Social Issues,Curiosities,Economy & LaborJUL 4, 2023

“No Tip, No Trip”: Tipping Culture At Discussion Forefront Again After Delivery Driver’s Rant Goes Viral

Mindaugas Balčiauskas and Adelaide May Ross

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We live in an amazing age. We can lay on our couches enjoying a film and order a pizza from the palm of our hands without having to call anyone, pull out a credit card or put on shoes. But the luxury of using food delivery apps does come at a cost. Aside from the delivery fee and high prices listed on the app, we must also remember to tip couriers accordingly.

If you refuse to tip, however, the app might still find a sneaky way of ensuring that your order is picked up. One experienced Uber Eats and DoorDash driver, Justin Ruiz, recently shared on TikTok how he believes platforms take advantage of their drivers, so below, you’ll find his full explanation, as well as some of the replies viewers left him.

Food delivery courier Justin Ruiz is calling out Uber Eats and DoorDash for finding sneaky ways to ensure that no-tip orders are picked up

Image credits: justmakethatmoney

This is how Uber Eats and DoorDash actually take advantage of their drivers. As we all know, everybody says it, no tip, no trip, but the way that these platforms get around it is they'll send you a two to three-batch order and they will put together a tipper with a non-tipper because that's the only way that they're actually gonna get their food.

Image credits: justmakethatmoney

Everybody's seen these videos on TikTok of a whole bunch of orders in Chipotle and McDonald's and Burger King that are just sitting there for hours and hours and hours. Because all the drivers understand that if you're not gonna value us as us bringing you your food, why the hell would we wanna pick up your food anyways?

Image credits: GoToVan (not the actual photo)

Image credits: justmakethatmoney

If you cannot tip, just walk to the restaurant. It makes it a lot easier. You don't have to use the microwave and you don't need to complain. The only reason why you have to tip your delivery driver is because we are bringing you your food. It's not the other way around. You are not giving us a job.

Image credits: justmakethatmoney

Believe me, we don't want you on the platform. We make way more money than you ever think, because there's people that value us and they understand that if you wanna sit your ass at home, the least you could tip is two, three, $4. Nobody's trying to say, oh, you need to tip me $20 for one mile. No, it's appreciated.

Image credits: justmakethatmoney

Image credits: justmakethatmoney

But you don't have to do that. We just asked for a damn little bit of a tip. Two, three, $4. And believe me, you won't have a complaint, but all you non-tippers are so entitled and nobody's picking up your food. And I can promise you, you're gonna get cold food no matter how you think about it.

Image credits: Tony Webster (not the actual photo)

You can hear Justin's full rant right here

Food delivery apps have exploded in popularity in recent years

Prior to the pandemic, food delivery apps had long been popular, but they were seen by many as a luxury that was far too expensive to be worth it. Once COVID-19 hit, however, food delivery services became a godsend for many restaurants who just needed to stay afloat while they couldn’t allow dining in, and they allowed many of us who were stuck at home to enjoy cozy meals in that we didn’t have to prepare ourselves. And the companies offering these delivery services certainly saw the benefits of restaurants closing and patrons being quarantined at home. DoorDash, for example, saw its revenue rise from $885 million in 2019 to $2.88 billion in 2020. Meanwhile, Uber Eats also increased their revenue by a whopping 179% between 2019-2020.

Today, although we’re no longer quarantined and allowed to eat-in at restaurants as much as we please, food delivery services are still going strong. They’ve become a much more welcomed part of many patrons' lives, as we quickly became accustomed to the convenience of ordering from home. According to Business of Apps, “China is the largest market for food delivery, with a market size of $42.5 billion in 2022.” And the entire food app industry is not expected to slow down any time soon, with an expected market size of $165 billion by 2029. The United States follows China with the second-largest food delivery revenue in the world, reaching $17.1 billion in 2022. However, the culture in the United States is particularly unique, and as we all know, tipping is incredibly important for drivers.

Image credits: Marques Thomas (not the actual photo)

But despite how common these platforms have become, it's still not easy for drivers to earn decent wages

The New York Times reports that Uber and DoorDash drivers in the United States typically earn about $3.50 per order, regardless of how large or small it is, as well as about $1 per mile that they drive. Uber Eats, however, only shows couriers up to $8 of a tip until they have completed the delivery, and several other factors, such as distance and bundling orders together can impact how much drivers earn.

One courier, Mr. Huang, who lives in Los Angeles, told the New York Times he works about 10 hours per day, seven days a week, and usually earns over $250 a day before expenses. But he notes that you can’t always expect great tips, even if the order took an extraordinary amount of effort. He recalls once spending two hours delivering a $2,500 order of tacos to a music studio, where he was rewarded with a tip of only $50. On another occasion, he delivered around $500 from the upscale grocery store Erewhon, only to be tipped $5.

While Mr. Huang says he understands why not everyone wants to tip, especially when there are so many people from different cultures living in Los Angeles, receiving decent tips is a huge incentive for drivers to pick up orders. According to Newsweek, couriers recommend tipping at least 18-20% on food orders, “to ensure your driver is well-compensated for their efforts." One courier from Georgia told Newsweek, "Some nights I make good tips, well, good for me is over 30 dollars in tips. But a lot of slow nights I make 5 to 10 dollars for 7 to 10 deliveries. So yes, delivering food, no matter what it is, can really be a terrible way to live. Not getting a tip and having to drive 10 miles round trip really affects people."

Image credits: Kai Pilger (not the actual photo)

Tipping generously upon ordering can incentivize couriers to delivery orders promptly

Tipping culture may be particularly prevalent in the United States, but there’s no question that, no matter where you are, leaving a great tip will incentivize drivers to bring your pizza or sushi as fast as they can. And while some platforms allow patrons to save their tips until the food has already been delivered, Ridesharing Driver recommends that customers leave the full tip before getting their food. On DoorDash and Grubhub, for example, couriers actually can see the entire tip ahead of time, and will be more likely to prioritize your meal.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this TikTok in the comments below, pandas. Are you an avid tipper when it comes to using food delivery apps? Or do you prefer to only tip when you eat-in at restaurants? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing tipping culture, look no further than right here!