--- title: "Courier Handoff & Pickup SLA Checklist" canonical: "https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/ghost-kitchen-courier-handoff-checklist/" --- > Source: https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/ghost-kitchen-courier-handoff-checklist/ [Checklists](/checklists/) / [Ghost Kitchen & Dark Kitchen](/checklists/ghost-kitchens/) / Courier Handoff & Pickup-Time Promise (SLA) # Ghost Kitchen & Dark Kitchen Courier Handoff & Pickup Time (SLA) Checklist Courier handoff is where a correctly packed Ghost Kitchen & Dark Kitchen order still goes wrong. **Fire against the quoted prep time. Stage sealed bags by pickup slot. Match the courier to the label. Mark picked up only at the actual handoff.** These 7 checks protect both the pickup-time promise (SLA) and the food's temperature. DoorDash reports most stores average under 3 minutes 24 seconds of avoidable wait against an ideal of under 2 minutes. Batched deliveries arrive at correct temperature only 83% of the time versus 91% for direct ones. [Run this checklist - free](/run/ghost-kitchens/?list=handoff) [Download PDF](/checklists/pdf/peakscale-ghost-kitchens-checklists.pdf)[Download Excel](/checklists/excel/peakscale-ghost-kitchens-checklists.xlsx) The checklist · 7 checks ### Time the food to the courier **1\. Start cooking based on the quoted prep time, not the moment the ticket prints** Food finished early sits and cools. Food finished late makes the courier wait. The pickup-time promise (SLA) clock only starts once the quoted prep time has passed. **2\. Review the quoted prep times for each brand and each time of day, and fix them where they are wrong** Padding the prep time hides the wait problem instead of fixing it. A prep time shorter than your kitchen can deliver turns into a cancellation. **3\. Place sealed orders on a dedicated handoff shelf, in order of pickup time, with hot items insulated** A single-layer tray drops to 40°C (104°F) in about 45 minutes. Stacked six deep, this takes about 140 minutes. How you stage the order decides how it arrives. ### Check the handoff **4\. Match the courier's name and order ID against the bag label before you hand it over** Handing the right courier the wrong bag can bring an error charge of up to 100% of the subtotal plus tax. The customer will see it as your mistake. **5\. Mark orders picked up only at the actual moment of handoff** Marking an order picked up early makes the numbers look better than they are, and it ruins your own wait-time data. DoorDash's benchmark is under 3 minutes 24 seconds of avoidable wait, with an ideal of under 2 minutes. **6\. Log any order that sat sealed longer than your handoff limit. Note the brand and the reason.** No one publishes wait-time figures for ghost kitchens. Your log is the only record that exists, and it explains your cold-food complaints. **7\. Do not hand a hot order to a courier who has no insulated bag, or whose bag is visibly dirty** Batched pickups arrive at the right temperature only 83% of the time, compared with 91% for direct trips. Insulation was not measured in that study, but it is the part you control. Customers blame the kitchen 66% of the time. ## Frequently asked questions **What is a good courier wait time for a ghost kitchen?** DoorDash sets an ideal target of under 2 minutes of avoidable wait time. It states most stores average under 3 minutes 24 seconds. The definition matters as much as the number. The timer starts when the courier is within 25 metres of the store AND the quoted prep time has elapsed. It stops when the order is marked picked up. Pickups marked from outside 100 metres do not count at all. No source publishes an equivalent benchmark for delivery-only or multi-brand sites, where one courier may be waiting on several brands. So your own sat-time log is the only version of that number that exists. **Should you pad quoted prep times to reduce courier wait?** No. Padding hides the wait instead of fixing it, and it costs you twice. The avoidable-wait clock only starts once the quoted prep time has elapsed. So a padded time flatters the number while the food sits and cools. Meanwhile a prep time the line cannot hit turns into a cancellation. Restaurant-initiated cancellations averaged 2.97% of all orders in a full-year analysis. Marking orders picked up before the courier is physically there ruins the same data. Fire against the real prep time. Review it per brand and per time of day. Correct the quote rather than the clock. **Does order batching affect food quality, and can the kitchen do anything about it?** Yes, measurably, and yes - through packaging and staging rather than through the platform. Audited temperature accuracy was 91% for single direct deliveries versus 83% for batched ones. Direct deliveries arrived 8 minutes 5 seconds faster than batched ones in 2025. The same audit measured that gap at 13 minutes 34 seconds in 2024. 66% of consumers blame the restaurant rather than the courier for a bad delivery. So the kitchen's move is to insulate harder, stage later, and refuse to release hot food to a courier with no insulated bag. ## More Ghost Kitchen & Dark Kitchen checklists [Receiving Goods, Packaging & Seal Supplies](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-goods-in-checklist/)[Opening - Stations, Online Storefronts & Menu Launch](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-opening-checklist/)[Packing Orders, Labels & Tamper Seals](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-order-packing-checklist/)[Keeping Food Hot, Cold & at the Right Temperature for Delivery](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-food-temperature-checklist/)[Closing - Complaints, Ratings & Tomorrow's Menu](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-closing-checklist/)[Weekly Checks](/checklists/ghost-kitchen-weekly-checklist/) One free app has all of them: [open the Ghost Kitchen & Dark Kitchen Checklists app](/run/ghost-kitchens/) - offline, no account, add it to your home screen. ## Sources Every statistic on this page comes from public inspection and food-safety data: - [Intouch Insight 2025 Third-Party Delivery Study](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/intouch-insight-study-c-stores-narrow-the-gap-with-restaurants-for-key-metrics-in-third-party-delivery-study-302555812.html) - [Restaurant Dive on eduMe survey](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/study-diners-are-dependent-on-food-delivery-but-are-sensitive-to-order-inaccuracies/623372/) - [FSA - Allergen information for non-prepacked foods: key findings](https://science.food.gov.uk/article/142304-allergen-information-for-non-prepacked-foods-key-findings-from-consumers-and-food-service-workers) - [DoorDash Merchant Help - What are Order Error Adjustments?](https://help.doordash.com/en-us/merchants/article/what-are-order-error-adjustments) - [Intouch Insight - KPIs for online food delivery](https://www.intouchinsight.com/blog/kpis-for-online-food-delivery) - [Intouch Insight press release, 18 Sep 2024](https://www.intouchinsight.com/press-releases/doordash-leads-thirdparty-delivery) - [DoorDash Merchant Learning Center - How to reduce avoidable Dasher wait time](https://merchants.doordash.com/en-us/learning-center/avoidable-wait) - [Lebwohl et al., Am J Gastroenterology 2019](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190405170447.htm) - [Retail Brew on US Foods](https://www.retailbrew.com/stories/2023/02/15/many-delivery-drivers-admit-to-taking-food-from-orders-and-tamper-evident-packaging-could-keep-them-out-of-the-chicken-nuggets) - [Otter data release via Business Wire](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240311195405/en/Mexico-Restaurants-Lose-up-to-4-of-Their-Online-Orders-Due-to-Cancellations) - [Foods](https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2605) - [Restaurant Dive](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/reefs-ghost-kitchen-expansion-mired-in-permit-health-inspection-infractio/610853/) - [Nation's Restaurant News](https://www.nrn.com/delivery-takeout-solutions/uber-eats-has-already-removed-8000-virtual-restaurants-its-system-amid) - [Luca, Reviews, Reputation, and Revenue](https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/12-016_a7e4a5a2-03f9-490d-b093-8f951238dba2.pdf) - [Lincolnshire County Council trading standards](https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/news/article/132/indian-restaurant-fined-for-selling-allergen-free-curry-containing-peanuts) - [FSA - Consumer needs and food hygiene ratings online](https://science.food.gov.uk/article/123520-understanding-consumer-needs-in-relation-to-food-hygiene-ratings-in-an-online-food-ordering-environment) - [Sheffield Hallam University](https://www.shu.ac.uk/news/all-articles/latest-news/dark-kitchens-2) - [NC State study via Quality Assurance & Food Safety](https://www.qualityassurancemag.com/news/many-meal-kit-deliveries-contain-perishable-food-items-above-the-recommended-temperature/) - [FSA sampling survey via Food Safety News](https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2026/07/fsa-survey-reveals-authenticity-and-allergen-problems/) - [DoorDash merchant blog](https://merchants.doordash.com/en-us/blog/how-to-increase-restaurant-sales) - [University of Sheffield / NIHR research via PA](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dark-kitchens-represent-15-uk-135019717.html) - ['Going dark or under the radar?', Food Control 2025, via Food Safety News](https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/02/study-assesses-food-safety-challenges-with-dark-kitchens/)