Texans: Here’s The Hack You Need To Get Your Food Delivered Fast

Are you sick of your food orders getting to you late, cold, soggy, and gross? Does this seem to happen to you often? There's probably a reason why, and the reason could be you. 

First, you should know how food deliveries work through apps like DoorDash or Uber Eats here in Texas. The delivery is offered, not assigned to, the nearest delivery person, who then chooses to accept or decline.

This is because, unlike pizza delivery persons, these "dashers" are independent contractors, meaning they work at will when they want to, and they are never required to pick up your order, even if they are the person closest to the restaurant.

The delivery person must decide quickly if the order is worth their time, gas, and potentially missing a more lucrative order. This means that if you don't tip in advance your order is a risky gamble. 

"But I tip based on service! How can I know in advance?" Well, you can't. With these deliveries, it's less of a tip and more of a bribe.

You can adjust your tip after if you feel the service was bad- or up the amount if it was exceptional. However, if you adjust to not tip because you're a cheapskate, you should probably remember that dashers have long memories and do talk to each other.

Dashers do receive a base pay for an order, but it can be as low as $2. That might not even cover the gas to get to you, let alone be worth their time.

Again, since they are independent contractors, they do not receive a guaranteed base salary, meaning taking multiple "bad" orders can mean they make less than minimum wage- all while putting wear and tear on their cars.

There are "acceptance metrics," but they do not seem to directly affect the delivery person too much, so I imagine they take a backseat for most drivers unless it's a really off time and they are desperate for anything.

Another reason you may be getting less than super fresh food is that you are ordering during a peak time from a peak area. Dashers can pick up multiple orders at once when it makes sense, making the trip to their eventual destination take longer.

For me, I want my food as hot as the center of the sun and fresh of the burner or out of the oven. That's why I always plan to eat at a restaurant- where tipping afterward and based on service is the norm.