The delivery industry is thriving these days. Food delivery services and other courier apps have led to an explosion of available jobs for anyone with a smartphone, reliable transportation, and a clean criminal history.
One such app is Caviar food delivery. It’s a food delivery app that’s been growing a lot in recent years, particularly after its acquisitions by payment processing giant Square.
If you want to get a piece of this thriving platform, then this is the guide for you. We’ll take you through the entire process of signing up to drive for Caviar, including what it’s like to work for the service and the prerequisites you need to meet in order to get hired.
What Is Caviar?
Caviar is a food delivery app that focuses on higher-end restaurants.
“Higher-end compared to what?” you might ask.
Restaurants don’t need a Michelin star to partner with Caviar, but they do need to offer something that’s a cut above the fast food or fast casual offerings that are popular with other food delivery apps. If you’re looking for Chipotle or McDonald’s, then Caviar isn’t the app for you.
Indeed, the other defining factor of Caviar is their exclusive delivery agreements with certain restaurants. Under these agreements, only Caviar can deliver from these restaurants, and the restaurants in question are often ones that haven’t offered delivery in the past.
Caviar is available in a variety of markets across the United States. Here are the top 10 areas where it’s currently available:
- New York City
- Los Angeles
- Dallas
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Washington, D.C.
- Portland
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Boston
In total, Caviar is available in 26 cities at the time of publication. However, the company does expand into new markets from time to time, so you could see the service near you before you know it.
Related: How much do Caviar drivers make?
Why Drive for Caviar?
Now that you understand what Caviar is, let’s look at the experience of driving for the service. How does it differ compared to traditional pizza delivery or to delivering for another food delivery company such as Grubhub? Why would you want to choose it over another driving job, such as working as a Lyft driver or Uber driver?
When compared to working other driver jobs, driving for Caviar has lots of perks. The main benefit is the flexible schedule you have.
Since you’re an independent contractor for the service, you can work whenever Caviar is making deliveries, which ranges from early morning to late at night (depending on your city, of course). That’s a flexibility you won’t find delivering pizzas, where you’re generally at the mercy of whatever schedule your boss wants to set.
The experience of making deliveries is also far simpler and more modern than the antiquated systems that pizza or other food delivery companies use. All order requests are based on your location.
You receive them within the Caviar app, which then instructs you where to go to pick up the food. After that, the app guides you to the customer’s location, where you deliver the food and proceed to fulfill your next order.
Another benefit is Caviar’s Instant Pay option. With this option, you can receive payments for completed orders right after you make them, instead of having to wait till the end of the week to be paid. This is similar to Uber’s Instant Pay or DoorDash’s Instant Pay.
The major difference, however, is that Caviar does not charge a fee for the service. All you have to do is download the Cash App (which Square, Caviar’s parent company, also owns). You can then spend the money instantly using the Cash App debit card, or transfer the money to an external bank account (note that this can take a couple days to process).
As you can see, driving for Caviar has some compelling benefits when compared to driving for another food delivery company or rideshare service. To learn more about why you’d want to deliver for Caviar, check out our guide to the 3 unique benefits of being a Caviar driver.
Caviar Driver Requirements
Most people will be eligible to become a Caviar driver. In order to deliver for the service, you need to meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Have a car, truck, bike, scooter, or motorcycle capable of making deliveries
- Have at least two years of driving experience
- Have a smartphone capable of running the Caviar courier app
- Have a current driver’s license (all drivers) and current vehicle insurance (if delivering with a vehicle that requires it)
If you don’t meet all of the above requirements, then you shouldn’t apply. Doing so will only result in you waiting around to hear about the status of your application. Note that the minimum age is only 18, which is another advantage to delivering for this service compared to driving for Uber or Lyft (which require drivers to be at least 21).
Also, note the wide variety of vehicles you can use. You’re not limited to just driving a car. Of course, the specific eligible vehicles vary based on your city. You’ll learn what vehicles qualify for your market when you start the application process.
Read More: Caviar driver requirements every courier must meet to apply
Caviar Delivery Driver Application Process
Assuming you meet the requirements in the previous section, you can begin the application process. Applying to drive for Caviar is simple, and the process will be familiar to you if you’ve applied to drive with Lyft, Uber, or another food delivery company.
1. Create Your Account
To start, you’ll need to create an account. This requires you to enter an email address and password. Make sure you can remember these (or make note of them) so that you can easily check on the status of your application.
At this point, you’ll also have the chance to enter a referral code (if you have one). It’s worth taking this step, as it can boost your income significantly. When you sign up using a referral code and make a certain number of deliveries, both you and the referring driver will get a cash bonus. The amount varies based on your city.
If you know another Caviar driver, then feel free to use their code or look for one on the internet. To apply the code, just enter it into the box that says “Referral Code.” You can see this in the image below.
2. Fill Out the Online Application
Once you’ve created your account, you can proceed with the application. The main part of it consists of watching a few videos that train you on how to make Caviar deliveries. You’ll have to complete quizzes after each video, but the quizzes aren’t difficult. Just pay attention to the videos, and you’ll be fine. Most of it is common sense.
After you’ve watched the videos and answered the questions, a rep from Caviar will be in touch with you to let you know if your application has been accepted. Note that just because Caviar accepts your application, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to drive for the service. You still need to attend (and pass) and in-person session, which is the next step.
3. Attend an In-Person Session
The in-person interview and orientation is the final part of the process. You shouldn’t stress about this, as it’s really more of an orientation than a traditional job interview. If you’ve made it this far, it means Caviar wants to hire you. They just need to complete a few more steps before they can.
When attending the in-person session, make sure to bring the following documents:
- Your bank account information (to set up direct deposit)
- Your driver’s license (for identity verification)
- Your Social Security number (to fill out your tax paperwork)
- Your proof of vehicle insurance (if applicable)
You’ll likely need to pass a background check as part of your application. This won’t occur until you attend the in-person session, which is why it’s important to bring the necessary identification with you to perform the background check.
We also recommend downloading the Caviar courier app before you attend the session. You won’t be able to log in to it or activate your account with it until you’ve completed the in-person session, but it’s helpful to have it downloaded before you get there (to avoid the issues that come with trying to download an app over unreliable WiFi or a data connection). Download the app for Android and iOS.
Assuming that you pass the background check (results can take up to a week to process), you’ll be able to start accepting deliveries after you finish the in-person session. There’s only one step left before you make your first delivery: getting the necessary gear.
4. Get the Equipment You Need
Caviar requires all couriers to use approved insulated bags to make deliveries. You must either use the bags that Caviar sells (prices range from $10 to $20, depending on your city) or use other approved bags. It’s simpler just to use the bags that Caviar provides, as it makes you look more professional and helps customers identify you. You’ll learn about how to purchase these bags during the in-person session.
5. Make Your First Delivery
Congrats! You’re now ready to begin making deliveries. Just open the app, activate driver mode, and begin your delivery journey.
Start Delivering With Caviar Today
We hope this guide has helped you understand how to sign up to become a Caviar courier. The process isn’t complicated, and the payoffs are worth the effort. Want more guidance on how to be a food delivery driver? Check out our other food delivery driver guides:
