A DoorDash delivery driver has shared his viral tips on how to make the most money on the platform by refusing 75 percent of orders and waiting in wealthy areas.
Jay – who did not want to share his last name – from Philadelphia, told Business Insider: ‘I don’t do this to gamble. I do this to make money.’
He works ten hours a week delivering food for DoorDash and UberEats as a “weekend side hustle” and has amassed 150,000 followers who share clips of his days on TikTok.
Over the past five years, Jay says he has refined his approach, advising fellow drivers to only accept rides with high tips and wait in wealthy areas for the highest-paying jobs.
On average, he says he earns €20 to €25 per hour in the summer and €45 per hour in the winter when there is less competition.
Jay — who didn’t want to share his last name — from Philadelphia, works 10 hours a week delivering food for DoorDash and UberEats as a “weekend side hustle” and has amassed 150,000 followers who share clips of his days on TikTok
Jay started delivering in 2019 to make extra money while in school.
During the pandemic, he was forced to move to Philadelphia and began working 40 hours a week for UberEats and DoorDash.
The pandemic was a “gravy train,” he told Insider: “On grocery orders of $250 to $300, people were tipping $100 because they were so afraid to step into the grocery store and they were so grateful that someone else was willing to do that.” to do. It.’
He has since reduced his hours but continued to deliver, developing a strategy to maximize profits in a short period of time.
His main advice to other riders is to only accept orders with the highest tip up front.
This means he refuses about 75 percent of rides where customers don’t tip or leave only a low tip when they place an order.
He said, “I’m not really interested in the game of, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll do this person’s delivery for a guaranteed $2.50.’ Maybe there are more.’
‘I don’t play that game. And most people don’t like playing that game. That’s the result and their order isn’t picked up, or it takes a while to get their food.”
To get the rides with the highest tips, Jay says he waits in wealthy areas.
On average, he says he earns €20 to €25 per hour in the summer and €45 per hour in the winter when there is less competition
He said, “I’m sitting in the park at Rittenhouse Square and I get an order from a fancy Italian restaurant.
“It’s a two-block delivery and I end up paying $20 for it because this person doesn’t want to walk two blocks in the winter cold.
‘I know which parts of the city have the better tips and which don’t. That usually has to do with the income of the area.’
Pay and tips also tend to be higher in the winter, he said, when there is less competition for work and customers are more appreciative of braving the elements.
If done right, he tells Insider, it can be lucrative: “Delivering this food, I actually see it as a game. It’s like a treasure hunt, if you will, and I get joy out of it.”