A DoorDash customer has questioned whether tipping has gone “too far” after he was criticised by his delivery driver for a 30 per cent tip.
Dr Ethan Melillo, a pharmacist who goes by @millennialrx on TikTok, shared his recent experience in a video uploaded to the platform last week. In the clip, Dr Melillo revealed that he received a response from his DoorDash driver saying “nice house” after he’d given them a “generous tip”.
“Has this ever happened to you with DoorDash? When you give someone a generous tip and they say ‘nice house, thanks for the $5 for a 20-minute ride,’” the TikToker asked, while showing a screenshot of the message he’d received from his delivery driver.
In the video, Dr Melillo then added that, for reference, he lives in Rhode Island, where a “10 to 20 minute ride is very common” because the state “probably has the slowest speed limits in the country”.
The TikToker then showed viewers what he’d ordered, with Dr Melillo revealing that he’d ordered a falafel meal over rice with a side of extra sauce and a Snapple lemon iced tea.
According to the receipt shared by the TikToker, the total cost of the meal ended up being $15.64, and that he’d then added a $5 tip.
“The total cost of my meal came to $15 so I thought a 30 per cent tip was pretty generous, and I’m usually the type of person that tips when I even pick up food,” Dr Melillo said, before adding: “So let me know, how much should I be tipping on a DoorDash order?”
In the caption of the video, which has since been viewed more than 100,000 times, the TikToker wrote: “@DoorDash tipping going too far?”
The video has sparked a debate in the comments, with many assuring the TikToker that his tip was more than generous, and that the driver can see the tip amount before they agree to accept the order.
“I work for DoorDash and that is very generous,” one person commented, while another said: “Your tip was fine!”
“That message he sent you after a 30 per cent tip is crazy,” someone else wrote.
In the comments, Dr Melillo also revealed that he tries to “give more” since he has experience working in the food industry. “Having worked in the food industry before entering the pharmacy world I know how hard others work so I try to give more since I’ve been there,” he wrote.
However, others suggested that the TikToker’s tip was not enough because it may not have been based on the distance that the driver had to drive to deliver the food.
According to multiple viewers, “it’s more about the distance than the total of your food” when it comes to leaving an adequate tip.
“I always do $1 a mile with $5 being the lowest. They use their gas, their mileage and have a higher insurance rate since they do delivery,” one person commented.
Another said: “I usually recommend tipping two times the amount of miles to the restaurant. 5 miles = $10 tip.”
“$1 per mile is the most fair. You’re not tipping on the food, you’re paying for delivery if that makes any sense,” someone else wrote, while another revealed that they “never tip less than $10”.
The debate about tipping comes after a DoorDash driver was allegedly fired for cursing at a customer who tipped $5 on a $20 order. Earlier this month, TikTok user Lacey Purciful uploaded a video from a doorbell camera showing a delivery driver handing her a pizza box before telling her: “I just want to say it’s a nice house for a $5 tip.”
After the TikToker told the driver: “You’re welcome,” he responded: “F*** you.” In the comments under the video, Purciful revealed that she had been in contact with DoorDash about the incident, and that the driver had been fired.
At the time, a representative for DoorDash told Insider: “Respectfully asking for a tip is acceptable but abusing or harassing someone is never acceptable.”
The Independent has contacted Dr Melillo and DoorDash for comment.
