Pay is similar whether drivers work for an app
or for a restaurant. The companies won’t reveal
that data, which varies by city and even by
restaurant within a city. But according to
driver reviews on the employment website
Indeed.com, U.S. drivers for GrubHub earn
an average of $13.85 per hour, while Domino’s
drivers make $13.40 per hour and Panera workers
make $13.68 per hour. That includes tips.
But there’s a critical difference: Restaurant
workers get paid even when they aren’t
making deliveries. At Panera, for example,
delivery drivers clean tables, prep food or
wash dishes while they’re waiting for orders.
During that time, they get paid a higher
in-store wage than the $5 per hour plus tips
and mileage reimbursement that they might
make while driving.
Uber Eats sometimes offers a guaranteed
hourly rate — during weekend promotions,
for example — but only for workers who make
a certain number of trips per hour. GrubHub
offers minimum hourly pay in some markets
but not in others.
Tracey Diamond, an attorney who specializes
in employment law, says restaurant delivery
workers also have more legal protections
because they are considered employees,
not independent contractors. Late last year,
for example, Domino’s drivers in Ohio
successfully sued franchise owners because they
were being paid less than the government’s
baseline mileage reimbursement rates.
Independent contractors wouldn’t have that
legal recourse, and they’re not reimbursed for
gas or vehicle maintenance.