Food delivery services like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub offer a great opportunity to make extra money in your spare time. With the rising popularity of food delivery apps, it’s easier than ever to earn $60/day or more without committing to a fixed schedule.
What is Food Delivery Service?
A food delivery service is a company that delivers food from restaurants and stores to customers. Customers can order food through a website or mobile app. As a delivery driver, your job is to pick up orders from restaurants and deliver them to the customers who ordered.
Top 5 Food Delivery Apps in USA: Complete Details
Food delivery apps have become extremely popular in the USA by providing easy access to meals from thousands of restaurants. The top players stand out through strong driver payouts, widespread coverage, and innovations.
DoorDash
DoorDash is one of the most popular food delivery apps in the USA. It partners with over 310,000 restaurants in more than 4,000 cities across the country. As a DoorDash driver, you can earn between $15-$25 per hour including tips. DoorDash offers weekly payments and provides details on expected payouts before accepting delivery orders.
Uber Eats
Uber Eats has grown rapidly as Uber has leveraged its wide network of drivers. It works with over 300,000 restaurants in thousands of US and international cities. Uber Eats drivers earn around $20 per hour on average. You receive at least 75% of the delivery fee and 100% of tips. Payments are deposited weekly.
Grubhub
Grubhub connects drivers with diners from over 300,000 restaurants in 4,000 US cities and London. The drivers make approximately $13 per hour, but experienced drivers report $17-$18 is possible. The per-order commission ranges from $3-12 depending on time, distance and size. Drivers get 100% of tips.
Postmates
Postmates offers on-demand delivery from any restaurant or store in over 4,200 US cities. As a Postmates courier, you can choose when you want to work and receive payments the following week based on a formula calculated per order. Couriers typically earn around $18 per hour.
Instacart
Instacart specializes in grocery delivery from stores like Publix, ALDI, Costco and more. Drivers, called shoppers, can earn between $7-$20 per Instacart order by delivering groceries to customers in as fast as an hour after an order is placed. Instacart shoppers also receive 100% of their tips.
How Do Delivery Drivers Get Paid?
There are a few ways delivery drivers can earn money:
- Per delivery fees – You get paid per delivery you complete, usually $2-4 per delivery
- Tips – Customers have the option to tip you through the app. Tips make up a significant portion of earnings.
- Bonuses – Apps sometimes offer peak hour bonuses and incentives for completing a certain number of deliveries.
So earnings are based on the number of deliveries you can handle and good service that earns you bigger tips.
Why Food Delivery is a Good Side Gig
There are many advantages to driving for a food delivery service:
- Be your own boss – You have total control over your schedule. Sign in and out whenever you want.
- Low commitment – It’s on-demand work. No shifts. No long term obligations.
- Decent pay – Determine your own income goals and work enough to achieve it.
- Flexible 2nd job – Easy to fit around an existing full time job or other priorities.
- Minimal qualifications – Anyone with a suitable vehicle and clean background check can sign up.
Getting Started with Food Delivery Gigs
Getting started only takes a few minutes. Just download the app, fill out some basic personal information, and submit documentation. Approval time is usually less than a week.
Choosing a Food Delivery Service App
The top platforms right now are DoorDash, Uber Eats, and GrubHub. Check to see which apps are most popular in your area. You can even sign up for multiple apps to maximize order volume.
Compare factors like pay rates, average tip amounts, driver promotions, and order volume. Ask other local drivers which app keeps them the busiest.
Signup and Onboarding Process
The signup process is fully handled within the mobile app. Here are the general steps:
- Download the app and create an account
- Submit contact details, banking & tax information
- Pass a background check
- Provide vehicle registration and insurance
- Verify your driver’s license
- Activate your account
That’s all there is to it. You can be approved and ready to start accepting orders within a week.
Maximizing Your Earnings
Follow these tips and tricks to earn the most money possible:
Choose Peak Hours
Work lunch, dinner, weekends, and late nights when order volumes surge. Monitor the app to find patterns for your city. Setting income goals will determine the needed hours.
Sign up for Multiple Services
Run multiple apps at the same time to minimize downtime between orders. For example, keep DoorDash and UberEats on simultaneously. This keeps a steady stream of delivery opportunities.
Master Your Territory
Learn popular restaurants and efficient routes in core zones. Familiar streets mean less time navigating and more deliveries per hour. Target high density areas with lots of retail outlets.
Provide Excellent Service
Go above and beyond by checking order accuracy, using hot/cold bags, adding extras like mints or stickers, and maintaining friendly communication with customers. This leads to better tips.
Track Miles for Tax Deductions
Use an app like Stride Drive to automatically log miles driven for work. Tracking mileage reduces your taxable income, putting more money in your pocket.
Know the Best Times
Every market has unique patterns. Track your own earnings over time to isolate which days, neighborhoods, and times yield the highest hourly pay rates.
Maximize Bonuses and Guarantees
To qualify for special incentives and guarantees, you may need to meet certain metrics like a minimum number of deliveries during the promotion period. So optimize your strategy around these programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can you realistically make per day?
Earnings vary widely based on your market, hours worked, and efficiency. But during peak periods, many drivers report regular earnings of $20-30 per hour. By committing 6-8 hours across mealtimes, hitting a $60 per day goal is very realistic.
Does it cost money to start driving?
There are no signup fees. Just have a suitable 4-door vehicle, valid license and insurance. While fuel and vehicle wear add costs, you can deduct mileage on taxes to offset expenses.
Are there risks to delivery driving?
Like all driving, there is inherent risk of accident. Limit risks by driving safely, avoiding bad weather when possible, and considering additional rideshare insurance. Also use hotbags, mask up, and apply hand sanitizer when handling food orders.
Is food delivery safe?
The apps provide some safety features like tracking mileage, customer details, and the ability to share your status. As usual, exercise normal precautions like avoiding isolated areas at night. But overall, food delivery presents minimal safety risk compared to direct interactions inside homes or vehicles.
Conclusion
Driving for food delivery services offers flexible, accessible income opportunities. With smart strategic planning around high-demand hours and efficiency optimization, hitting $60 per day earnings benchmarks is an achievable goal for most drivers. Minimize costs through tax deductions. Take advantage of incentives and promotions. Provide quality service to maximize tips. By applying these best practices, you can earn excellent part-time income on your own schedule.