What is an acceptable tip for a driver delivering a $20 pizza?
A TikTok video purporting to show a DoorDash delivery guy in Texas cursing a customer for the $5 tip he gave him has gone viral, sparking a new online debate about tipping culture in the US.
“I just want to say it’s a good house for a $5 tip,” the driver can be heard saying as he drives away from a house in door cam video posted to Tik Tok earlier this week by a user by the name of Lacey Purciful.
“You are welcome!” says the resident, seeming surprised by the comment. “Fuck you,” the driver replies before driving away.
“So how much should I tip for a $20 cake?” Purciful, who, in a separate post, said she herself has worked in the service industry for more than 10 years and tips “very well,” she wrote in a caption.
Purciful, who did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment from NBC News, said DoorDash fired the driver after the incident.
A DoorDash spokesperson confirmed that the worker had been removed from their platform. They said the company had also contacted the customer regarding the incident.
“Respectfully asking for a tip is acceptable, but abusing or harassing someone is never acceptable,” the spokesperson said.
“Our rules exist to help ensure that everyone who uses our platform – Dashers, customers, merchants – has a safe and enjoyable experience,” they said. “We expect everyone to treat others with respect and we will enforce our rules fairly and consistently.”
The video added fuel to a growing debate in the US about tipping culture, with some complaining that current trends may have reached a turning point.
“Tipping is out of control,” said one social media user commenting on the video. They said they felt $5 for a $20 video was “more than” enough.
“I go to the door and most (not all) pizza delivery orders don’t tip. That was a tip from Rockstar,” another user said.
However, not everyone agreed with some calling Purciful “Karen” for contacting DoorDash about the incident.
One poster said he felt the driver shouldn’t have lost his job over the trade, writing: “What he said wasn’t right, but he didn’t have to lose his job over it. Everyone’s trying to make a living.”
Another commenter noted that the driver might have been concerned about mileage, writing, “Maybe $5 wasn’t enough.”
The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown consumers’ willingness to tip, particularly in times of hardship, into new focus, with many pushing to pay higher tips during the crisis, according to research.
Figures provided to NBC News earlier this year by payment processor Square showed that tipping frequency at full-service restaurants grew 17% in the fourth quarter of last year compared to the same period in 2021. Meanwhile, the frequency of tips at quick-service restaurants, such as cafeterias and fast-food chains, rose 16%, according to company data.
The apparent increase in tips came despite a period of record inflation, which has drained the discretionary income of many consumers.
While the pandemic seemed to spur widespread changes in tipping culture, the increasing use of point-of-service or POS systems to process payments also appears to have made it easier than ever for customers to provide, and for businesses to request, tips.
in a survey Of restaurant executives in the Hospitality Technology industry group, 71% of respondents said that using data to “understand guest behavior and preferences” was their primary reason for facilitating POS system upgrades, while for 57%, enabling new payment options was the priority.
a recent Lending Tree Survey found that 60% of Americans felt they were tipping more, nbc boston informed. Some 24% said they felt pressured to tip when the option was presented, while 41% said they had changed their buying habits due to tipping expectations and 60% felt tipping expectations had gone awry. of control.
