What It’s Really Like Working for Food Delivery Companies

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• Someone I know very well works for some food delivery companies part-time as an independent contractor.
• I interviewed her for this article to tell you what you need to know if you are considering working these types of jobs.
• This isn’t someone who tried them for a few days, or a week and wants to give their opinion based on a few deliveries.

The Companies Involved

The two companies she has worked for are Uber Eats and DoorDash. She also tried out Instacart.

Instacart involves shopping as well as food delivery. You can spend a lot of time shopping and searching for items in the order which will lower your hourly rate. She does not recommend working for InstaCart due to delays that can occur while shopping.

That leaves us with Uber Eats and DoorDash. Both companies have many similarities, but there are some differences.

The Basics and Setup

Both are app-based and work with your mobile phone. You will turn on the app and receive a notification when a delivery is needed. You can elect to take the job or reject it.

The delivery will include the person’s name, projected pay for the trip, and the location of the restaurant. It will give you the address of the client once you accept the job. It will estimate the miles you’ll need to travel to complete the job.

You’ll go to the restaurant/store and most of the time there will be a sign displaying where to pick up food deliveries. You’ll have the customer’s name and you’ll pick up the order, put it in your car, and head to their address.

For some deliveries, you’ll hand the order directly to the client if they come out to greet you.

Most deliveries only require you to leave the order at the door. The companies will want you to take a photo as proof and send it to them when you complete the delivery.

Both apps use GPS and she says that they are very accurate.

Getting setup is easy with both companies. You sign up and they’ll perform a mandatory background check which includes your driver’s information. It will take from 2 to 3 days…