Last updated: Jul 30, 2026, 12:17 PM
Get answers to FAQ related to Toast Delivery Services® and Catering delivery orders.
Yes. You can select whichever provider you would like to use, but you must use the same provider for both Toast Online Ordering and Toast Catering Online Ordering.
No, you can't use TDS for catering only. If you use TDS, it must be enabled for both Toast Catering Online Ordering and Toast Online Ordering.
To use TDS with Catering Delivery, you need a Digital Storefront subscription (which includes Online Ordering). You don't have to actively use Online Ordering, but it must be enabled on the account. The only exception is if you're not using Toast Online Ordering in your restaurant at all — even then, it still needs to be enabled on your account.
TDS for Catering is the same as TDS for Online Ordering. It uses the same drivers, same fees, and same delivery zones.
Note on dispatch timing: Toast delays dispatching catering deliveries until 4 hours before the due time to prevent cancellations when orders shift. Inside that 4-hour window, the driver is assigned right away.
White glove service is not included in TDS for catering. White glove service includes set up and breakdown, deliveries requiring a larger vehicle or special handling, and catering buffet orders that require warming.
Not at this time. DoorDash and Uber Eats don’t offer the level of control to specify that drivers are prepared for large orders. Uber orders are tagged to restrict orders to Car Only for larger orders. DoorDash does not offer this. Toast recommends customers use Uber wherever possible for Catering Delivery orders.
You should only use Catering Delivery through TDS if your delivery orders are a good fit for the type of drivers typically provided by Toast Delivery Services (TDS).
Yes. TDS Dispatch gives you control over your catering deliveries. You can choose which orders are dispatched to TDS, then manually assign the remaining orders for self-delivery or through a third-party service. This works for manual orders placed within Catering and Events, and also applies to Catering Online Orders provided Catering Online Ordering is configured for self-management rather than defaulting all orders to TDS.
No. Catering deliveries should always be dispatched from the Catering module, not from the POS.
Within the Catering module, navigate to the order, then Order details, and select Dispatch TDS Driver. The following must be in place to dispatch a driver:
When dispatched from Catering, Toast automatically adjusts the due time based on travel. For example, if a guest requests a 5:30pm delivery and travel time is 13 minutes, Toast sets the due time to 5:17pm. If you update or dispatch from the POS, these adjustments won't happen — you may see errors like "time of your order changed after dispatch," and it may be unclear when the driver will arrive.
Only for catering TDS orders. When a scheduled dispatch hits an actual error, permanent failure, or validation cancellation, Toast emails the recipients configured on the catering order type. The Online Ordering / Kitchen TDS path never emails — it only shows a Dispatch Failure status on the Orders/Delivery screen.
On the catering order type — not globally and not per-order-form. Go to Order Types > select the relevant order type > notification settings, and enable the toggle described as Catering online order is placed or TDS order needs attention or TDS order needs attention. Only the recipients listed there will receive TDS alert emails. If no recipients are configured, the alert has nowhere to go and no one is notified.
Once Dispatch Driver is enabled and TDS terms are accepted, Toast schedules dispatch to run roughly 4 hours before the delivery/pickup time. Email decisions happen at that moment — not when the order is created. On failure, Toast retries about every five minutes until it succeeds or it's too late to get a driver.
There are four, all sharing the subject "TDS Alert for Catering Order #___" so they chain into one thread:
The guest is never notified — only the restaurant.
Emails only fire on an actual dispatch error detected by the scheduler. If dispatch was never attempted, there's no error and no email.
Common causes: the order was manually closed on the POS before dispatch, dispatch was never intended or was canceled by a user, TDS was disabled, the event date changed, the order was already processed, or no recipients were configured. A clean first-try success also sends nothing.
No. A clean first-try dispatch sends nothing. The "Dispatch succeeded" email only goes out to close the loop after a prior failure alert.