A DoorDash driver went viral on TikTok after posting a video showing shelves full of McDonald’s orders that other DoorDash drivers refused to deliver, allegedly because the people who ordered them did not include a tip. The TikTok user Jhordan the Model claimed that as independent contractors, DoorDash drivers are not obligated to pick up every order. In July, DoorDash drivers organized a one-day strike over the company’s tipping policies.
In her Nov. 20 video, Jhordan explained that DoorDash drivers can pick and choose which orders they want to pick up and they could refuse to take an order if there is no tip. She then showed a batch of McDonald’s orders that were never picked up, possibly because the people who ordered them did not give a tip. “There’s a whole section dedicated to people who don’t tip and it just sits there until a Dasher decides they want to take the order,” Jhordan said. “So once again, just letting it be known, you don’t have to tip. You’re not obligated to tip. We also are not obligated to take your order because we are independent contractors who do not work for DoorDash the company. We’re our own bosses. Just keep that in mind.”
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Since the video was posted last month, it has attracted over 52,000 likes, 25,000 comments, and over 502,000 views. It caused a debate among TikTok users. Some were supportive, while others questioned tipping before the food is delivered. “Who isn’t tipping their DoorDash person?? If you don’t want to tip then drive yourself to McDonald’s and pick up your own stuff,” one person wrote. “The people talking about I’m not tipping before services are the same people that don’t tip their waiters. Don’t pretend you tip after services,” another commented.
“We’re proud of the flexible earning opportunities we provide, with Dashers making on average over $25 per hour they’re on a delivery,” a DoorDash spokeswoman told the Daily Dot in response to Jhordan’s video. “We are actively looking into the issues raised in this video and will take appropriate action as we learn more.”
Jhordan later stood by her video in a statement to the Daily Dot, responding to the critics of her video. “The angry viewers were under the impression that we as dashers are accepting their orders, and then changing our minds and putting their order back, when that’s not what was being said at all,” the TikTok user said. “We never picked up these orders in the first place, we simply declined the order, and THAT’S why the orders end up sitting there for a while.”
Back in July, some Dashers boycotted DoorDash after a viral Reddit post suggested they should all use UberEats on July 31 instead. The Reddit post included a list of demands, including a higher minimum “base pay” of $4.50 before a tip. Workers also wanted to know how much in tips they would make before accepting an order, reports NPR. Some Dashers got around this by using Para, an app that let them see a tip before accepting an order, but it stopped working with DoorDash in mid-July.
