Tipping food delivery drivers has become a hot topic in recent years, especially as more of us rely on these services to bring dinner to our doorstep. 

But figuring out the right amount to leave can be confusing. 

Should you tip based on percentage? Distance? Weather conditions? 

Let's break it down so you can tip confidently next time you order.

Why Tipping Delivery Drivers Matters

Unlike restaurant servers who typically earn a base wage, delivery drivers largely depend on tips for their livelihood. 

According to a recent Gridwise study, tips make up a staggering 53% of food delivery drivers' income on average, and around 45% for grocery delivery workers.

The base pay from delivery apps is often shockingly low—sometimes as little as $2-$3 per order. 

This makes your tip essential for drivers to cover their expenses and make a living wage.

You might be surprised to learn that over 80% of Americans regularly tip delivery drivers.

That's a good start, but the size of the tip can make a significant difference in a driver's day.

Delivery drivers shoulder expenses that many customers don't consider.

They pay for their own gas, vehicle maintenance, and insurance—with no reimbursement from the apps they work for. 

How Much Should You Tip? (General Guidelines)

The generally accepted baseline for food deliveries is 15-20% of the order total. 

This mirrors restaurant tipping norms and is what most drivers consider "good."

But here's where it gets tricky: because small orders could yield a tiny percentage, you should consider a minimum of $4-$5 per delivery, even if that works out to more than 20%. 

Many drivers and experts recommend at least $5, even if your order is small, to ensure the trip is worth their time.

For example, if your order is $30, 15% is about $4.50 - so around $5 is fair. 

For a $20 order, 20% is $4, which most drivers would consider acceptable for a standard delivery.

But context matters a lot. 

The true value of your tip depends not just on your order cost, but on distance and effort. 

A $5 tip might be fine for a quick 1-mile delivery, but if the driver travels 10 miles in heavy traffic, that same $5 may not adequately cover their time and expenses.

While some etiquette guides historically cited 10-15% as a baseline, industry standards have evolved toward 15-20% due to increased costs and challenges drivers face.

Quick tipping tips:

• Standard food delivery: 15-20% (minimum $4-$5)

• Small orders: If 15% is under $4, round up to at least $4-$5

• Large orders: 20% or more

• Never tip below $3, even for the smallest order

When to Adjust Your Tip

Large or Complex Orders

Big orders require more time, careful handling, and possibly multiple trips to and from the car. 

For these orders, consider tipping on the higher end (20% or more) to account for the extra effort. 

For large grocery deliveries, this can be substantial—many grocery deliveries yield $20+ tips for batched orders.

Bad Weather & Difficult Conditions

When it's pouring rain, snowing, or during extreme heat, drivers are literally braving the elements to bring you food. 

Uber even encourages customers to tip more during snowstorms. 

Consider adding an additional 3-5% (or a few extra dollars) during severe weather as a thank-you for the added risk.

Interestingly, some drivers on Reddit report they actually get lower tips in bad weather because more non-regular customers (who may be less generous tippers) order when it's raining or snowing. 

Buck the trend and be one of the generous ones when the weather is awful.

Long Distance or Traffic-Heavy Deliveries

If your delivery is coming from far away or during rush hour, remember the driver is spending more time and gas. 

Some customers follow a rule like $1 extra per additional mile over a baseline distance. 

In dense areas like NYC, some customers use a formula of $1 per half-mile.

What About Poor Service?

It's generally discouraged to skip a tip entirely unless something truly egregious happens. 

Even then, consider that many issues (cold food, late arrival) are often not the driver's fault. 

Restaurants delay orders, or your order may have been declined by multiple drivers due to a low initial tip.

If service was truly negligent, you might reduce the tip, but courteous customers still leave something. 

A better approach is to resolve issues via the app's support (which can sometimes credit back delivery fees) rather than punishing the driver by withholding a tip.

Food Delivery vs. Grocery Delivery

Restaurant Deliveries

These typically have smaller order totals (a $25 dinner, for example) and a quicker turnaround. 

The standard is to tip a percentage (15-20%) or $5 minimum for restaurant meals.

Grocery Deliveries

Services like Instacart, Shipt, and Amazon Fresh involve larger receipts ($100-$200 orders) and much more labor. 

Your courier is shopping for items, waiting at checkout, and then delivering everything to your door.

For groceries, a common recommendation is 10-15%. Given those larger totals, 5-10% can still be a substantial dollar amount. 

For instance, a $200 grocery order with a 10% tip would be $20, which many shoppers would consider reasonable.

Platform settings vary too. Instacart's app might suggest a default tip (often 5% with a $2 minimum), but many customers increase that. 

Good Instacart tips typically range from 10-25%. 

Instacart shoppers keep 100% of tips and have a base pay of around $7 per order on average.

Grocery tips tend to be larger than food delivery tips - one analysis showed Instacart tips average about $6.50 per batch, higher than DoorDash's average of $4 per delivery. 

This makes sense given the additional work involved.

Do Bigger Tips Get You Faster Delivery?

Yes, in many cases. 

Drivers can see the expected payout before accepting an order. 

If an order shows only a $2-$3 payment (meaning little or no tip), experienced drivers will likely decline it.

This reality has become so widely acknowledged that in late 2023, DoorDash began explicitly warning customers: "Orders with no tip might take longer to deliver." 

This transparent message underlines that tipping directly impacts your wait time.

Business Insider reported incidents like a customer tipping $5 on a $20 order and a driver still getting upset. 

While $5 on $20 is 25% (seemingly generous), some drivers argue it didn't account for a long drive. 

The vast majority of drivers agree that 15-20% is the baseline, but also that distance and time should be factored in.

One driver shared: "If I see an order with no tip, I'm never taking that order... I'd rather wait until a more lucrative order appears." 

Another noted they choose orders by total pay and distance, not just percentage of the bill - meaning a $10 payout for a 1-mile delivery is great (even if the bill was only $20), whereas a $5 payout for a 10-mile delivery is not.

From a satisfaction perspective, tipping generously tends to lead to better service. 

Drivers have shared that a good tip motivates them to "accept the order immediately, take the most direct route, and handle food with extra care." 

Some even keep mental notes of good tippers and will prioritize those customers when they see another order from them.

How Different Delivery Apps Handle Tips

DoorDash

DoorDash gives drivers 100% of customer tips on top of a base pay. 

However, DoorDash has been known to "hide" large tips in the offer screen - drivers see a guaranteed minimum and might get a surprise higher total after delivery if the tip was big. 

This is meant to prevent cherry-picking of only high-tip orders.

It's worth noting that DoorDash's tipping policy wasn't always consumer-friendly. 

From 2017-2019, they used customer tips to subsidize wages, which led to a $16.5 million settlement and a policy change. 

Now, tips truly add to driver pay.

Uber Eats

Uber Eats allows tipping in-app, and drivers keep 100% of it. 

One key difference: Uber prompts for tips after delivery by default, though customers can choose to tip at checkout. 

If you don't pre-tip, the driver only sees a lower guaranteed amount and hopes you'll add a tip later.

Unlike DoorDash, an Uber Eats driver typically cannot see your exact tip before delivery (if you only tip after), which was a deliberate design choice. 

This means an Uber Eats courier might take a chance on an order not knowing if you'll tip well or not.

Grubhub

Grubhub has a reputation for full tip transparency. 

Grubhub drivers see the full tip amount in the offer, and tips cannot be adjusted after delivery. 

What you tip is locked in and visible, which drivers appreciate - they can trust an order with a big tip and grab it fast.

The upside for customers: if you tip well, you'll likely get very fast acceptance on Grubhub.

The downside: if you undertip, there's no hiding it—your order may get ignored.

Instacart

As a grocery platform, Instacart shows shoppers a batch offer that includes an estimated tip. 

Customers can adjust the tip up to 2 hours after delivery (reduced from 24 hours) - a practice that led to "tip baiting" concerns.

To combat this, Instacart limited how long tips can be changed and will even compensate a shopper up to $10 if a customer removes a tip post-delivery. 

While you can alter a tip if something went wrong, doing so (especially lowering it without cause) is viewed as unethical by gig workers.

Tipping Across Regions and Demographics

Tipping norms can vary by location. 

In big cities like NYC and San Francisco, people might rely on delivery more frequently and face higher costs of living. 

In dense urban areas, some deliveries are done by bike or foot for short distances, so a flat $3-$5 might be common for a quick drop-off.

In suburban and rural areas, drivers often travel farther distances, so larger tips (or a higher per-mile consideration) are expected. 

A rural customer might tip $10 on a single pizza if the driver drove 15 miles to deliver it.

Regional cultures play a role too. 

Delaware was noted as the state with the highest average tipping rate (22% on average) in one report, whereas some urban centers might hover closer to 15-18%.

Demographics also influence tipping patterns. 

One survey found millennials tip delivery drivers at higher rates than Baby Boomers - contrary to the stereotype of millennials being cheap. 

This might be because younger people use apps more often and are accustomed to the prompts.

The Psychology of Tipping

Digital apps have changed tipping behavior. 

Many present preset tip buttons (e.g., $3, $5, $7 or 15%, 20%, 25%). 

These suggestions can "anchor" consumer expectations upward.

Research has shown that when the lowest option is set higher (e.g., starting at 20%), people often tip more.

Social pressure plays a role too. 

Unlike tipping a waiter face-to-face, tipping on an app is semi-anonymous. 

Surveys indicate people tend to tip less when using a self-checkout or app versus when a worker is watching. 

Just because the app makes it easy to skip or reduce a tip doesn't mean one should - remember there's a human on the other end who will definitely notice if you tipped $0.

"Tip fatigue" is also a real phenomenon. 

A Pew Research study found about 72% of Americans feel tipping is expected in more places now than 5 years ago, and many are confused about how much to tip for each new service.

The digital age asks us to tip often, and it can be frustrating. 

But for delivery apps, consider that you're directly affecting someone's earnings. 

While you might roll your eyes at an iPad asking for 25% on a muffin at a cafe, tipping your delivery driver is not a random ask - it's a core part of the transaction in the gig economy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to tip if I'm already paying a delivery fee?

Yes. 

The "delivery fee" or service charge goes to the app or restaurant, not directly to the driver in most cases. 

Drivers typically do not receive a cut of those fees - tips are the only portion of your payment that goes straight to them. 

Think of the delivery fee as covering logistics/operations, while the tip rewards your specific driver.

Is it ever okay not to tip a delivery driver?

In general, you should always try to tip something. 

Delivery drivers count on tips, and a $0 tip will likely result in slower service. 

Only in extreme scenarios of poor service might you consider a very low or no tip - and even then, it's better to report the issue to the delivery service.

Should I tip in cash or in the app?

Either is appreciated, but tipping in-app (upfront) has advantages: the driver sees it and can prioritize your order accordingly. 

Cash is great as an added surprise, but if you only plan to tip in cash, the driver won't know that before delivery - which might affect how quickly someone accepts the order.

Do delivery app drivers see my tip?

Grubhub drivers see the exact tip when the order comes in. 

DoorDash drivers see the total payout (which includes your tip, but large tips might be partially hidden). 

Uber Eats drivers usually do not see the tip if you choose to tip after delivery - they just see a base fare and any pre-tip.

What is "tip baiting" and should I worry about it?

"Tip baiting" is when a customer sets a high tip to get their order picked up quickly, then lowers it after delivery. It's considered a deceptive practice. 

Some grocery services allowed tip changes for hours or days (which enabled this), but most have cracked down. 

As a customer, you shouldn't do this—it's unfair to the worker.

How much do delivery drivers actually make?

It varies by region and platform. Many drivers report earning roughly $15-$20/hour with tips included. 

Without tips, their earnings might barely hit minimum wage (or less after expenses). 

In fact, one study found tips comprised around half of delivery drivers' earnings on average—illustrating how crucial they are.

Beyond Tipping – Future Outlook

Some labor experts argue that tipping should be an adjunct, not the foundation of workers' pay- they push for higher base pay or even minimum wage laws for gig workers so that tips become truly optional bonuses.

New York City's law guaranteeing ~$18-$20/hr for delivery workers is one approach, though it led to friction when it was implemented. 

California's Prop 22 (2020) also mandated a guaranteed earnings floor (120% of minimum wage for active time + some per-mile compensation), which effectively ensures a baseline pay and somewhat lessens the desperation for tips.

Some delivery co-ops or startups are experimenting with no-tip models where drivers are paid more per order or hourly and the customer isn't asked for a tip. 

Thus far, these models are not mainstream in the US because they often come with higher up-front fees.

An advocate from the Workers' Justice Project in NYC said companies "have no intention of making this a good job... they're shifting systems to exploit workers" - implying that relying on customer generosity isn't truly sustainable and that companies should pay more.

Until the industry changes fundamentally, tipping remains the way drivers get a fair shake. 

"Voting with your wallet" by tipping well signals to the market that people support fair pay for gig workers.

Next time you order, try applying these guidelines - you might be surprised at the difference it makes in your service and the gratitude you receive from your driver. 

After all, a few extra dollars from you can make a significant difference in their day.