Here's How Much You Should Tip Your Food Delivery Driver

Getting restaurants to deliver food to your doorstep isn't new, but thanks to apps like Uber Eats and Grubhub, more of us are opting to enjoy someone else's cooking while we sit at home, eat off our own china, and use our own cutlery. So other than paying the restaurant for cooking the meal, should we even be thinking of tipping the delivery driver — and if so, how much should we plan on giving?

The Daily Meal started off by asking The Emily Post Institute (a decades-old authority on etiquette) whether tipping a food delivery driver was necessary and the answer was an unconditional yes, followed by a recommended tip of 10 to 15 percent of the bill's total. The Institute also says that if the driver is going through considerable trouble to deliver your meal (think challenging conditions like extreme weather), giving them a few extra dollars for their effort would be a worthwhile thing to do.

But 10 to 15 percent doesn't seem to be a fixed number, because according to a study conducted by foodservice distributor U.S. Foods, customers and food delivery drivers think a $4 tip is acceptable for a typical order. Consumer Reports also says that a tip that ranges between $3 to $5 — or 20 percent of the bill, whichever is higher — is the normal way to go. But on average, customers have indicated that they are willing to give as much as $8.50 for a delivery, an amount that covers not just the tip, but delivery and service fees too. And trouble is, customers are unlikely to tell the difference between the service fee levied by the delivery company — like Uber Eats — and a tip that the driver can claim as part of his earnings (via CNBC).

Tips make a difference for tipped workers who, according to a survey conducted by Glassdoor and reported by The Daily Meal, can earn as little as $2.23 in Arizona, to $7.50 in New York and Delaware. They are an important part of the wages earned by your food delivery drivers, and CNBC recommends that if you don't want to give companies like Grubhub or Uber Eats any extra money, go ahead and tip your delivery drivers in cash. We don't think they will say no.