Is your Grubhub driver not moving? When you place an order on Grubhub, you can see where your delivery driver is from the moment they accept your order to when they pick up your order and deliver it. On rare occasions, you might see your driver sitting in one spot on the map, not moving at all. So why is this happening?
In this post, we’ll look at the main reasons why your Grubhub driver is not moving.
Your Grubhub Driver Is Waiting For A Stacked Order
The most common reason your Grubhub driver might be in one spot for a while is that they are waiting to pick up another Grubhub order. To improve efficiency, Grubhub will often assign multiple orders to one driver if the orders are going in similar directions. That means your driver may be assigned your order and another order as well.
Ideally, stacked orders would all be ready as soon as the driver arrives, but unfortunately, some restaurants are slower than others. If you see your driver in one spot for a while, they are likely waiting for the restaurant to prepare another customer’s order because they have a stacked delivery.
Your Grubhub Driver Is Multi-Apping
Another common reason your Grubhub driver might not be moving is that they are multi-apping. Multi-apping is the practice of working for multiple delivery apps at the same time (i.e. working on Grubhub, but also accepting DoorDash and Uber Eats orders too). As a driver, you can dramatically improve your earnings by accepting orders from multiple delivery apps, rather than only relying on Grubhub.
In an ideal situation, multi-apping doesn’t impact the delivery experience for the customer so long as the restaurants are preparing orders on time. Problems can arise when restaurants are busy or slow. In that case, a driver that is already delivering a Grubhub order can find themselves waiting at a restaurant for another order from Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Similarly, drivers that are multi-apping could also be waiting for a customer. Some customers are inconsiderate and take a long time to pick up their orders. If your driver is waiting, they might be waiting for the customer to come to the door and accept their order.
What Your Driver Probably Isn’t Doing
Some people jump to worst-case scenarios when they see that their driver isn’t moving for a while. Most of the time, the things they think drivers are doing aren’t what they are doing.
Here are some things your driver probably isn’t doing when they are stopped in one spot for a while.
Eating Your Food. While there are reports of Grubhub drivers eating a customer’s food, the vast majority of drivers do not do this. Most people simply aren’t stooping to that level. That isn’t to say it’s not possible – it can happen – but most drivers simply aren’t that low-class.
Taking A Nap. I’ve seen some sources suggest that drivers are taking a nap if they aren’t moving for a while. This is ridiculous and is likely not happening. Is it possible they’re napping? Sure. But is it likely? No, it’s not.
Doing Something Else Nefarious. Finally, whatever you think is happening, your driver likely isn’t doing some nefarious. If your driver isn’t moving for a while, most likely, they are stuck in traffic or have some sort of vehicle issue or (most likely) they are picking up a stacked order or multi-apping with other food delivery apps. Unless the food is extremely late, you should just relax and not worry too much about it.
What Should You Do If Your Grubhub Driver Is Not Moving?
It can be understandable to be upset if you see your Grubhub driver not moving for a while. If the food is extremely late, then you can be upset. But most of the time, your order is probably still going to arrive in the expected time frame that was given to you.
If you have been waiting for a long time, you can contact Grubhub support and ask them to cancel your order and give you a refund. In some cases, you may be able to get Grubhub credits as reimbursement for the delay (although this doesn’t happen often).
If you want, you can message the driver to see what is happening. However, I don’t recommend doing this because most drivers do not appreciate being hassled or micromanaged by customers like this (I know I don’t like it when someone texts me like that).
Final Thoughts
There are many reasons why your Grubhub driver isn’t moving. Most likely, it’s because they’re waiting for another order – either because they picked up a stacked order or they’re multi-apping.
Either way, so long as your order is delivered to you within the expected time window, you shouldn’t have much reason to complain. Let your driver work – that’s my advice. And don’t sit there looking at the app and watching your driver’s every move.
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