TikTok Shows What Happens When You Don't Tip Your DoorDasher

Over the weekend, one TikTok video showing stacks of paper bags piled up in a restaurant resurrected the debate of how much — and when — people should tip their DoorDash delivery people. Strap in, because this is a complicated one.

You can watch the video here, since we can’t embed videos on Jalopnik, but here’s a quick rundown: It was posted by Steven Liang, who goes by the username @mrpanda1688. Captioned, “These been sitting here for 4 hours because no dashers would take non tip orders no tip no trip, the worker told me no dashers/Uber eats/grubhub went to get the order,” it shows literal piles of paper delivery bags stacked on shelves and the floor.

Now, there’s no confirmation that Liang’s caption is totally correct, Newsweek reports, but it isn’t totally difficult to believe.

Here’s a little more from the article:

A DoorDash spokesperson told Newsweek in an email that the company has built other aspects to help employees earn, including hotspots where Dashers can quickly see busy areas to earn more on their time; DasherDirect to improve banking and fast access through instant no-fee deposits and benefits; and perks like Dasher-only discount programs with national partners.

[…]

“Dashers are always shown a guaranteed minimum amount they will earn for completing a delivery before they even accept the delivery, as well as the location and name of the restaurant, and estimated total mileage for the delivery so that they can make the best decision for themselves while dashing,” they continued. “We’re always eager to hear feedback from any Dasher, customer, or merchant as we work to continue providing value to our community.”

A Grubhub guide to tipping encourages consumers to tip 20 percent for meals that arrive on time and are as ordered, while also encouraging bigger tips for drivers who deliver large orders, have to drive or travel in inclement weather, or have to climb a few flights of stairs.

As you can imagine, the comment section on the video is pretty spicy. Some people argued that buyers shouldn’t be obligated to tip before the service is complete while others countered by saying that food delivery service is a luxury and that you should always tip in those instances. One user said, “Just don’t consider it a tip. Consider it a bid to get your food picked up and delivered quickly.” Another added, “Y’all bold af not tipping ppl that are unsupervised with your food.” Plenty of food delivery service drivers also added that they wouldn’t pick up an order that didn’t feature a tip; after all, if you’re willing to pay inflated DoorDash processing fees, why can’t you tip?