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STOP Stiffing The People Who Deliver Your Food
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 3, 2012
Modified Mar 5, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 3, 2012
Modified Mar 5, 2012
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We hear the bogus excuses all the time: "They're not serving you like a waiter would! Delivering $50 of food is the same as delivering $10. The food is always cold so why tip?" Hard-hearted cheapskates should take heed of the story of Chinese food delivery man Lin Dakang in the Times, for if you still don't change your stingy ways, you probably deserve that Loogie Lo Mein the next time you place an order.
Like most deliverymen in the city, Lin uses an electric bike, and is constantly dodging danger. “I just pray to God that nothing happens to me,” he says. “You have to understand how horrible the taxis are. In America, they can stop wherever they want!” He's been doored several times despite his caution, but fatigue is guaranteed to set in: “To say you’re not tired—when you work in a restaurant—is a lie."
During a day's work, he "pragmatically" breaks traffic laws to ensure that every customer's food is hot, and risked $270 in possible tickets. If they're risking their lives and their livelihood for you, the least you can do is tip accordingly. Even the device he's riding is illegal, and could be confiscated by the NYPD (or a thief) at any time.
Just because all the food is in the same bag, doesn't mean the tip amount should remain the same. In the piece, Lin makes a delivery of food worth $57.54 to a building with a doorman on the Upper East Side, and receives a $5 tip. The more food you order, the higher the tip (WHY DO WE EVEN HAVE TO TYPE THIS?)
Finally: the people who deliver your food are people. Look them in the eye when you open the door, thank them for their service. If they're panting, offer them a glass of water. Lin owned an auto-detailing shop in Shanghai before he was running food around town, and left because he felt he was being persecuted for being a practicing Christian. His application for asylum was just approved, so he can continue working 10-hour days, six days a week. These people have lives beyond your chimichangas, treat them with respect.
Read the entire eye-opening story here. Lest you think the deliverymen don't know who tips what: there's a reason your food is always cold and late.
Tagged
20
at least 20%
bikes
cheapskates
cycling
deliverymen
stingy bastards
tipping
upper east side
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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