Can Grubhub Drivers See the Tip?

Grubhub is one of the most popular ways to order food in the United States. What’s great is this convenient service allows you to browse and order food without making a single phone call.

The only person you interact with directly is your delivery driver. As you no doubt appreciate, these drivers work hard and earn most of their money from tips. But how do they actually see these tips? In this article, we’ll explain everything about tipping with Grubhub delivery.

Can They See the Tip?

This question is a rather frequent one. Given the fact that everything is paid for online, via card or PayPal, what does the driver see, regarding tips? The answer is, nothing.

Everything, from the actual order amount to minimum order fees, to delivery fees and promo codes is information that’s available to both you and the delivery driver. But this doesn’t include tips.

Tips, contrary to popular belief, aren’t paid via card on Grubhub. The only way to tip your delivery driver is with cash, upon delivery.

If you think that the tip is a part of the delivery fee, you’re absolutely wrong, as the delivery drivers don’t see a single cent from these fees. They’re actually paid only a rather humble amount by Grubhub. This means that tipping is expected with Grubhub orders.

So, don’t look at the delivery fees and don’t think about what the drivers earn. A 20% tip should go without saying. Plus, you should consider a bonus amount if the delivery was particularly speedy or the driver efficient and polite.

When Should I Tip?

Almost always. If it’s business as usual and you aren’t too mind-blown with the delivery, but aren’t disappointed either, 20% should suffice (provided this amounts to more than $5). If the delivery was exceptionally late or the delivery driver was rude to you (this is rarely the case), you can choose to withhold the tip.

However, you need to take certain factors into account. For one, if the weather outside is heavy, if it’s raining or snowing, don’t expect the driver to arrive on time. If this is the case, you should expect them to be a little late. If they arrive early, go ahead and give them a bit of a cherry on top of the 20%. If they’re a bit late in bad weather, give them 20%, maybe even a bit more for the effort.

How Much Should I Tip Past the 20%

If you feel like your Grubhub delivery driver deserves more than the typical 20% (which they often do), you may find yourself in a bit of a conundrum regarding just how much more to give them. This depends on a few factors.

Order Size

If you order a large amount of food, something like 15+ pizzas, you should consider how difficult this is to carry. Even if your delivery driver arrives by car (they usually ride mopeds), they still may have to make multiple trips to your door. Therefore, an additional 3-5% should do the trick here. It’ll certainly make your delivery person smile.

Bad Weather

If it’s raining or snowing and your delivery driver arrives soaking wet, put a smile on their face with a $3-5 extra tip, on top of the 20% ($5).

A Lot of Steps

If your elevator is broken or your building doesn’t have one, your delivery driver is going to have to walk up all those flights of stairs. In this case, an additional $1-2 to the 20% tip should make up for the effort.

Combine Bonuses

For instance, if your order was large, made during bad weather, or from an upper floor apartment without an elevator, combine these bonuses. In this instance, giving a 25% tip plus $7 isn’t really too much.

Grubhub Drivers and Tips

Grubhub delivery people depend on your tips, so don’t fall short in this department. These are your delivery heroes and you should treat them accordingly. Don’t be afraid to add a bonus to that 20% ($5) tip.

How much do you tip your Grubhub drivers? Have you ever felt like you should’ve tipped them more? Maybe you think that you’ve tipped them too much on a certain occasion? Feel free to hit the comments section below with any thoughts on the subject.