If you’re still wondering whether you should tip for food delivery, the answer is a definite yes. Food delivery workers typically make far below minimum wage and rely on tips to secure a more sustainable take-home pay. (According to a 2022 study by The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, NYC’s app-based restaurant delivery workers currently earn $14.18 per hour with tips and $7.09 per hour without tips.) But for anyone who’s still on the fence, DoorDash is trying out a new feature that will give customers even more reason to add a tip to their orders.
Earlier this year, DoorDash added an in-app pop-up that warns customers who added a $0 tip that their order may take longer. Here’s what it says:
Orders with no tip might take longer to get delivered—are you sure you want to continue?
Dashers can pick and choose which orders they want to do. Orders that take longer to be accepted by Dashers tend to result in slower delivery.
With the pop-up alert comes the options to either, “Add a tip” or “Continue without tip.” According to DoorDash spokesperson Jenn Rosenberg, as reported by The Verge, the prompt is “something that we’re currently testing to help create the best possible experience for all members of our community.”
DoorDash drivers (Dashers, as the app refers to them) are independent contractors, meaning they have the choice to accept or reject orders as they please. Since Dashers can see the tip before accepting an order, they are more likely to choose an order that has a tip and will be more profitable to them. This means that orders with tips may get picked up and delivered more quickly, while orders without tips may sit longer at a restaurant.
According to DoorDash, the pop-up screen is currently being randomly tested with customers across the United States—so you may or may not see the alert in your app, depending on where you are. “As with any pilot we conduct, we will carefully analyze the results of this test and engage with members of our community for feedback before further roll-out,” the DoorDash announcement reads.
For customers who are part of the test, here’s what the screens look like in the DoorDash app when a tip is added and when one isn’t.
DoorDash
Whether the pop-up screen is active in your market or not, however, the truth of the message remains the same: Dashers may decline your order if you don’t leave a tip. So if you aren’t already tipping simply because it’s the right thing to do, then you should at least be tipping to keep your food from getting cold.
While you may have been planning instead to tip in cash when the driver delivers the food, adding a tip on the app when you checkout will help ensure your order is accepted and delivered more promptly. Plus, you can still hand the driver some cash in person when they arrive.
For more tipping dos and don’ts, check out our full guide to tipping etiquette here.