Delivery Driver Takes Food Back to Restaurant After Getting "Only" $8 Tip

A lot of industries have suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing individuals to use all of the resources at their disposal and come up with some creative ways to gain additional income outside of the no-so-generous payouts that were a part of the stimulus packages doled out from the Federal Government. And job seekers noticed quickly that there was surging demand for delivery drivers.

Transporting packages for Amazon, Wayfair, medical agencies, or any other supplies, can be a great way for people who have their own reliable modes of transportation to earn a buck. And many family-owned food businesses saw an uptick in delivery orders, necessitating the hiring of more drivers or signing up for programs like Uber Eats, Door Dash, Just Eat, and the like.

While many of these apps build in commission percentages for picking up and dropping off food, many drivers still rely on gratuities from customers to make a living. And the "rules" for tipping on deliveries are generally different than when it comes to dining at a sit-down restaurant. You're not leaving a percentage generally based on the amount of food you've ordered, because it's not as if someone is waiting on you.

When it comes to driving, you're basing your tip on the duration of a trip or the distance traveled for a driver to come and bring you your meal. This is why so many people are up in arms about this delivery driver's reaction to receiving an $8 tip.

As someone who used to deliver pizzas for a living, if someone gave me $8 for my 'za transporting efforts, I'd be pretty happy with that payout.

However, this driver didn't think so. After approaching the door and speaking with the customer, she decided not to hand over the food until they gave her a larger tip. The customer was befuddled by the whole exchange, asking the woman what she expected, as the drive was only 15-20 minutes, tops.

She contested that it was a 40-minute drive and required more than an $8 tip.

The entire exchange was captured on the customer's Ring doorbell. The driver was ultimately unsatisfied with the customer's response, so they told them that they were going to take the food back to the restaurant because they refused to give her a tip that was more than the $8 they had originally added to the food order.

People were shocked at the driver's behavior, and it didn't take long for the video to make the rounds on the internet, ending up on Reddit's "Choosing Beggars" sub where people had a few choice words for the delivery driver.

Inside Edition also caught wind of the story and decided to do a little bit of investigating into the driver's claims to see if there was any merit to her 40-minute claim.

They measured the distance from the restaurant to the customer's house. It was a 5.5-mile drive and in normal traffic, Google Maps indicated that the trip would only take 12 minutes.

Now maybe given some abhorrent traffic it might take 24 minutes unless there was some type of major accident. But then, would it be fair for the customer to foot the bill for the cost of a said car wreck?

But there were some people who sympathized with the delivery driver, stating that the $8 tip was nowhere near enough for the work she's doing and that "gig" jobs like deliveries aren't worth it in the end.

But there were also folks who were drivers themselves who said that the tips they receive certainly add up.