If you’d like to earn some extra money on a flexible schedule around your other commitments, consider applying to Grubhub.
It’s one of the most popular tech companies with gig workers of all ages, for good reason.
This article will walk you through the benefits of joining the Grubhub delivery team.
We’ll start with what Grubhub is, why you should consider working for Grubhub, what being a delivery driver entails and what you can earn, the requirements you must meet to work as a delivery person for Grubhub, the biggest markets for Grubhub across the United States, and what other roles are available at Grubhub.
By the time you’re done, you’ll be all ready to apply to Grubhub as a delivery driver or even for a full-time career role.
What Is Grubhub?
Grubhub is a popular mobile food ordering company based in Chicago that allows hungry diners to get hot, delicious food from their favorite local restaurants delivered right to their door.
Grubhub was established in 2004 by co-founders Matt Maloney and Michael Evans as an alternative to paper menus, but soon pivoted to become the food delivery service we know today.
As a food delivery service, Grubhub began an aggressive expansion across the United States and into London and an equally aggressive acquisition strategy of other tech startups in the food delivery space.
Grubhub Inc. is now the biggest player in the food delivery space, having acquired Seamless, MenuPages, AllMenus, OrderUp, Delivered Dish, Restaurants on the Run, Eat24, LAbite, and DiningIn over the years.
Grubhub’s true competition now consists of big companies like DoorDash, Postmates, and Uber Eats and rapidly growing options like Caviar and Madison’s EatStreet (formerly BadgerBites).
Grubhub Inc. is listed on Nasdaq and the NYSE as GRUB.
Grubhub now processes over 467,500 daily orders in over 2,000 U.S. cities and London.
There are over 105,000 partner restaurants serving nearly 18 million hungry diners.
So if you’re looking for work as a delivery driver, Grubhub has plenty of it and several reasons you should consider Grubhub over its competitors.
Why Work for Grubhub?
Working for Grubhub is a good way to earn extra money on a flexible schedule.
You can adjust your schedule every week, so driving for Grubhub can easily fit around your school or work schedule.
College students often choose work as Grubhub delivery drivers because of the flexible hours and the higher acceptance rate than other services.
While many Grubhub drivers only work part-time for the food delivery service, it’s definitely possible to earn a full-time income as a Grubhub delivery driver.
Grubhub delivery driver salaries vary depending on the city and tips earned, but the average Grubhub driver earns well above the minimum wage.
In many markets, Grubhub even offers a guaranteed minimum to ensure their driver hourly pay is equal to or greater than the local minimum wage.
This can be really helpful for new drivers, but experienced drivers typically make above the guaranteed minimum anyway.
What Does Being a Grubhub Delivery Driver Entail?
Despite being a great job for college students and those who need a side hustle, being a Grubhub delivery driver isn’t a super hard job.
During your scheduled block (dinner time and Friday nights are good ones to choose), you should be in your car, ready to work.
Your status in the driver app should be set to “available.”
When a delivery order comes through, you accept the order and head to the delivery partner restaurant to pick up the food items and deliver them safely to the customer’s address.
Ideally, you do this quickly and with a smile.
And then you wait for the next order to come through.
While most orders will go seamlessly, on occasion you might be dealing with a terrible customer or the fact a restaurant gave you the wrong orders to deliver.
In those instances, do your best to be friendly and helpful, and contact driver support immediately to report the issue.
They’ll be able to help you remedy wrong orders and be aware that the potential negative review is a reflection on a customer that should maybe be banned from the Grubhub online ordering platform and not a reflection on you.
What Grubhub Drivers Earn
The actual salary figures for Grubhub delivery drivers vary based on a few factors but the formula Grubhub uses to calculate earnings is the same across the United States.
It is:
Per order rate + $0.50 per mile from the restaurant to the customer + 100% of your tips = your driver pay
The per order rate is the part of your income is highly variable and depends on where you’re working.
Bigger and more expensive cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and NYC will have a higher per order rate than smaller and more affordable cities like Austin, Phoenix, and Seattle.
Regardless of where you live and work, you can expect to earn above the local hourly minimum wage as a Grubhub delivery driver.
Your tips are also highly variable and depend on your level of customer service.
The average Grubhub driver earns a substantial amount of their income from tips and the best of them strive to provide nothing less than excellent customer service on every order and get the best Grubhub reviews.
Despite being independent contractors, Grubhub drivers are paid by direct deposit on a weekly basis.
This is nice, especially for college students or those who really need the extra money quickly, as you won’t have to wait for a monthly paycheck or lose part of your earnings to PayPal fees.
Grubhub Driver Requirements
The requirements to drive for Grubhub are more flexible than for ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft (this is due to the liability of transporting people versus food) and are as follows:
- Be 19+ years of age (21+ in Chicago)
- Have contact information local to the city you wish to work in
- Own an iPhone with iOS 8 or higher, or an Android smartphone with 4.0 or higher (with a data plan and working phone number)
- Have a valid U.S. driver’s license
- Have car insurance
- Have 2+ years of driving experience
If you don’t have previous delivery experience, Grubhub is an amazing service to start with, due to their high acceptance rate of applicants and their flexible schedules.
If you’d like to learn more about the Grubhub driver requirements and application process, check out this article.
Grubhub Restaurant Partners
Grubhub’s business model is based on offering a huge range of food options from hundreds of thousands of restaurants across the United States.
So whether you can order authentic Indian cuisine or fresh Chinese food will depend on what the restaurants near you offer.
The critical factor is that is made fresh by a restaurant near you.
If so, Grubhub probably delivers it.
Some of the most popular delivery cuisines across the United States are Mexican, Indian, Thai, Italian, and Chinese.
Grubhub drivers also deliver food from fast-food restaurants like Taco Bell and Arby’s and will even deliver submarine sandwiches and ice cream, in certain locations.
Grubhub Across the United States
The East Coast
The East CoastSome of the most popular and busiest cities on the East Coast where Grubhub operates are Albany, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, New York City, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Rochester, Roanoke, Syracuse, and Washington, D.C.
The West Coast
Grubhub’s biggest and busiest cities on the West Coast are Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego, and Seattle.
The South
The highest demand for delivery people in the South is in Austin, Birmingham, Houston, Jacksonville, Louisville, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Omaha, and San Antonio.
The Midwest
If you’re in the following Midwest cities, you’ll have plenty of work as a Grubhub delivery driver: Ann Arbor, Boise, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Denver, Detroit, Madison, and Phoenix.
While there are homegrown competitors in some cities (like EatStreet in Madison, Wisconsin), Grubhub remains the biggest food delivery employer in the United States.
Other Roles at Grubhub
While most of the people who work with Grubhub are delivery drivers, Grubhub does have corporate office jobs, which are usually in Chicago.
If you’re looking for a full-time career at one of the fastest growing tech companies in the United States, consider applying to Grubhub.
Due to its rapid growth, Grubhub is constantly hiring.
Recent job listings included customer care specialist, associate product designer, team lead, customer service specialist, candidate recruiter, software engineer, corporate sales executive, product manager, customer service representative, and account manager.
To see what roles Grubhub.com is currently hiring for, check Grubhub’s career website’s job postings.
Your New Gig Economy Job Awaits
Gruhhub provides delivery service in over 2,000 U.S. cities and London, so it probably operates in your city or very close by.
If you’re considering a gig economy job and meet the requirements to be a Grubhub driver, it could be a very flexible and lucrative part-time or full-time option.
The requirements are reasonable, the application process is fairly quick, and the income potential is really good.
So if you’re on the fence, go for it.
If you hate it, you can always quit, but thousands of Grubhub drivers are happy with their side hustle and you just might be one of them.
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