Tip first, order later: New DoorDash and Uber Eats rules take effect in New York City

A new tipping law goes into effect in New York City on Monday, January 26. It requires food delivery services, specifically DoorDash and Uber Eats, to prompt users to tip their delivery drivers before placing their order, rather than afterward. The Mirror tells in more detail.

Under the new law, delivery apps must display a tip prompt before completing an order. The minimum recommended amount tips by default should be at least 10%.

Previously, users could leave tips After placing an order. This procedure is now changing.

Attempting to challenge the law in court

A few days before the law went into effect, Manhattan District Judge George B. Daniels denied DoorDash and Uber Eats's petition to invalidate the law.

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York in December, claimed the companies violated their "constitutional rights to express any message about tipping on their platforms—or not express any message at all."

On the subject: New New York Laws Coming in 2026

Furthermore, DoorDash and Uber Eats stated that they expect a decline in user activity in New York City amid rising prices and "tipping fatigue." They believe mandatory tipping could lead to a decline in orders.

The judge dismissed the lawsuit, stating that the companies "failed to convincingly demonstrate that the balance of interests was in their favor and that a preliminary injunction was in the public interest."

Why did New York need this law?

City officials supported the new law as part of a broader policy to improve working conditions for couriers.

At the end of 2023, New York City passed a landmark law raising the minimum wage for delivery workers to no less than $21,44 per hour. This increased overall couriers' compensation by $1,2 billion.

In response to the minimum wage increase, delivery services publicly announced increases in service fees. They moved the tipping feature in their apps to the post-order stage.

Courier losses due to changes in applications

The department's report claims that Uber Eats and DoorDash "used interface design solutions that made tipping difficult." According to the agency, this resulted in couriers losing over $550 million in tips.

“Consumers are free to decide how much to tip, especially given the guaranteed hourly wage for delivery drivers of $21,44 and the more than $1 billion in revenue they’ve seen,” DoorDash said in response to the report.

After the ruling was released, New York City Councilman Sean Abreu, who sponsored the legislation, hailed the victory.

"Greedy apps, angered by couriers demanding minimum wage and access to restrooms, deprived workers of $550 million by discouraging customers from tipping," he wrote in X. "We developed a law to stop this. And today, we won the legal battle to implement it."

New Yorkers' reaction

On the NYC subreddit, users are actively discussing the new law. One wrote: "I 100% won't leave a tip until I get food or get somewhere."

Others expressed confusion. One user noted, "I've worked in the service industry for a long time, and I always say you should tip couriers. But what's the point of tipping before you've actually received something?"

Many agreed with the criticism. Comments included: "I'm not going to leave a tip until food is delivered. I've had too many seriously delayed orders." And others: "I'm all for supporting couriers, but it seems like too much of the burden is being shifted onto the consumer."