Cuban Teams With DoorDash: 'People Are Coming Together Like Never Before'

DALLAS - No one wants to see restaurants close their doors indefinitely, especially not Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and DoorDash CEO Tony Xu.

Among the vast shocks of COVID-19 is the fact the virus has halted the sports world and left the food service reeling. ... Two industries with little in common, except the desire to support one another, endure the drastic changes and emerge from this unprecedented time in history, together.

“We are seeing people come together like we haven’t experienced before,” said Cuban in an exclusive interview with DallasBasketball.com. “My hope is that remains long after this is over.”

Economic forecasts indicate that restaurants and the foodservice industry could sustain $225 billion in losses and eliminate 5-7 million jobs over the next three months.

Those daunting numbers mean major changes to communities, which is hard to illustrate or imagine. It’s why Cuban and the Mavericks Foundation are participating in #OpenForDelivery (openfordelivery.com) an initiative started by DoorDash, aimed to highlight local restaurants who are open and need patronage now more than ever.

“The restaurant industry has been decimated,” Cuban said. “We wanted to show our support for local North Texas restaurants. Door Dash’s #OpenForDelivery was the perfect vehicle for that support. It allows restaurants to stay open while keeping people employed.”

For Cuban and Mavs, supporting the campaign adds to the myriad of efforts made to support the Dallas community. Cuban, coach Rick Carlisle, Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, legendary Dirk Nowitzki and the rest of the roster are picking up meal tabs for workers at Dallas’ Coronavirus testing sites and Emergency Operation Center.

“What’s really made me smile has been the support for health care first responders,” Cuban said. “So many people have gone out of their way to help those who are helping us. It shows just how connected we all are. We owe it to them to do our part and stay home so we don’t overwhelm the healthcare system.”

Cuban emerged as a leader amid crisis from the start of Coronavirus. Minutes after the NBA announced the postponement, Cuban gave a calm and insightful message on the sidelines during the Mavs last game before hiatus.

On a personal note, Cuban is stepping to the plate with food delivery by ordering from Campisi's, a family restaurant founded in Dallas in 1946. He said his family loves the pizza and is addicted to the salads, ordering a bunch at a time.

For restaurants that have lost basically all their dine-in traffic, these efforts are a welcome relief.

As owner of the San Francisco-based DoorDash, Xu, challenges himself to try a new restaurant every day, which has totaled to be more than 1,000 restaurants. Xu, who grew up working as a dishwasher his Mom’s Chinese restaurant, knows the industry, and its needs, first-hand.

Now, Xu is urging the industry not to run from the crisis.

DoorDash, the third-party marketplace with the largest share of business, joined forces with its competitors (Uber Eats, Grubhub, Postmates) for the campaign. Independent restaurants can sign up with DoorDash and Caviar and pay zero commissions on orders for 30 days, to ease the financial strain. Existing DoorDash partners will pay no commissions on pickup orders.

“At the end of the day, there are more things that bring us together than apart,” said Xu about working with the Mavericks in an exclusive interview with DallasBasketball.com. “This goes a long way to show that life is more than about one thing, business, about basketball or winning.''

DoorDash is also donating $150,000 to the Mavs Foundation to amplify its efforts in assisting youth, women and families in need and those affected by COVID-19.

Check back with DallasBasketball.com in a bit for more on what has surprised Cuban the most during life without sports.