Updated: May 2021. This article is updated to reflect the growth and popularity of DoorDash.

Are you new to food delivery gigs? Have you been delivering for a while and want to take it to the next level? Are you looking to earn more tips doing food delivery gigs? To earn a big tip with food delivery isn’t too hard. But it can be an art to master for sure. One of the first things you need to know is when you can earn more tips doing food delivery.

Let’s get to it. Here are the four key moments you can earn a big tip with food delivery.

Order Selection

In the beginning, food delivery (and even rideshare) apps didn’t all have in-app tipping. Customers usually tipped cash at the door. 

Why? Because brands didn’t want to create anxiety for their customers. These on-demand services were pioneering a new way of ordering food. User growth was the focus. Placing an order and then adding a tip would inflate the cost of using the platform upfront, which could be a pain point that would hurt the continual use of these apps.

But then, one by one, as more and more users developed a habit of using on-demand platforms, in-app tipping became a marketing value proposition for brands. 

Value for customers? No. Most customers could care less about tipping. Just ask any DoorDash driver. LOL. 

It’s mostly to recruit new drivers. In other words, “Drivers keep 100% of tips” became a pitch to recruit drivers.

So, nowadays, one of the critical moments where you can earn a big tip in food delivery is the moment you accept an order. Examine the number of items on the order. If it’s large, there is a good chance that you’ll get good tips if you provide good customer service. 

Also, where the order is coming from also impact tips. You’re more likely to get good tips from an order that’s from high-end restaurants than fast-food joints.

What if the tip is upfront like on an app like DoorDash? Well, there are ways around that. Elite Dashers use tools (third-party apps) to know what the tips are. 

Even if you don’t use these third-party apps, you can still discern which order will have a nice tip with DoorDash. These orders usually are above $7 and end with a 0 or a 5: $8.25, $8.50, etc. 

Related Topics:

• 3 Ways To Know The Tip Before Accepting A DoorDash Order
• 5 Pro Hacks For DoorDash In 2021 

First Impression

Platforms like Caviar, Postmates, UberEats, Shipt, Instacart all have profile pictures for their drivers. 

First impressions matter when it comes to earning tips. If the food delivery platform you are driving for has the option for you to upload a profile image, throw up a nice clean picture of yourself.

How you present yourself can impact if a customer tips you, and if so, how much. Are you presenting yourself as friendly? Or does your profile picture look like a mugshot?

With contactless delivery now the norm, do yourself a favor and indirectly make a good first impression with a nice profile picture. 

Communication After Arriving At Pick-Up

Even if you are delivering on a platform like DoorDash, where the customer tip a courier when they place the order, you can still potentially earn a cash tip. 

The third moment in a food delivery gig where you’ll help your chances of a good tip is after you arrive at the pick-up. Communication is critical here. Just communicate the essential. 

Inform them of any delay. Long lines. Order mix-up. Anything that falls under “stuff happens.” 

I used the word ‘any’ loosely here. 

Avoid communicating delays that make you look like a newbie. Stuff like not being able to find parking. Getting pulled over for speeding. Spills.

Okay, any delay means any delay that’s the merchant’s fault. Not yours, okay? LOL

Long term, as long as you communicate in such a way that puts you as someone on their side, you’ll earn more tips doing food delivery. 

Parting Words At Drop-Off

Depending on the circumstances, the final words you leave with the customer can be reciprocated back in the form of a tip. It is especially crucial if you are driving on a platform that allows customers to tip after an order has been delivered. 

Studies have shown that a thank you goes a long way. Say thank you.

We recently published a case study where it was found that leaving a Thank you note resulted in 16% more customers leaving a tip after an order was completed.  

Also, if the weather is nice, what you say also has an impact.

Conclusion

People will always eat. Driving for a food delivery platform and knowing what you’re doing, you’ll always have an opportunity to earn more tips doing food delivery. The type of orders you accept, the first impression you give off (however you do it), how you communicate after arriving at the merchant. Even the remarks you leave the consumer with are all critical moments in a food delivery if you want to earn more tips doing food delivery.