Hello my lovely customers! Today I will be spilling the beans on just what the heck do we drivers think about your order! Ever wondered how we decide what orders to take and why? Stay tuned because the answers may shock you!
First off, to clarify how things work on our end, we have a choice about whether or not to accept an order offer from the DoorDash app. We are considered independent contractors and are not required to accept any offers, technically. This comes with some caveats however.
There are basically 2 kinds of drivers, those who care about numbers and those who don’t.
In my case, as with a considerable amount of drivers, I try to maintain certain metrics that the company sets forth in order to receive the benefits offered by exchange. Mainly, the ability to Dash anytime. This, with being placed at the top of the queue, makes it worthwhile in my opinion for full-time drivers to take most orders. Keyword: most.
When an offer comes up, there are a whole slew of factors that run through my mind, and I only have about 30 seconds to decide before the system says, “Oops! You didn’t accept in time so this is now being offered to another driver”.
So in a matter of seconds I’m thinking, how much is it worth? How far is it going? What’s the pickup location? How busy is it right now? What’s traffic like in the area? How large or complicated is the order?
These factors and more can come into play when I’m choosing whether or not to pick up your order.
An example of this thought process might go like this: offer comes up for 5$ for mcdonalds going 8 miles. It’s a Friday night, about 6:30, and theres a rodeo in town. The drop-off location is off the highway outside of city limits. The order has 18 items on it. Doordash typically pays 2$ per offer so the tip is just 3$… If I can, I’ll turn this down. The mileage is way too high for the pay, the traffic, the order size, and it’s busy enough that I know I’ll get another offer quickly.
Now let’s say an order comes in for 5$ going a mile and a half, its 3 in the afternoon on a Wednesday in the middle of summer, the pickup is taco bell, 1 item. Heck yeah, I’ll take that!
I would have to say the single most important factor in deciding to take and order is mileage. This is because I’m paying for the gas. So, if it costs me a lot in gas, then I’m not really making a profit enough to justify the time. I mean I gotta make more than just gas money, I got bills too! 🤣
If you take away nothing else, know this: if I’m not making at least a dollar per mile, I’m gonna wanna decline it. Or if I do deliver it, I won’t be happy about it, I might even prioritize another customers order over yours!
When the system is busy, we can sometimes be given 2 or 3 orders at once to pick up and then deliver. If I see that I’m not wasting any time or efficiency, and my other customers tipped better, they will get their food first.
So if you live 5 miles or more from the restaurant, 5 bucks or more is pretty standard.
Another factor, lesser known, that weighs heavily on my choosing to complete an order is drinks. Oh, the frustrations I’ve had because of drinks!! They are THE biggest liability for me in my car. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had drinks leaking and spilling in my car! Why it is so hard for restaurants to get cup lids on properly I have no idea. Especially places that specialize in drinks!! Anywho…. small rant over.
If an order has a lot of drinks and isn’t worth much, I may unassign myself and move on, let some other dasher handle it. And yes, there are fancy cup holders and drink carriers out there but it’s still a huge hassle in my opinion and a risk that customers rarely seem to deem worthy of an extra tip.
Next, what is the value of the order? If an order is especially expensive or large, I expect a decent tip. It’s just in bad taste in my opinion to order like 100$ worth of food and not tip at least 10 bucks. I had a delivery once where a lady literally ordered a 150$ worth of chicken tenders and tipped nothing. I was absolutely floored. It was a hand it to them type and I assumed it would be a cash tip but no, nothing. It still boils me, at least a little bit, to this day!
All in all, when you’re trying to understand what your driver is thinking, put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself if you’d be willing to do what you’re asking them for the amount of money you paid! We are all on the same page really, just trying to make ends meet, and I think most drivers AND customers just want a great experience. It is my sincere hope that through sharing knowledge and perspectives we can all foster a better atmosphere and service for one another! 😊
Thank you all so much for using delivery, Happy Ordering!