Fast food delivery is the first delivery service to consider. It’s a booming trend. Traditionally, food delivery options have been restricted to pizza and Chinese food. Every blue moon or so some small sandwich shop or other would offer delivery. Not much ever lasted though. Always back to the basics. Our options today have expanded.
With my current disabilities, driving is tough, cooking is not happening. I love that these new services, such as DOORDASH, offer delivery from places you never thought you would get delivery. It’s not any more expensive than ordering the usual delivery. To date, my orders have been fast, easy, hassle-free and worth every bit of it! For the most part.
Doordash vs. Uber Eats
Doordash offers a massive variety of restaurants from which you can make your meal selection. I was really surprised. Originally, I had used Uber Eats and was so impressed with them I didn’t bother giving Doordash a try. (Variety of offerings between services could be regional – check both services in your area to gage your options.)
Food Delivery Tracking
Doordash delivery tracking takes some clicks to find. However, I received a text when my “dasher” arrived at the restaurant. It simply said, “Hello. This is your dasher. I am at the restaurant waiting for your order”. Impressive communication.
Watching delivery tracking on your screen builds up your anticipation. Its exciting in a way. I compare it to being at the horse races. The driver reaches the restaurant. Then there is a pause. Eventually, the driver icon begins to move. You see the little car icon following the marked trail on its way. When it gets closer, it’s like seeing your horse pull ahead around the last stretch. (Or trying to catch a glimpse of Santa’s sleigh). Ba-da-bing, doorbell rings! Dinner!
My first delivery – Uber Eats
Uber Eats was my first rodeo with home meal delivery outside the usual pizza, Chinese food and occasional deli sandwich. A local sandwich chain would be willing to deliver periodically. Of course, that was only if, and when, they had staff to support it. Plus, I wasn’t too far away from the store, so they would agree they could do it. But it was intermittent.
I find Uber Eats to be intermittent. The first time I looked up what my choices were there were several and I was impressed. But in subsequent visits I see many places are “closed” and the options just aren’t all there.
Uber Eats tracking comes up immediately. Uber Eats customer service line was hard to find though when I did have an order issue. Plus, they never returned my call or addressed the issue. I called directly to the restaurant. They said my transaction was with Uber Eats. I need to pursue any refunds or discrepancies with them. By my calculations, I deserve at least a $10 refund. Half my order was wrong, I feel the restaurant should have offered me a credit for future use. The other half missing, a refund from Uber Eats should have been issued.
UPDATE: Since I posted this article, Doordash has expanded its options again. It seems to have doubled or more. That prompted me to check Uber Eats for updates as well. Unfortunately, Uber Eats has not added to its current options. It appears for my area, Doordash is the way to go!
Initial Promotion and Fees
With both Doordash and Uber Eats food delivery, I was disappointed because the initial promo for a $10 off first delivery or $5.00 off, well, neither one worked. However, the Doordash did not charge me a $3.99 delivery fee. I am grateful for any savings. Don’t get me wrong. Generally, you can count on paying a delivery fee. These fees vary based on what is being delivered. Food, wine, groceries, specialty snacks, gourmet delights, furniture and more.
Then again, I am left wondering exactly what the service fee is for on my receipt. Now, when I come to your place and dine-in, there is no service fee. Days I decide to pick up take-out, there is no service fee. Clearly, the delivery fee is itemized so I know I am not being charged twice for delivery. My assumption is the employee doing the delivery earns a pay check. This is true regardless where the employee works. Whether it is delivery for the establishment from where I am ordering my food, or the service offering deliveries. It can’t be for the containers to transport the food because I don’t have the service fee charge on take-out/pick-up orders.
Fee for the Driver
What if the delivery driver is driving a company vehicle? The service fee then is the revenue or reimbursement the company makes for offering this service? This is confusing. I believe that is what the delivery fee covers. Surely, the company wouldn’t be covering employee compensation via monies collected from delivery and service fees. Business model and budgeting logic does not lead me to that conclusion.
Is the service fee a fund for the delivery driver’s maintenance of their own vehicle? If so, aren’t there employees of other companies everywhere driving around all day for their jobs and NOT getting a service fee? And if a driver needs compensation for vehicle maintenance, should that not be part of their earnings from the employer? Or is it ultimately the responsibility of any one of us that chooses to be the owner of an automobile? What’s next…customers pay for car insurance and dental insurance? Our delivery personnel should have good dental hygiene for smiling at us when they arrive! One thing is for sure, you can expect a service fee added to your total bill.
Tipping Protocol
Speaking of arrival time. Okay, let’s discuss tipping. Tipping depends again on the place but typically I don’t feel it is entirely necessary. At fast food joints, no actual servers, I assume each employee is making at least the state minimum wage. Consequently, I am not generally inclined to tip when I pull up to a window or stand in line at a counter.
Take-Out and Delivery
A food delivery driver, in my opinion, is much the same as a person at the take-out counter. Yet, my delivery driver has negotiated all the hassles of traffic and situating the food in the car to ensure it doesn’t spill. This is where I feel conflicted now and again. I don’t know, for a fact, delivery drivers are earning minimum wage or better. Likewise, I am aware of previous co-workers in delivery positions at my former places of work that earned above minimum wage. It was a coveted position. The driver serves me only once when I receive the order. (Unless you call in the order, then its twice. But that depends on whether the driver was in or out and available to answer the phone. Another employee won’t get part of the tip I give the driver…hmmm.)
Pick Up and Dine-In
I tip a server at restaurants with servers. Yet, there are some parameters on how I determine the amount of the tip. Did the server only bring me my pick-up order? Was this the same person to put my order together in the bag(s)? The server may have also taken my order. While I sat to wait, did the server provide me with a glass of water? Or, was I greeted, seated, served and given appropriate attention during my meal? How did the server’s demeanor impress me during my dining experience?
Tip Calculation
I start at calculating 10% of the subtotal of my order. I include what my subtotal would have been prior to any discounts. Then based on any combination of answers or results from the above questions, I tip up to 20%. Because I have been a server living on server wages, I tend to avoid leaving less than 10% or no tip at all. In fact, I will be the dine-in customer with my table mostly cleared and dishes stacked. This makes for easier table bussing for the server or bus staff. Frequently, my dine-in experience is exemplary. For those instances, I will tip above the 20%. By observation, it has not escaped me however, more middle to higher end establishments are either including a pre-determined gratuity as part of my bill. Others are inching the suggested, sometimes the pre-determined, amount to 25%.
There are service-related industry personnel who feel they deserve a set percentage amount for a tip regardless of the quality of their service. This mind set occurs regularly from servers. Many from those with long histories of service related experiences. I also see this increasingly from brand new servers young enough with attitudes that come across as entitlement issues.
The Non-Tipper
On their behalf, I see customers who flat out refuse to tip for any reason. I witness customers tip a standard dollar amount, usually $2.00 up to $5.00, for any service. It doesn’t matter if it was a fifty-cent stale cup of coffee or a $150.00 tab for a large group. There is also the customer reducing the amount of tip not because of the service but because the quality of the meal (or other product). An element of the deal was lacking and did not meet the expectations of the customer. But to avoid conflict and reporting displeasure, the easy way to handle it is to short change the server.
Now with all these new delivery services available, what is the protocol for tipping? I ask these delivery drivers coming to my door. It makes the person feel uncomfortable. To prevent this from happening, I suggest looking at the delivery services FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions). This is a page dedicated to common questions they receive about their business. When a standard is suggested, usually it is mentioned here in this section. Or you can consider the questions I posed earlier and use my suggestions. The best scenario is for you to determine what works for you! Remember please, while you are watching your budget, someone is trying to make a living doing something for you.
Back to meal delivery
With both Uber Eats and Doordash, I am disappointed the menu for delivery is as condensed as it is for some restaurants. I frequent a number of these places enough to have an idea of their menus. When I see the posted menu for delivery and I can’t order one of my favorite items, it bums me out. Some websites are getting better about this as the honeymoon of delivery service settles. To clarify tipping for meal delivery, on a recurring monthly order, I don’t tip. On a night I order in, so I don’t have to cook a meal, I tip 10%, and periodically higher.
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