Domino's Customers Who Tip Delivery Drivers Will Get 'Tipped' In Return

An internet search of "capitalist hellscape memes" yields 680,000 results. The r/LateStageCapitalism subreddit has nearly 1 million members. Now, it's gotten to the point where businesses would rather incentivize customers to tip service workers than just pay their workers more money.

Domino's is rolling out the new "You Tip, We Tip" promotion. Starting April 29, customers who tip their delivery drivers $3 or more when placing an online order will receive a $3 credit to use toward their next order, according to a press release. The coupon will expire the following week. "[T]hese days, everywhere you go, there's a tip screen. The pressure to tip is real, even when no extra service is provided," said Kate Trumbull, Domino's senior vice president and chief brand officer, in the press release. "So, we decided to flip the script and show our appreciation by tipping customers back."

Domino's tried a similar promotion in late 2022 through mid-2023, "tipping" customers for choosing carryout over delivery with a $3 credit toward their next order. The earlier deal was thought to have been an attempt to offset the impact of the labor shortage by having guests pick up orders — or to bypass the often egregious fees from third-party delivery apps, which weigh on both customers and the businesses from which they order. In late February, Grubhub faced a class action lawsuit from Los Angeles County for its wicked high fees, which never seem to pop up until the end like an appetite-ruining surprise.

At first glance, Domino's $3 "tip" promo might seem like a progressive idea. But, some fans were frankly put off by the concept when it was first introduced in 2022, and they took to social media about it. For instance, one X user suggested that Domino's pay its employees more.

If you're eating out at all during a global recession, you should be tipping. But, increasingly, foodies seem to think that tipping their servers is optional, a phenomenon (or, perhaps more fittingly, epidemic) that has culminated in a sociocultural trend known as "tip fatigue." Still, the fact is that consumers are being asked to tip for more and more non-essential services from ride shares to retail counters. A recent WalletHub survey found that three in four Americans think that post-pandemic tipping culture has gotten out of hand. But, this oversaturation of tip screens has grayed the arenas in which tipping remains such an expected, necessary institution that it's factored into employee base wages: the food service industry.