The DoorDash dress code is simple – there isn’t one. You can wear anything you want when you’re delivering for DoorDash. After all, DoorDash drivers are independent contractors that are theoretically allowed to control how they complete their work.
That being said, there are advantages to wearing more professional clothing when you’re doing DoorDash. It gives customers a better sense of the service and can lead to better ratings (which is important since your DoorDash customer rating does matter).
Think about it. If you’re ordering food, would you want it delivered by someone that looks put together and is dressed in decently nice clothing, or would you want it delivered by someone that looks unkempt and is wearing dirty clothes? Rightly or not, someone dressed nicely is going to give a better impression.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the DoorDash dress code, consider what you should wear when doing DoorDash to maximize your ratings and improve your earnings, and discuss whether it’s worth wearing official DoorDash clothes (like the t-shirt, jacket, etc).
DoorDash Dress Code
DoorDash does not have an official dress code. The reason for this is fairly simple. DoorDash Dashers are independent contractors, so DoorDash can’t require any particular uniform. Doing so would risk crossing the line between being an independent contractor and an employee.
Since there is no dress code, you can wear anything you’d like when you’re doing DoorDash. The only requirement that DoorDash has is that you have a delivery bag to hold the food you’re delivering. It can be an unbranded delivery bag or can be a delivery bag for any company, although DoorDash does send a delivery bag to new Dashers in the activation kit. Notably, DoorDash does not send a DoorDash branded t-shirt to new Dashers (although they did do this in the past).
While DoorDash doesn’t have a dress code, there is still an expectation that you’d be dressed somewhat decently. I would imagine that if you showed up to a customer wearing something inappropriate, the customer could report you and you could risk deactivation. It’s better not to risk it and just wear decent clothes when you’re Dashing.
Wearing professional clothing won’t necessarily improve your tips or increase your earnings, but it can help to increase your customer rating. Remember that customers tip before you deliver their order, so tipping wouldn’t necessarily be correlated with your clothing. Customers can tip after you arrive, but in my experience, the number of customers who tip after the order has been delivered is very small.
However, customers can rate their delivery. While most customers won’t leave you a rating, a few will rate you. If you’re dressed nicely, you’ll be more likely to get a better rating. It’s basic human psychology. Someone dressed nicely will give a better impression and the ratings will reflect that.
What Should You Wear When Doing DoorDash?
So what should you wear when delivering for DoorDash? That’s up to you to decide. The vehicle you use will matter. What you wear if you’re driving a car will likely differ from what you wear if you’re using a bike.
You don’t need to wear a suit and tie, but wearing a nice shirt and some decent pants is good. I think wearing t-shirts is fine, although I’d avoid anything that has controversial messages on it or that is too shiny. You want to think about leaving a nice, clean impression.
As a biker, you can have a bit more leeway since people will see you riding up on a bike. You can wear performance clothes if you’d like. I usually use an ebike, so I wear regular clothes most of the time.
The main thing – I think – is to look clean and ultimately, not controversial. You want someone to be happy that you’re the one delivering their food instead of someone else.
In the end, though, getting good ratings won’t come down to your clothes. Make sure you deliver food on time and in good condition. That’s going to be the most important thing you can do to keep your ratings up.
Should You Wear DoorDash Branded Clothes?
A question you might ask yourself is whether you should wear DoorDash-branded clothes. In some circumstances, it’s possible to get DoorDash-branded clothes for free (they used to give every new Dasher a DoorDash shirt and during the pandemic, they gave out DoorDash-branded face masks).
In my opinion, it’s fine to wear DoorDash-branded clothes if you’d like. However, I would never go out of my way to wear DoorDash clothes and I wouldn’t pay for any of the clothes they have in the DoorDash store.
In my years doing DoorDash, I’ve only occasionally worn DoorDash clothes, and the only reason I did it was that the clothes were free and I felt like wearing them. Remember, you aren’t an employee of DoorDash. So wear what you like.
Final Thoughts
The way you look does matter. While it likely won’t impact the tips you receive or how much you make as a Dasher, it can have an impact on how customers rate you. If you’re dressed nicely and carry yourself professionally, it’ll leave a better impression on the customer, which in turn will reflect in how they rate you.
So your best bet is to dress in clean clothes that look decently professional. You don’t need to overdo it – you’re not going to a job interview or anything. But a clean shirt and some nice pants will improve how you look and help you get better ratings.
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