DoorDash driver's brazen demands re-ignite fierce tipping debate: ‘Insane ask'
He turned dinner into drama.
A particularly bold DoorDash driver unwittingly reignited the ongoing debate over tipping with a baffling request for more money — before he even delivered a customer's takeout meal.
The to-go trouble was revealed by a confused and hungry Redditor, who took to the popular chat site to share a strange exchange with a worker identified as 'Rob' — who fired off a series of touchy text messages while waiting to pick up the eager eater's order at an unnamed restaurant.
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4 A delivery driver for DoorDash sparked controversy with an unusual ask.
Tricky Shark – stock.adobe.com
The riled-up recipient explained that after tipping $5 on her bill in advance, she was shocked to receive a random DM from the gutsy gig worker — pleading for a greater gratuity.
His reasoning? Bad weather.
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He even sent photographic evidence to back up his claim, showing images of torrential downpours flooding area streets.
He followed up with a message that read: 'It's heavily raining out here. If you can add compensation that would be greatly appreciated and helpful.'
He then added, 'Driving more than 10 miles to get your food delivered.'
4 While waiting for her delivery, the driver began to DM the confounded customer.
Reddit/r/doordash
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But the customer wasn't convinced. 'I looked it up and it was not 10 miles away and I had definitely tipped well. That's the weird part for me he wanted me to increase my already $5 tip,' she wrote.
News of the sustenance saga drew hundreds of responses. And while many readers — some of them DoorDash workers themselves — sympathized with the driver's difficult conditions, they also pushed back on the idea of asking for more money.
'Tipping more just because it's raining is an insane ask,' one Dasher wrote, though they acknowledged that extreme weather can make delivery more hazardous and frustrating.
4 He even sent photos showing the amount it was raining at the restaurant where he was waiting, claiming that the bad weather entitled him to more money.
Reddit/r/doordash
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'I was Dashing the other day, got a storm warning on my phone, and it went from calm to sh-tty in a matter of 10 minutes,' they recalled.
Another worker added, 'It's materially more dangerous to drive in heavy rain, yet when I'd Dash I'd still get people not tipping at all. I would never ask, but if you're so unwilling to go out and drive in the rain but expect someone else to do it, you should be tipping more than usual.'
The scenario sparked much debate — with most people agreeing that asking for a tip after the order has been placed crosses a line.
4 The post drew hundreds of responses on Reddit — with many saying the driver crossed a line.
REUTERS
This isn't the first time DoorDash has found itself in the middle of a tipping-related controversy.
One DoorDash driver went viral after she refused to give a man his food — after he tipped her $8 for a delivery, which she found to be insufficient. Ring camera footage showed the woman yelling at the man, claiming that she'd made an exceedingly lengthy trip on his behalf.
Meanwhile, the company has been called on the carpet in recent months — over the way they pay their workers.
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DoorDash was ordered pay almost $17 million earlier this year to settle claims that it unfairly used customer tips to subsidize the wages of its delivery workers in New York — rather than letting drivers keep the tips on top of their guaranteed pay.
Tipping culture in the U.S. has increasingly come under scrutiny, with many consumers citing rising food costs, taxes, and service fees as reasons they're tipping less — although they're being asked to tip everywhere.
Experts suggest tipping 15–20% of the final bill for food delivery.
And while it's not mandatory, it's widely considered good etiquette — and definitely during bad weather.
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