Global Courant
What is an acceptable tip for a driver delivering a $20 pizza?
A TikTok video supposedly showing a DoorDash delivery driver in Texas berating a customer for the $5 tip she gave him has gone viral, sparking a new online debate about tipping culture in the US.
“I just want to say it’s a nice house for a $5 tip,” the driver can be heard saying as he walks away from a house in the door cam video posted to TikTok earlier this week by a user called Lacey Purciful.
“Don’t mention it!” says the resident, seemingly surprised by the remark. “F*** you,” the driver responds before walking away.
“So how much should I tip for a $20 pie?” Purciful, who said in a separate post that she herself has worked in the service industry for more than 10 years and gives “very good” tips, wrote in a caption.
Purciful, who did not immediately respond to a late-night request for comment from NBC News, said the driver was fired by DoorDash after the incident.
A DoorDash spokesperson confirmed that the employee had been removed from their platform. They said the company had also contacted the customer about the incident.
“Respectfully asking for a tip is acceptable, but insulting or harassing someone is never acceptable,” the spokesperson said.
“Our rules are there to ensure that everyone using 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 lamenting current trends reached a tipping point.
“Tipping has gotten out of hand,” one social media user commented on the video. They said they felt $5 for a $20 pizza was “more than” enough.
“I doordash and most (not all) pizza delivery orders don’t tip. That was a tip from Rockstar,” said another user.
However, not everyone agreed with some calling Purciful a “Karen” for contacting DoorDash about the incident.
A poster said they felt the driver shouldn’t have lost his job because of the exchange, writing, “What he said didn’t make sense, but he didn’t need to lose a job for it. Everyone’s trying to make a living.”
Another commenter noted that the driver may have been concerned about the mileage, writing, “Maybe $5 wasn’t enough.”
The Covid-19 pandemic brought a spotlight to consumers’ willingness to tip, especially in times of adversity, with many people springing up to pay higher tips during the crisis, according to research.
Figures provided to NBC News by payment processor Square earlier this year showed that tipping frequency at full-service restaurants increased 17% in the fourth quarter last year from the same period in 2021. Meanwhile, tipping frequency at quick-service restaurants, such as coffee shops and fast food chains, were up 16%, according to the company’s data.
The apparent increase in tipping came despite a period of record inflation, which has eaten away at many consumers’ discretionary income.
While the pandemic seemed to trigger widespread changes in tipping culture, the increasing use of point-of-service or POS systems to process payments also seems to have made it easier than ever for customers to provide – and for businesses to to ask – tips.
In a questionnaire of restaurant managers according to industry group Hospitality Technology, 71% of respondents said using data to “understand guest preferences and behavior” was their top reason for enabling POS system upgrades, while 57% said enabling of new payment options was the priority.
A recent Leenboom research found that 60% of Americans felt they tipped more, NBC Boston reported. About 24% said they felt pressured to tip when the option was presented, while 41% said they changed their shopping habits because of tip expectations and 60% felt tip expectations got out of hand had walked.
