10 Ways To Earn More Tips While Working For Deliveroo

What if you could dramatically increase the opportunity to earn more tips while working for Deliveroo?

Conventional wisdom does show that if the customer perceives the service to be better they are more likely to tip.. 

But what if you could really influence your takeaway loving customers to tip more just by applying some simple tips and strategies into your day.

If you can establish a social connection with your customers, you will get better tips, says Michael Lynn, a professor in food and beverage management at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, who has been studying tips for years. “The simple fact is, we’re more likely to want to help someone we’re connected to, and we’re more likely to care about someone’s opinion, if we have a social connection to them.”

Tipping does vary depending on things such as where you live, if you are male or female, or your age but employing some of these strategies below will have a positive impact on your income.

Most of the tests described below were conducted in restaurants, and have come from a piece of research by Micheal Lynn but can definitely be applied if you work for Deliveroo or Ubereats.

1. Introduce Yourself.

Simply saying, “My name is …” boosted waitresses’ average tips from $3.49 to $5.44 — a jump of 56% — at a Charlie Brown’s restaurant in southern California. This is a no brainer, and is very easy to get into the habit of doing when you arrive at the customers house. This could be particularly good if you have some regular customers, as it will enable you to build an all important rapour.

2. Makeup works.

A study in France showed that 50% more men left tips if the waitress wore makeup, and the average amount was 26% higher. Another study, also in France, found that red lipstick, when compared to pink and brown shades or au naturale, brought in the bucks. In the interests of equality, men if you see this as way of increasing your tips then please go ahead. Just make sure you choose a nail varnish to match!

3. Wear Something Unusual.

Again, the test subjects were women; they put flowers in their hair. They earned $1.75 per customer in tips versus $1.50 when they went without the flower. Lynn suggests (for both genders) wearing anything that personalises you such as a loud tie or funny button, but to avoid wearing something political, religious or otherwise controversial. This is where you can really let your imagination run wild. A bow-tie could be a welcome addition to your Deliveroo attire.

4. Smile Wide.

Smiling helps people be perceived as more attractive, sociable, sincere and competent. It also seems to improve tips. One study found smiling a large, open-mouth smile produced tips 140% larger than a small, closed-mouth smile did. The experiment was conducted in a cocktail lounge, so presumably this effect would be lessened somewhat in a restaurant. This is definitely worth a try, just don’t do it if your Gurning Champion of the UK – it will most certainly have a negative effect on your tip making abilities.

5. Complimenting Customer’s Food Choices.

Say things like “You made a good choice!”. In tests, the compliment was associated with boosts in tips from 16.4% to 18.9%. In another test with large groups in which the server said, “You all made good choices!” after everyone had ordered, praise boosted the tip from 18.8% to 20.3 %. Whilst this piece of research was carried out in a restaurant setting, it can definitely work when delivering food, assuming you check the order prior to arriving.

6. Forecast Good Weather.

It’s as simple as writing on the receipt, “The weather is supposed to be really good tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the day!” In the study, that increased tips from 18.7% without the forecast to 22.2%. You could even go with examples such as asking the customer “What their plans are for the long weekend” if you have a pending bank holiday.

7. Write “Thank you” On The Receipt

Doing so may make you seem friendlier to your customers, or they may feel obligated to live up to your feeling of gratitude by leaving you a larger tip. Either way, the experiment, at an upscale restaurant in Philadelphia, showed tips of 18% with the thanks and 16% without. You could even hand write some sticky notes or sticky labels in advance with a message, saving time.

8. Draw a Picture On The receipt.

A smiley face works to boost the size of the tip for female waitresses, but not men, who should instead draw, a lobster or sun. Doodle away people, just avoid pictures of inappropriate pieces of your anatomy. 

9. Call Customers By Name.

When you hand over the food, say, for instance, “Thank you, Ms. Jones.”  In the experiment, using the customer’s name was associated with a 10% higher tip. 

10. Satisfy Their Sweet Tooth.

A little gift of after-dinner mints or candies may make your customers feel obligated to reciprocate. Tips increase the most if you give the table a round of candy, and then spontaneously offer a second helping. In the experiment, that generated tips of 23% of the bill compared to 19% without candy. A great idea here would be to staple a sweet to the package or your thank you notes we discussed previously above, either way, which such a good potential for increasing tips can you afford not to.

So here is just a few ideas you may want to use while out delivering. Of course, your busy and it would be crazy to consider trying them all, but why not introduce 1 or 2 of the choices from above next time your working. You may be surprised at the result!

Give us feedback. We would love to know if it works!