If you’ve been considering going into the food delivery business, you may have wondered if Waitr was the job for you.
It’s not as well known as some other food delivery businesses, but that doesn’t mean it’s not just as good.
This article will discuss what Waitr is and what it’s like to work for them.
Then you can better decide if you want to apply for Waitr and earn some cash on the side.
Table Of Contents
What Is Waitr?
Waitr, Inc. is an American-based online food delivery service.
It was founded in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 2008 by Chris Meaux and McNeese State University.
It spread to other cities in Louisiana and then to other states nearby.
It hasn’t quite managed to spread outside of the Southern United States yet.
Waitr did buy out another food delivery service in 2019.
It’s called Bite Squad and is in Minneapolis.
It doubled the size of the public company’s operations from 235 cities to over 500.
Waitr purchased another food delivery service called Delivery Dudes in 2021.
They now want to rename their company ASAP and expand to delivering cannabis.
Waitr started by hiring drivers as employees but then switched to a contractor model in 2019.
How Does Waitr Work?
If you’re familiar with using a delivery service, you will find using Waitr to be very similar.
Meaux designed it to be easy for customers to use.
You can either go to the website or download the app to your smartphone.
You can create an account if you’d like to, but it’s not necessary to place an order.
You need to enter your name, email address, and location.
The great thing about Waitr is that it has local restaurants that you won’t find on other platforms.
You can browse the website by type of food or scroll through nearby restaurants.
Each listing tells you the distance and type of food.
When you see a restaurant that interests you, click on it to see the menu.
Then choose anything you like from the menu and make any changes to the food.
Once you’re done with that, click on the checkout button, which is where you’ll add your delivery address and payment information.
Next, you can choose how and when to receive your order and add a tip.
Afterwards, you can track the order’s progress in the app.
Where Is Waitr Available?
Even though it only accounts for about 3% of the US food delivery market, Waitr is available in many cities.
You can find it in over 500 US cities so far.
That includes the cities where Bite Squad operates.
List of Operational Waitr States:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Virginia
Some of these states have fewer cities that take part in Waitr.
Those are Kentucky, South Carolina, and Virginia.
The rest of these Southern states have widespread access to the food delivery app.
List of Operational Bite Squad States:
- Hawaii
- Minnesota
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
Buying Bite Squad and adding these states expanded business for Waitr.
They didn’t make Bite Squad change their name, though, so you may see cars that say Bite Squad.
You can still order using their app or through their website.
Who Can Work for Waitr?
Just about anyone who wants to can work for Waitr.
You have to meet a few requirements, and none of them have to do with work experience.
However, you do have to have some driving experience.
Let’s take a look.
Driver Requirements
Here is the list of the primary requirements needed to drive for Waitr.
18 years old:
It’s common for delivery driver jobs to require someone to be 18 years old.
Pizza places will hire 16-year-olds as drivers, but that’s about it.
Valid License and Insurance:
Since they expect you to be able to pick up food and deliver it, you need to have a valid driver’s license and car insurance.
There’s no rule that you have to own a car.
They don’t care if you borrow a car, rent one from an agency, or own one.
They want you to be a safe, legal driver.
Clean Driving Record:
If you have a valid license and insurance but a bad driving record, you can’t work here.
The company wants you to be safe, and having a bad record is not a good sign.
Own a Smartphone:
You have to own a smartphone to download the app that shows you all the food deliveries.
It gives them all the details of the food delivery: what food they’re picking up, who they’re taking it to, and any special requests.
The drivers can communicate with customers through the app as well.
Be Available At Least 20 Hours a Week:
Jobs like this are great for their flexibility on when you work.
Waitr wants to have a clearer idea of how many drivers they need to meet delivery demands.
They’d like for you to work at least 20 hours every week.
How Much Money Do You Make at Waitr?
Independent contractors don’t get paid a salary or by the hour.
Instead, they earn money per order.
For Waitr delivery drivers, that means earning money after dropping off a carryout order or a grocery store pickup.
So, how much money do you actually make?
That varies from city to city and from person to person.
During peak business hours, everyone earns a base pay, 100% of their tips, and surge pay.
So, when you work and where you work make a difference.
One plus is that you can cash out your payments at any time.
If you don’t take it all at once, Waitr will deposit it into your bank account every two weeks.
Average Rates
The average base pay is between $5 and $20 per order, which is different for each city and order depending on the distance you’ll travel and the time of day.
You don’t earn any mileage for the gas that you use.
If you take that into consideration, the base pay is even lower.
Average Tips
It’s harder to put a specific number on tips earned.
However, Waitr delivery drivers can expect to earn most of their money through tips.
A customer will tip on average $2-3 for small orders and 15%-20% for large orders.
The challenging part is predicting how many orders you’ll have in a shift.
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to provide excellent customer service which would help you earn more tips.
Is It Worth It to Apply for Waitr?
Finally, we’ve made it to the most important question: is it worth it to apply for Waitr?
Every job has its pros and cons.
Whether the pros outweigh the cons is different for everyone.
If you keep reading, you’ll see the pros and cons listed.
You’ll also see how Waitr compares to other delivery services.
That’ll give you a better idea about if you want to become a driver for Waitr Inc.
Comparisons
Waitr vs UberEats:
The main difference between Uber Eats and Waitr is that Waitr’s footprint is smaller.
UberEats services over 6,000 cities around the world. Waitr services 500 in the Southern United States.
Uber Eats has a paid monthly subscription that waives the delivery fee for its customers.
Waitr doesn’t have anything like that yet.
UberEats offers grocery store pickups from more national chains than Waitr.
Another difference is that UberEats allows you to make deliveries on a bicycle.
Waitr doesn’t yet.
Waitr vs DoorDash: Like Uber Eats, DoorDash has a larger footprint than Waitr.
It services over 7,000 cities in the US, Canada, and Australia.
They offer a paid monthly subscription that also waives the fee for customers.
DoorDash works with even more grocery stores than Uber Eats and Waitr.
You also have the option to deliver on a bicycle in select cities.
Pros
- Flexible schedule
- Discounts at local retailers
- Easy signup
- You can start work right away
Cons
- Limited locations
- Base pay is inconsistent
- No earned mileage
- No bicycle
Conclusion
Whether it’s worth it depends on you and your lifestyle.
However, it offers an incredibly flexible schedule, and you can rely on the consistent demand for food delivery.
It would be difficult to make enough money to live off of long-term, though.
So it may be better left as a side hustle for extra cash.
How to Apply for Waitr
If you’re interested in applying for Waitr and aren’t sure what to do, don’t worry.
It may seem intimidating, but the app was designed to be easy to use.
To become a driver, you have to apply through Delivery Logistics.
It’s a separate company that handles hiring for Waitr.
You don’t have to have any previous experience to become a driver, but it does help.
It’s especially helpful if you previously worked in the restaurant or customer service industry.
Here’s How to Apply:
- Go to the official Waitr website.
- Scroll down to “become a driver.” Click on this button.
- You’ll go to the Delivery Logistics website. Click on “Apply Now.”
- Fill in your name, email address, phone number, and state. Hit submit.
- It’ll take you to an 11-question questionnaire, which will have basic questions like having access to a car and having a license. It should take about 15 minutes.
- After you submit your answers, you’ll have to upload your driver’s license pictures.
- Next is to review and sign an independent contractor agreement.
- Next, enter your bank account information to get paid.
- You have to fill out a form that gives consent to a background check.
- Then review the required equipment.
- The last thing is reviewing all the information you’ve entered. If it looks correct, submit your application.
If everything is in order, it should take a week at most for Waitr to hire you.
Wrapping Up
Waitr’s a great service that brings delicious prepared food or groceries to the customer’s door.
It provides a necessary service to the community and supports local businesses.
You can work for them part-time or full-time.
You can choose your own hours as long as you work at least 20 hours per week.
You have to meet a few other requirements, but it’s easy to get started working.
They aren’t as big as other companies, but they’re expanding and growing all the time.
They’re even expanding into non-food deliveries.
So if this works with you and your lifestyle, now’s the time to sign up.
