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By searchinitiative|2023-01-18T05:01:43-08:00May 27th, 2020|48 Comments
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If you haven’t already started using the DoorDash app to order food, you might be wondering how much you should tip Dashers and how tips are factored when calculating DoorDash Drivers’ pay. Below you will find guidelines about tipping when using the DoorDash app.
Table of Contents
Should You Tip Your DoorDash Driver?
If you are unsure about the size of the tip for the Dashers, then think of the same rules that apply when you dine at a restaurant or when a pizza guy brings your delivery.
In the United States, it is a custom to tip 15%-20% in restaurants. You can help top up the wages of DoorDash drivers if you tip them generously and help them earn more for their efforts.
On the DoorDash website, you can find information about how the system works. For each delivery, Dashers always receive at least a guaranteed minimum, though the exact amount that they earn depends on three factors – base pay, promotions, and tips. Base pay depends on factors such as the estimated duration of the delivery, the distance, and the priority of the delivery.
When it comes to “promotions”, the DoorDash drivers are encouraged to work during the busy hours when customers order more deliveries. Okay, so let’s say that base pay is $2, there are no promotions included, and the customer tips $4. In this scenario, to ensure that a driver receives a guaranteed minimum, a company adds a difference between the guaranteed minimum and a sum of base pay and customer tips.
Let’s say, though, that the customer happens to be more generous – and tips $7 instead of $4. $2 comes from base pay, $7 from the customer, and if the guaranteed minimum is $10, then a company adds an additional $1. Even though the customer gave a larger tip, the earnings of the driver haven’t changed.
Sure, if the base pay + tip are above the guaranteed minimum, then DoorDash drivers earn more, but if the total sum of the earnings doesn’t exceed the guaranteed minimum, then how much customers tip doesn’t matter – the driver receives the same amount for the food delivery.
How Much Should You Tip Your Dasher?
As a customer, you have no way of knowing what is the base pay per delivery, unless you ask the driver. As we have stated before, it is a custom in the United States to tip workers that bring you food 15% to 20%. If you think that a particular Dasher did an excellent job and the food delivery was incredibly fast, you might consider tipping an even higher amount.
Why and When Should You Tip Your Driver?
In the 21st century, we are used to convenience. You don’t need to even leave your home to feed your family. You can use an app to order food and in no time will one of the dashers bring your delivery. Tipping is a way of showing your appreciation for their hard work.
Should you tip in Cash?
If you order food through the DoorDash app, you will be asked about the size of the tip. Even though customers can decide how big the tip should be, it seems a better idea to tip DoorDash drivers afterward using cash. Why?
- If you tip using the app, then Dashers won’t know that they have received any additional money from you specifically. They will only know the total sum of their tips. If you would like to show your appreciation, you could tip the driver in cash
- Another argument for the customers tipping in cash is that this way, 100% of the tip goes to the driver. As we have explained before, if you place an order and the base pay is low enough, the exact size of your tip might not matter if the sum of those two (and without any promotions) is below the guaranteed minimum. If you tip in cash, then you can be absolutely certain that a driver receives 100% of the tip for the delivery. It might not seem like a lot to you, but with this pay model, tipping using cash can help drivers make significantly more money.
To find out more about DoorDash, check out our articles on how Doordash works and how to become a DoorDash driver!
Disclaimer
Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, location, and expenses. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from peak pay, tips, and other incentives.
Related posts:
- Uber Tip Sign – Here’s how to get one for FREE
- How to Tip On Postmates – A Guide
- DoorDash Pay – How Much do DoorDash Drivers Make?
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48 Comments
Joseph MackeyNovember 27, 2020 at 12:56 am - Reply
This is only half correct. Yes, you should tip 15-20%. But if you don’t tip beforehand most of drivers will not go more than a mile or 2 to deliver your food. This is because in my experience 9 out of ten 10 people who tip poorly to begin with do not add a tip at the end. Additionally, dashers mostly look at the miles from “where their are-to the restaurant-to your house”. If there is not at least a dollar per mile to make that trip, most likely they are not going to do it. We are independently contracted, and if people do not want to pay up front for our services they will not receive their food. We are not pizza delivery, we are not forced to deliver food to you, then accept whatever tip we receive.
- See AlsoDoorDash: Uncertain Prospects, Poor Risk/Reward (NYSE:DASH)Dasher Pay: How DoorDash Delivery Drivers Get PaidDoorDash vs. Uber Eats: Which is Better for Drivers?DoorDash Dasher Support
Daniel RussellNovember 27, 2020 at 7:15 am - Reply
Yeah there should be a lawsuit against doordash because they’re basically stealing the tip to cover the dash it’s not right directly stealing the customers tip a.m. stealing the Dashers tip really there should be a lawsuit against this it’s wrong the first one they should go after is Tony the CEO he’s the one who did it personally take the money out of his ass because I’m sure he gets a great bonus every year for doing this To pay his bonus pay every year you should be ashamed of his self stealing I actually should go to jail for it but it’s white collar crime and they get away with crap like thisprobably millions of dollars right now becausePandemic because if that didn’t happen they’d probably be out of business and all the other ones that pay their drivers right and don’t steal the tip to cover their base pay they should be pseudo-doordash as a cheap company if you got a choice to use a good company used Uber or GrubHub anybody but doordash
MikeJanuary 9, 2021 at 10:52 am - Reply
Don’t ever pre tip. Tip on delivery for good work and fast service. Creates an incentive to work hard. If you pre tip door dash subtracts that from drivers pay.
CoriJanuary 26, 2021 at 7:39 pm - Reply
Bad info, Mike. There is no minimum, as stated in this article. Base is usually $3 (and can go as low as $2). If someone offered you $3 to drive to a restaurant, park, go in and wait for food, pick it up, then use your own gas to drive it to someone’s house 4 or 5 miles … would you do that?! Most sane people would politely decline your offer. That is why you tip ahead. So the $3 offer becomes an offer that might be worth someone’s gas and time to take.
AlexJanuary 12, 2021 at 10:59 pm - Reply
Daniel
Be grateful, this job help you put food on your table. You had some false information there.Steve HuberFebruary 26, 2021 at 1:50 pm - Reply
Just like in a restaurant I’ll tip according to service. I’ll generously give $ for good work. I’ve worked in the industry and I know some people are cheap. I not sure what to say about them. Almost all deliveries take an hour of someone’s time. What is that worth? Yet, I will tip in cash, after the work is completed. The driver then can control what they report.
Ryan WilliamsMarch 2, 2021 at 3:28 pm - Reply
Why the F would you tip 15%-20%?? at a restaurant they are making multiple trips to your table, refilling drinks, etc… ESPECIALLY pizza, you literally did nothing but sit in your car. Door dash needs to pay more. I was a server/bartender for 10+ years. This logic of tipping deliveries that much is embarrassingly asinine. If I order one taco or a filet mignon, the effort of the driver does not change at all
Kayla DeanJanuary 7, 2022 at 10:55 pm - Reply
Well Ryan there’s a simple solution…go get your own food. Problem solved. No frustration there.
DimaMay 29, 2022 at 9:56 pm - Reply
The solution for dashers is simple as well. If you don’t get paid well, get educated and find a better job!
Dave HMarch 13, 2021 at 6:57 pm - Reply
After hearing a wild story on someone tipping a whopping 30% on orders and it still being terrible, I no longer believe percent based tipping is effective for delivered food. This works fine in standard dine-in settings, cost factors are minimized for the wait staff. There’s no distance to be driven when getting/giving you your order. No wear & tear on a vehicle. No gas to be spent, or time being used up by the staff standing around, waiting for your specific order of food (they generally wait multiple tables at a time). Anyways, I thought the 30% tip sounded pretty generous until they said they do it when ordering coffees from McDonald’s that cost a whole $1. Meaning they give an incredibly generous amount of $0.30 cents (/s) to the driver for a tip. That’s an insult if you ask me. There’s no way a dasher is going to give a **** about 30 cents.
Instead, tipping dashers should be based on two factors: distance AND order cost, with minimums applied to both factors. You will end up tipping at least $1.50 with this formula, even if the place is next door.
Formula: $1.00 per mile minimum (with a minimum of $1.00) for vehicle wear & gas + respect of the person’s time; And another 10% based on order amount, with a minimum of $0.50.
Some examples:
$1 coffee from McDonalds; 0.2 miles away – ($1 * 0.2m) + (10% * $1.00) => $1.00 (min for distance) + $0.50 (min order percentage) => $1.50 tip
$1 coffee from McDonalds; 2.3 miles away – ($1 * 2.3m) + (10% * $1.00) => $2.30 + $0.50 (min order percentage) => $2.80 tip
$24 Panera order; 4.2 miles away – ($1 * 4.2m) + (10% * $24.00) => $4.20 + $2.40 => $6.60 tipThis seems much more reasonable to me. If the amounts above are too much for you (especially the coffee next door tip), that’s perfectly fair, but you should just get up off your lazy a$$ and go get it yourself because you’re being cheap.
JpAugust 19, 2022 at 12:35 am - Reply
Facts mate. I dash and people ask me what is a fair tip and I tell them a dollar a mile. Don’t be cheap or go there yourself
Jeff WillsApril 5, 2021 at 5:51 am - Reply
Alex, Daniel is not spreading false information.
$ per mile is quite important. A gallon of gas cost $2.89 +/-. My car averages 15.2 mpg city driving. My last delivery last night was $8.50 starting pay. The restaurant was 4.2 miles from my location. 35mph speed limit with 5 traffic lights on the route. Lobby was closed. Drive through very busy. A Skeleton crew running the night shift kitchen. Time set to pick up the customer order was 10:13p.m. I was there 5 minutes early for pick up, but stuck in drive through for approximately 45 minutes before I picked up the order. (Luckily an add on order was given at same restaurant) Delivery distance was 6.3 miles away with another 7 traffic lights. Total miles = 10.5. Total time for the delivery from Starting point to destination was over an hour.
The drive would have used 2/3 gallon of gas before idling in drivethrough. (Ever notice most drive throughs are now “escape proof”?) Had it not been for the pre delivery tip, this delivery would have cost me money just to make the trip before I even looked at it. With the add on delivery, I covered expenses and made minimum wage.
The IRS considers on my yearly taxes that each mile is a $0.56 expense (fuel, insurance, maintenance, wear and tear) but does not consider idle time to be worth anything. 45 minutes idling with as improperly maintained motor vehicle can cause catastrophic damages.
NOW, PLEASE, tell me how knowing that customers actually consider the trip fee as a tip and don’t have to add money for a tip, before or afterwards no matter how much effort I put into making it happen, is a smart business idea?Oh!! Yeah, this all happened on Easter Sunday. On top of that, my first 5 deliveries said “tip may be greater upon completion”. I drove 48 miles, for $19 during lunch.
ChrisApril 9, 2021 at 3:51 pm - Reply
I think that the key here is…Door Dash doesn’t pay drivers fairly. Same as restaurants. Tipping should be for service above and beyond the norm. Of course, I still tip, but the value of my order has exactly zero impact on a delivery driver. If I order one $200 ridiculous plate from a restaurant or one $20 plate, the driver does literally, exactly, precisely the same work. Why should the tip be different?
In a restaurant, you’re paying for upscale service. Delivery is the same no matter what.
HyreCarNovember 22, 2021 at 3:13 pm - Reply
That’s a great question you noted. What do you think the answer is?
JpAugust 19, 2022 at 12:38 am - Reply
You’re right. I could care less what you order. I care about A. How far I am traveling and B. How much time is it going to take me. Pay 1 dollar a mile in tip. If it’s too much I understand and that’s fair but then get up and do it yourself
JoshJuly 4, 2021 at 6:33 am - Reply
Real simple. If you don’t tip up front, I am not taking your order 10 miles for $3 and a “hope”. Not tipping at least $5 on a DD is a very good way to wait a very long time on your food. DD does NOT have a minimum acceptance rate, meaning I can turn down any order I want and not be punished. So when you don’t tip up front on DD, prolly 20 drivers are not accepting your order before some dumb snuck who wants to make $5/hr less gas takes your sorry ass order. Tip your driver at least $5.
Henry KillingsworthSeptember 9, 2021 at 2:36 pm - Reply
I thought it was interesting when you mentioned that it is a good idea to tip delivery drivers around 15-20 percent of the ticket. If you are ordering pizza, it seems like it would be a good idea to give an extra tip to drivers that deliver your food in good condition. Good drivers should be rewarded for the work that they do.
JpAugust 19, 2022 at 12:31 am - Reply
The 15 to 20 percent doesn’t pan out. If you order one drink paying 6 bucks for. Your 1.20 tip means nothing to me if I have to travel 10 miles to get it to you then 10 miles back to the restaurant areas where we hang out. Your tip should be based on the dist8you are having me travel. My time and my gas tank is what is important to me. Order one thing or 10 things doesn’t really matter to me. Tip by the mile. I suggest a dollar a mile and you we get the best service with hot food everytime.
No name will lose jobNovember 13, 2021 at 7:05 am - Reply
As a door dash driver I can tell you the tips matter a lot. Most orders offer no tip, especially in poor bad areas where orders are from fast food restaurants with long wait times when I get to restaurant either in lobby or drive thru. Example last night in NYC really bad neighborhood. Three times speeding cars ran red lights, stop signs almost crash into me, 4th time was run off road causing flat tire, was approached by 3 guys with gun and robbed and beaten up cop says well what are you doing in this neighborhood. But door dash app sent me there and at end I got no tip and $3. This is 3rd time this year something bad happened like this. So yeah don’t tip the driver he’s only carrying food in car or on scooter/ bike.
Commercial SoundNovember 24, 2021 at 11:23 am - Reply
Having read this I thought it was rather informative. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this short article together. I once again find myself personally spending way too much time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!
MarkFebruary 4, 2022 at 7:23 am - Reply
Ok so for the people that order. Let’s say it’s takes 9 miles to where you want to get food. That 18 miles in total. Then let’s say it’s rush hour therefore it takes you 45min to drive. 18miles gas let’s say your car has 18 miles to the gallon that’s $3.19-$4.50 depending where you live. Let’s say you tip $6 so for that 3/4 hour the driver may get paid $3.81 at best then you have to factor the convenience plus wear on the persons car. With this math the drive makes $5.08 and if the dash takes them out of their area that even worse.
JpAugust 19, 2022 at 12:19 am - Reply
I wouldn’t take this order and let another dasher take it that is closer to the store. Additionally I wouldn’t even take this order even if I was closer unless it had a payout of 18 bucks. 2 dollars per mile you’d probably have to tip 9 bucks to get that. I typically recommend 1 dollar per mile for a tip. 9 miles to the store 9 dollar tip. It is expensive but that’s just the cold hard truth. But with that payout I’d be happy to deliver to you and you’d get the best service. You should also consider traffic though because we get paid based on how many deliveries we can do in our scheduled slot. If I waste all my time delivering to one person on my scheduled time then that would be a problem espe6if those are peak dining hours.
Dazz DealsApril 7, 2022 at 12:59 am - Reply
I am curious if any other region is being over run with Walmart deliveries. I am in Central Iowa and it seems like 80% of the orders I receive lately are from Walmart. I have gone from being able to earn 50-60 dollars a night in a couple of hours after I am done working my full time job to just barely clearing 30 dollars a night because all I get are orders from Walmart
ReecouponsAugust 2, 2022 at 3:45 am - Reply
After reading this, I thought it was quite informative. Putting together this short article took a lot of time and effort on your part. A gallon of gas costs between $3.19-$4.50 based on where you live if your car gets 18 miles to the gallon. For that 3/4 hour, the driver may receive $3.81 at best after factoring in the convenience and wear on his/her car.
JpAugust 19, 2022 at 12:06 am - Reply
I would suggest leaving a tip equal to a dollar per mile. I drive and look at miles. Typically the sweet spot is 2 dollars a mile and don’t take anything under 1 dollar a mile. I don’t care how much you’re ordering unless you are having me go in to do a red card order meaning I purchase items at a store for you. Then you are paying for my time. We get paid essentially based on how many orders we can do in a scheduled amount of time. If I spend a lot of time in a store buying you things it should be well paid to make up for the deliveries I missed.
JpAugust 19, 2022 at 12:39 am - Reply
The 15 to 20 percent doesn’t pan out. If you order one drink paying 6 bucks for. Your 1.20 tip means nothing to me if I have to travel 10 miles to get it to you then 10 miles back to the restaurant areas where we hang out. Your tip should be based on the dist8you are having me travel. My time and my gas tank is what is important to me. Order one thing or 10 things doesn’t really matter to me. Tip by the mile. I suggest a dollar a mile and you we get the best service with hot food everytime.
AffanAugust 19, 2022 at 4:25 am - Reply
some good knowledge for passenger to tip a driver..
keep updating us. thank you
Regards
Redpoint Car & Limo Service Westchester County, New York, USHamidAugust 19, 2022 at 9:57 am - Reply
Amazing knowledge for passenger to tip a driver..
great effort keep it up.
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SarahJuly 13, 2023 at 5:13 am - Reply
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AnnaAugust 2, 2023 at 11:21 pm - Reply
Tipping was never a problem, the problem only was if I’m tipping less than they deserve. This article is wonderful. I’ve never thought somebody would post about it. Thanks for helping with your information!
Hudson ChrisSeptember 1, 2023 at 2:16 am - Reply
Tipping has never been an issue for me; my concern has always been whether I am giving a tip that reflects the service’s true worth. This article is fantastic, and I never expected to come across something like this. Thank you for providing such valuable information!
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Pokemon TrainerDecember 6, 2023 at 2:06 pm - Reply
It’s always hard for me to figure how much to tip drivers but the fees they charge in my area are already really expensive. I’m glad for this article.
DealsPawsDecember 22, 2023 at 8:56 am - Reply
Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll give it a try.
