps hide it
Delivery app marketplaces generally do not give restaurants their guests' phone numbers or emails. New York City passed a law to force it, and a federal appeals court struck it down in August 2026. So the list has to come from orders you own: your website, your phone line, QR codes at your tables and catering. Every one of those can capture a phone number, because the guest needs a pay link or a ready text anyway.
The law
Why the apps keep the list
In 2021 New York City required delivery apps to share each customer's name, phone, email, delivery address and order with the restaurant, unless the customer opted out on every order. DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats sued. A district judge ruled the law unconstitutional in September 2024, and on August 5, 2026 the Second Circuit agreed 3-0, finding it compelled speech. The court pointed to an opt-in system as the less burdensome option.
Outside that fight, the apps share less. DoorDash's merchant tools show a breakdown of new, occasional and frequent customers and a map of where orders come from, with marketing aimed through DoorDash's own promotions. Contact details (name, email, phone, delivery address) are shown only for orders placed through DoorDash's Online Ordering link, the one you put on your own site. Uber Eats says merchants using its Webshop can get names and emails when the guest opts in at checkout.
Channel by channel
Who gets the guest's contact details
| Channel | Who keeps the guest's details | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| DoorDash marketplace | DoorDash | See customer segments and order areas; promote inside the app |
| DoorDash Online Ordering link | Shared with you | Name, email, phone and address on those orders |
| Uber Eats marketplace | Uber | Promotions inside the app; Webshop shares names and emails on opt-in |
| Grubhub | Grubhub | Promotions inside the app |
| Your own website ordering | You | Phone and email with every order |
| Your phone line | You | Caller ID, name, order history |
| QR order at the table | You | Phone on payment or a ready text |
| Catering | You | Buyer, organisation, event dates |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Step by step
How to build the list
Capture the phone at checkout
Ask for the number the pay link or ready text goes to. Guests give it because it helps them.
Merge duplicates
One guest can show up once by phone and once by email. Join them before counting or messaging.
Record marketing consent separately
A phone number given for an order is not permission to send promotions. Ask, store the yes, and honour stops.
Answer every call
Phone orders are owned orders. A missed call is often a guest who opens a delivery app instead.
Use the list gently
Send something useful: a new dish, a holiday tray, an order-ahead reminder. Do not discount regulars who already pay full price.
What we measured
A guest list built from owned orders
1,988
guests known by name at our proof restaurant.
90%
of them reachable by phone.
100%
of direct orders now placed by the guest, which is where most new names come from.
Our proof restaurant in Houston, from its own order and call records, October 2026.
A card in delivery bags pointing to our own ordering did little on its own. What built the list was making the direct order easier than the app: faster pay, the guest's own language, and the same menu everywhere.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Insurance Journal (Reuters): NYC delivery-app data law unconstitutional, appeals court rules - Aug 6, 2026, read Oct 2026
- Restaurant Dive: DoorDash, Uber Eats win NYC customer data court battle - Sep 2024 district ruling, read Oct 2026
- DoorDash for Merchants: analytics and insights - customer segments, heatmap, Online Ordering contact data, read Oct 2026
- Uber Eats Merchants FAQ - Webshop opt-in names and emails, read Oct 2026
Questions owners ask
Does DoorDash give restaurants customer information?
Not for marketplace orders. DoorDash shows merchants customer segments and a map of order areas. Its help page says customer name, email, phone and address are available only for orders placed through its Online Ordering link.
Does Uber Eats share customer emails with restaurants?
Uber says merchants using its Webshop direct-ordering tool can get names and emails when the guest opts in at checkout. Marketplace orders stay with Uber.
What happened to the New York delivery data law?
A federal judge struck it down in September 2024 and the Second Circuit affirmed on August 5, 2026, finding it compelled speech under the First Amendment.
How do restaurants build a customer list?
From the orders they own: website ordering, phone orders, table QR payments and catering. Capture a phone number at each order and ask separately for marketing consent.
Is a phone number from an order enough to send promotions?
No. Get a separate yes for marketing messages, keep a record, and stop when asked. Text marketing has stricter consent rules than email.
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