Food Runner Roles Evolve Amidst Delivery Service Growth
The emergence of third-party delivery services such as Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats has significantly transformed the responsibilities of restaurant food runners. Traditionally tasked with delivering food from the kitchen to customers, their duties now frequently include assembling, packing, and handing off a high volume of to-go orders. This increased workload has prompted discussions regarding fair compensation, as the average hourly wage for food runners in New York City is approximately $14, with a national average of $28,400 annually, not including tips.
Over the past decade, third-party delivery services including Grubhub (founded in 2004), Caviar (2012), DoorDash (2013), and Uber Eats (2014) have profoundly reshaped the dining industry. While much attention has been given to their impact on restaurant revenue and the working conditions of delivery drivers, the changing duties of food runners have often been less discussed.
Traditionally, a food runner's job is to deliver food from the kitchen to the customer. Their role can also involve taking additional orders for servers and occasionally cleaning tables to maintain efficiency during busy periods. However, the surge in online orders means that many food runners are now responsible for assembling, packing, and handing over a continuous stream of to-go orders, contributing to increased workload and feelings of being overwhelmed.
Compensation for food runners may not fully reflect these expanded responsibilities. According to ZipRecruiter, the average hourly wage for food runners in New York City is roughly $14, and the average national annual income is about $28,400, not factoring in tips. In many restaurant settings, particularly larger establishments, tip pool distributions often favor bartenders and servers with higher percentages, while food runners and barbacks typically receive smaller shares.
A food runner, identified as Jane, who works at a Brooklyn location of a national restaurant group, indicated that approximately a quarter of her restaurant's daily revenue comes from app orders. She noted that her workload has significantly changed over the past year due to an increased presence of services like Uber Eats. Jane explained that tasks such as packaging and labeling to-go orders, especially large and complex corporate catering orders, are time-consuming and can disrupt the workflow for dine-in customers. She expressed hope that food runners will soon receive a higher percentage of the tip pool to account for these additional duties.
(Source: Eater)
