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How much do Waitr drivers make? The average Waitr delivery driver pay starts from $5 to $19 per order during the first week of your job. That’s a fair amount compared to other grocery delivery services. But is working for Waitr worth it in the long run?
There have been allegations in the past about Waitr not paying its drivers well. But before we snoop into Waitr’s financial closet, let’s learn a thing or two about the service.
What does the Waitr company do?
Waitr is an American on-demand food ordering and delivery service. The company was founded in 2008 by Chris Meaux and is headquartered in Louisiana, Texas.
Waitr works similarly to other services like Instacart and Shipt. It acts as a middleman between customers and restaurants near them. Instead of going to the restaurants yourself to buy food, Waitr drivers do the chore for you and bring the food straight to your house.
How much does the average Waitr driver make?
You can earn from $5 to $19 dollars per order as a Waitr driver. Overall, how much you earn depends on how many hours you work, the distance you drive, tips and peak hours, and the city you drive in. Big cities like New York have higher demand for food delivery services. So your chances of cashing out big are high there.
There was a time when Waitr hired drivers as full-time employees and paid them a flat fee. Recently, the delivery service seems to have switched to hiring drivers as independent contractors.
So if you’re considering becoming a Waitr driver, what this means for you is that you are your own boss. When you complete deliveries for customers, whatever you earn is yours. Since you’re not a full-time employee, the tax withholding system doesn’t apply to you.
The downside of this is that you have to pay taxes yourself and settle other bills. E.g. gas bills. So even while you’re driving around the city under their name, Waitr won’t compensate you for your gas or mileage.
How long does it take to get paid with Waitr?
Waitr pays its drivers per-order. This means that if you accept a $10 customer order, that is what you will earn after completing the order, regardless of how much time it takes you. So even if it takes you two hours to complete the order, because of traffic or other delays, the pay for the order remains the same.
Usually, Waitr disburses payments weekly. So all your earnings for a week will be paid on a Friday. After Friday, you’d have to wait till the next Friday to withdraw earnings made after that day.
If you can’t wait that long. There’s an alternative. Waitr offers DailyPay alongside its weekly payment system. It’s a third-party service, which delivery drivers can use to withdraw their earnings earlier than the scheduled date for payments.
With DailyPay, you can withdraw your earnings from the Waitr app into your personal account up to five times in one day. But there’s a con. DailyPay charges from $2.99 to allow you withdraw your earnings before the due deposited date.
Is being a Waitr driver worth it?
It’s worth working for Waitr as a delivery driver if you’re only looking for a side gig. However, if your goal is to find a job to survive on, we wouldn’t recommend Waitr.
While it has a good tipping policy and allows you to be your own boss, we just can’t overlook the cons. For one, the company has a bad record of treating employees unfairly. So if you’re after a workplace that cares for their staff, you might want to consider other delivery companies.
Just a recap!
How much do Waitr drivers make? Well, Waitr drivers make from $5 to $19, including tips. However, there’s no tax withholding system. So you have to pay your own taxes and settle bills yourself. Overall, driving for Waitr is a good side hustle, but the company hasn’t succeeded in creating a comfortable workspace for employees.
If you’re considering working for other grocery or food delivery services, check out the following articles for inspiration.
- How to become a DoorDash driver
- Is working for Instacart worth it?
- 10 Tips for working in a grocery store as a beginner
Irene is a Freelance content writer who helps professionals and startups build an audience with original content online. She has written over +100 articles, and is backed up by 3 years experience. She loves gaming and listening to music, while she’s not tapping furiously on her laptop.