Driving for a food delivery service is a great way to make extra money on your own schedule. Unlike a part-time job, you can literally start and stop working whenever and wherever you like.
I consider food delivery to be a side hustle but to make it worth while and make decent or even good money from delivering food, you have to work smart and provide great customer service to increase your tips.
Let’s discuss my Top 3 food delivery apps to drive for to make an extra income.
Postmates
Probably the best food delivery app to use in the Santa Monica, CA and Las Vegas, NV areas.
Note: This is based on my experience in these areas so it might not be completely accurate to your area. Please do some research as to which services are most profitable in your area.
Here are a few reasons why:
In my experience, Postmates is the second most used food delivery service in Santa Monica and Las Vegas. This means more deliveries and ultimately more money made versus sitting around in your car waiting for work while trying to avoiding eye contact with the plaza security guard.
So Postmates is only the second busiest but Postmates is ranked #1 to work for, why is that you ask?
It’s because people who use the #1 most used delivery app, which is UberEats, don’t tip as often compared to Postmates. Would you rather make 10 deliveries and make $50-$80 or 8 deliveries and make $80-$100? Simply put, you’ll make more with Postmates due to how the app asks its customers to tip its drivers.
Cancelled orders are compensated by Postmates. Its definitely not as much as what you would make fulfilling the delivery plus tip, but would you rather drive all the way to the restaurant and the order get cancelled making $0 or the order getting cancelled and making a flat $5 or so cancellation fee? Let’s be practical here, cancellations happen.
So whats the bad? Having to place orders. Having to place orders! Not every delivery will require you to place the order and pay at the restaurant but when you do, depending on the day, time, and restaurant, it can lengthen your work day and shorten your potential earnings.
What this is like: drive to restaurant, get in line, place order, pay with your Postmates card, sign receipt, then wait. Depending on the restaurant this wait period could take up to an hour (think of a well done steak, or a family sized order). Once your order is ready, you must verify all of the items, take a photo of the receipt, then navigate your way to the drop off location.
With all of that being said, if you want to make good earnings and have great customer service (think of tips) and don’t mind having to place orders here and there, then Postmates is the food delivery app for you.
For those looking to make food delivery more than a side hustle, a part-time or even full-time gig, then I highly recommend sticking with Postmates.
Signing up to be a driver is easy, simply click on this link or the Postmates driver sign up banner anywhere on this page and follow the simple driver application.
DoorDash
DoorDash is the second best food delivery app to drive for.
The DoorDash drivers app is unique and very different from Postmates and UberEats. To drive, you must schedule yourself for a specific area and time frame on the driver app.
Many drivers like this because it keeps your deliveries within a specified area. This is great for staying in high-profit areas and if you simply just want to deliver locally.
The time schedule feature is great so you know exactly when you’re working and for how long. Another pro for DoorDash is that most, if not all, orders don’t require the driver to place orders. Most all DoorDash orders are paid for and ordered in advance via the app.
Many drivers like to know exactly how much they’ll make per delivery without having to wait a day or two to see if they received any tips.
DoorDash shows you exactly how much you’ll make with the tips included. This is great for knowing exactly how much you’ll make on each trip with the option to decline deliveries you don’t want to make.
DoorDash is probably the most convenient food delivery app to drive for.
Signing up to be a DoorDash driver is easy. Simply click this link to be directed to the driver application page.
UberEats
UberEats is the most used and therefore busiest food delivery app in most cities. If your side hustle time is limited and need to make a quick few extra bucks, then driving for UberEats might be the best platform for you.
However, UberEats customers don’t usually tip or rarely tip depending on the area. Due to the low tipping percentage of UberEats deliveries I don’t recommend it for a profitable side hustle and especially not for a full-time income.
I recommend driving for UberEats when you’re short on time or if you prefer the constant higher volume delivery pace. All orders are paid for via the app therefore no ordering by the driver is required and most, if not all, customers will meet you at the curb to retrieved their food.
UberEats is a good backup app to use when you’re not getting any orders on Postmates or DoorDash. Also, if your time is limited and you need to make some fast cash quick, UberEats can get you deliveries quickly. Click here to start delivering for UberEats today!
TIP: It’s always a good idea to sign up for more than one delivery app. This way if the app is down or you’re not getting any deliveries, you can switch over so you don’t waste your time sitting around waiting.
Whether you’re looking to drive for a food delivery app as a side hustle or a full-time job, any of the three mentioned apps are great services to work for. For complete beginners in food or any kind of delivery service, I recommend starting with DoorDash because you are least likely to be required to place an order and the pace is usually slower than the other apps.
If you decide to work full-time I recommend Postmates and providing great customer service on all your deliveries to maximize potential tip earnings.
Regardless of which food app you deliver for, you’re not limited to just one. So apply for all three and decide which app fits you best.
Good luck, and drive safe out there!
