Photo: PH888 / Pexels
His actions speak to a larger issue.
By Megan Quinn
Last updated on Mar 20, 2024
When people go out to eat at restaurants, it's customary to leave a tip. After all, service workers usually make minimum wage and rely on their tips to make a living. But the lines tend to get blurred when it comes to delivery drivers.
Tipping for delivery service workers is often viewed as a kind gesture and something many drivers appreciate. But often, they don't receive a significant amount from each delivery job they take.
So what happens when you don’t tip your delivery driver? One man did the unthinkable.
A delivery driver ate a customer's order after they only tipped him $1.
Van Dinh often records his experiences as a DoorDash delivery driver on his TikTok account. The Denver-based driver is known for criticizing customers who do not tip, and encourages people that if they want their order delivered they should consider tipping the person who is bringing it to them.
When some people tip, it's still not the amount the driver is hoping for. And this is exactly what happened to Dinh when he was picking up an order for a customer at Arby’s.
Upon realizing that the customer had only tipped him $1, he decided to get the ultimate revenge.
In a video that has been viewed over 950,000 times, Dinh opened the bag containing the customer’s order. “This customer only tipped $1 — let’s see what he got at Arby’s,” Dinh said as he began to sift through the bag.
He listed the items, which included a beef and cheddar sandwich, French dip, and crinkle-cut fries, which Dinh appeared to be the most enthusiastic about. “Oh man, that’s my favorite,” he said, before happily helping himself to the food.
He closed his video with a message for the customer. “Thank you $1 tipper! Peace!” he said as he laughed.
Many had differing opinions on the way Dinh handled the situation.
Some users agreed with Dinh’s actions and believed that he should have received a larger tip. One user shared, “I always tip. I know the DoorDash drivers are more likely to accept my order and get it to me faster. I tip for convenience.”
However, others were horrified that Dinh ate a customer’s order and noted that they were not obligated to tip at all on a delivery.
“A tip is a tip; be thankful that money is in your pocket. Might not be much but it's the thought that counts. There are people who don't tip at all,” one user pointed out. “Y’all want tips but tax and delivery are like 15 bucks alone,” another user shared.
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Others mentioned that DoorDash drivers are able to see how much a customer tipped before accepting an order, and were confused as to why Dinh picked up the order when he could have chosen not to. Some people declared that they would never place orders through DoorDash, especially after seeing the driver’s video.
Though a lot of people feel that tipping has gotten out of control, deliver drivers could benefit from a few extra dollars.
In another video that Dinh shared, he explained how he makes money from DoorDash.
A user asked, "Don't you get paid by the hour?" to which Dinh explained, "Nah, man. None of these food delivery drivers — Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub — gets paid by the hour. We get paid by the order. And how much do we get paid per order? $2.50... so the majority of the money comes from the tips."
"If you don't want to tip, your order's going to be sitting there for three hours," he concluded while laughing.
While many believe that tipping has become a bit ridiculous, it's important to remember that service workers, including delivery drivers, rely on tips. And though delivery apps seem to have become more expensive these days, it's the companies and apps that should be blamed, not the drivers who are just doing their jobs.
Over the last few years, multiple delivery apps have come under fire for overcharging — not just the customers, but the restaurants as well.
In 2019, the New York Post found that Grubhub had been charging restaurants bogus fees, as well as taking up to 30% or more per order. Additionally, a New York Times reporter found that ordering food delivery on an app can be between 25% and 91% more expensive!
Unfortunately, once the pandemic hit, restaurants were forced to rely on those same delivery apps that were robbing them blind, as were customers. With these companies hiring more drivers to meet demand, they implemented additional fees and charges.
And according to MarketWatch, the top four delivery companies in America — Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub, and Doordash — made $5.5 billion from April to September of 2020, double what they made for that same period in 2019.
So what can customers do to avoid paying ridiculous fees on food delivery? The most obvious option is to call the restaurant and order directly from them. Helping you save money this way means you can give your delivery driver a better tip, even if they don't work for the app companies.
Photo: MART PRODUCTION / Pexels
Other options could be to pick up the food yourself, subscribe to a delivery app's premium service, order from an establishment closer to where you live, or choose instead to cook at home.
All in all, while the Dinh's behavior may be a bit inappropriate, the majority of people, especially those who have worked in the service industry, can certainly empathize with his plight.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.