Delivery drivers make great sacrifices on behalf of their customers, which is why it’s crucial that we tip them. Social customs differ when it comes to how much to tip.
As an added benefit, if you use apps such as Grubhub or Seamless for order takeout, their systems automatically suggest a tip amount based on the total cost of your meal, not simply its individual component parts.
Tip the Driver
When your delivery driver brings your pizza order, tipping them is likely going to be important – this applies equally if other food delivery is involved.
Most delivery food apps give drivers an upfront estimate of their payout that includes some or all of the tips included during checkout, meaning if you leave an generous tip at this stage they could experience an even higher pay-out than would normally occur.
According to The Daily Meal, many DoorDash food delivery drivers have complained about an inequity in how their tips are distributed; as a result, the company announced they will modify its policies.
Lifestyle and etiquette expert Elaine Swann advises tipping food delivery drivers a few dollars when they bring your order home, with longer or more complex orders warranting up to 20% of total bill amount in tip.
Keep Track of Your Mileage
Keep a log of your mileage as a delivery driver to save money on gas and car maintenance while potentially earning tax deductions.
The Internal Revenue Service advises keeping a mileage log each time you make deliveries. You can either use a written log, or download an app that tracks mileage automatically.
Mileage should be recorded for at least the first week of each month to get an idea of which weeks have had the highest driving activity and can then expand that record to cover your total mileage in that month.
Food delivery drivers need a simple mileage tracking app that’s straightforward to set up and use, providing automatic mileage tracking, easy classification, data storage/syncing/syncing sync-ing/syncing syncing features as well as report generation features – the top apps even include route planning/optimization features to increase delivery performance!
Keep the Food Warm
One of the primary complaints from customers who order delivery food is that it doesn’t arrive hot enough. Your customers deserve to enjoy their pizza, Chinese takeout or gourmet meals at their ideal temperatures!
Insulation and temperature control are keys to providing hot food safely to customers. Insulated containers, hot packs, and ice packs can all play an integral part in maintaining food at its desired temperature until it reaches their respective destinations.
If your restaurant serves perishable foods such as meat, dairy and fruit salad, they must remain at an ideal temperature during transport. This means they should not remain out at room temperature for more than two hours (or one if it exceeds 90degF outside or in a hot car).