How to Make Money on Grubhub: What Drivers Actually Earn

Grubhub is one of the oldest food delivery platforms in the United States, operating since 2004 — years before DoorDash or Uber Eats existed. Now owned by Wonder Group (formerly Just Eat Takeaway), Grubhub serves thousands of cities and connects hungry customers with local restaurants through a network of independent delivery drivers.

If you’re evaluating delivery gigs, Grubhub deserves a direct comparison against DoorDash and Uber Eats. The pay structures are similar but not identical, the scheduling system works differently, and the driver experience has distinct advantages and drawbacks.

What remains constant across all delivery platforms: you’re trading hours and vehicle miles for dollars, with no asset building, no compounding, and a ceiling defined by the hours you can physically drive.

I’ve spent 15+ years evaluating income methods. Here’s the honest breakdown of Grubhub — what it pays, how it works, and where it sits in the bigger picture.

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Hey, my name is Mark.

After 15+ years testing income methods online and offline, I’ve found that delivery gigs give you cash flow but not freedom. Every dollar requires you in a car, burning gas, trading time. The moment you stop, income stops.

The best method I’ve found for building income that actually recurs is local lead generation. Simple websites that rank in Google and send leads to local businesses. Each site pays $500–$1,200 monthly with 92–97% margins.

Go here to see the exact system I use to do this.

My business partner James built a complete system for people targeting $3,000–$5,000 monthly. But first — here’s the full picture on Grubhub.

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How Grubhub’s Pay Structure Works

Grubhub pays delivery drivers through a combination of base pay, tips, and bonuses. Here’s the breakdown:

Base pay per delivery: Calculated based on estimated time and distance. Typically $3–$7 per order, though short-distance orders may pay less and long-distance orders may pay more.

Tips: You keep 100% of customer tips. Tips typically represent 40–60% of total earnings for Grubhub drivers — making them essential, not supplementary.

Contribution pay (guaranteed minimum): During scheduled blocks, Grubhub guarantees a minimum hourly rate (varies by market, typically $10–$15/hour). If your delivery earnings plus tips fall below this guarantee, Grubhub pays the difference. However — and this is important — the guarantee only applies during scheduled blocks where you accept the offers Grubhub sends.

Bonuses and missions: Grubhub offers periodic bonuses for completing a set number of deliveries within a timeframe, plus boost pay during peak demand periods.

Requirements to Start

You must be 19+ (not 18 like DoorDash), hold a valid driver’s license, have auto insurance, and pass a background check. You need a smartphone for the Grubhub driver app. Vehicle requirements are flexible — car, bike, scooter, or motorcycle depending on your market.

Grubhub provides an insulated delivery bag, which is a small but nice touch that most competitors don’t offer.

Income Math Example: Real Monthly Earnings

Part-time Dasher working 20 hours/week in a mid-size market:

Deliveries per hour: 2–3 average Base pay per delivery: $4.50 average Tips per delivery: $5.00 average Gross per delivery: $9.50 Deliveries per shift (4 hours): 10

Weekly: 50 deliveries × $9.50 = $475 Monthly gross: $475 × 4.3 = $2,042

Expenses: Gas: -$220/month Vehicle maintenance: -$70/month Insurance endorsement: -$35/month Self-employment tax (15.3%): -$263 Federal income tax (12%): -$207

Net monthly take-home: approximately $1,247

That’s about $14.40/hour net for 20 hours of driving weekly. Peak-hour specialists in busy markets can push this toward $16–$20/hour net. Slow-market drivers during off-peak times may see $8–$12/hour net.

How Grubhub Compares to DoorDash

This is the question most prospective drivers ask. Here’s the direct comparison:

Factor	Grubhub	DoorDash
Base pay per delivery	$3–$7	$2–$10
Tip visibility before accepting	Yes	Partial (sometimes hidden)
Scheduling	Block-based (advantages for scheduled)	Open (anytime)
Order volume	Lower in most markets	Higher in most markets
Minimum hourly guarantee	Yes (during blocks)	Yes (in some markets)
Driver supply saturation	Less saturated	More saturated
Delivery bag provided	Yes (free)	Basic bag, often insufficient
Average hourly (gross)	$15–$22	$15–$25
Market coverage	Fewer cities	More cities

Key differences: Grubhub’s scheduling system rewards committed drivers. If you schedule blocks and maintain a high acceptance rate, you get priority for better orders and access to peak bonuses. DoorDash’s open system offers more flexibility but more competition.

Grubhub shows you the full payout (including tip) before you accept — DoorDash sometimes hides tip amounts. This transparency helps Grubhub drivers make better per-order decisions.

However, DoorDash has significantly higher order volume in most U.S. markets. More orders means more earning opportunities per hour, which often outweighs Grubhub’s structural advantages.

Many drivers run both apps simultaneously and take whichever platform offers the better-paying order at any given moment.

Maximizing Grubhub Earnings

Schedule blocks during peak hours. Grubhub’s contribution guarantee only applies during scheduled blocks. Working lunch (11 AM–1 PM) and dinner (5 PM–9 PM) blocks maximizes both order volume and the safety net of guaranteed minimums.

Maintain high acceptance and attendance rates. Grubhub rewards drivers who consistently accept orders and show up for scheduled blocks with “Premier” and “Pro” driver status. Higher tiers get first access to scheduling — meaning you lock in the best time slots before casual drivers.

Position near high-volume restaurants. During scheduled blocks, park near clusters of popular restaurants. Shorter distances to pickup = faster turnaround = more deliveries per hour.

Decline extremely low-value orders strategically. While acceptance rate matters for driver tier status, accepting a $3 order that takes 25 minutes demolishes your hourly rate. Find the balance between maintaining status and protecting your per-hour earnings.

Multi-app during slow periods. When Grubhub orders slow down between peaks, having DoorDash or Uber Eats running ensures you’re not sitting idle. The key is managing both without delays that affect your ratings.

Track every mile and expense. The IRS mileage deduction ($0.70/mile in 2026) is your biggest tax tool. Grubhub doesn’t withhold taxes — you’re responsible for setting aside 25–30% of earnings for quarterly tax payments.

Pros and Cons

What works: Full payout transparency before accepting orders. Guaranteed minimum during scheduled blocks. Less driver saturation than DoorDash in most markets. Free delivery bag provided. Weekly pay with daily cash-out option.

What doesn’t: Lower order volume than DoorDash in most cities. Scheduling system can feel restrictive. Driver tier system pressures you to accept low-value orders. No benefits or employment protections. Same vehicle expenses and depreciation as any delivery gig.

Reality Check: The Income Ceiling

Grubhub’s ceiling mirrors every delivery platform: your maximum income equals maximum hours × maximum hourly rate. Even the most efficient full-time Grubhub driver tops out around $2,500–$3,500/month gross, or $1,600–$2,300/month net after all expenses.

Nothing you deliver today builds toward higher earnings tomorrow. There’s no skill progression, no rate increases for tenure, and no asset creation. Comparing Grubhub against the best business models for long-term income makes the structural limitation clear.

Your best side hustles are the ones where effort compounds. Gig delivery is the opposite — effort resets to zero every morning.

The Driver Tier System — How It Helps and Hurts

Grubhub’s three-tier system (Partner, Pro, Premier) significantly affects your earning potential, and understanding its incentives and trade-offs is essential.

Premier requires maintaining a 90%+ acceptance rate and 95%+ block attendance. In return, you get first access to schedule the most lucrative blocks. Pro requires 80%+ acceptance and 90%+ attendance. Partner is the base tier with no requirements but last priority for scheduling.

The tension: maintaining Premier status means accepting nearly every order — including the $3 no-tip orders that take 20 minutes and destroy your hourly rate. Some drivers calculate that the Premier scheduling advantage is worth absorbing occasional low-value orders. Others find that declining bad orders (even at the cost of dropping to Pro or Partner) results in higher overall earnings.

The math varies by market. In high-demand cities where scheduling access matters less (because there are always orders available), dropping to Pro and being selective with orders often wins. In competitive markets where block availability is limited, maintaining Premier to lock in peak-hour shifts may be worth the trade-off.

Run your own numbers for a few weeks at each approach before committing to a strategy.

Grubhub’s Contribution Pay — The Fine Print

Grubhub’s guaranteed hourly minimum sounds like a safety net, and it is — but with important conditions.

The guarantee only applies during scheduled blocks. If you go online without a scheduled block, you earn per-delivery only with no floor.

To receive contribution pay, you must accept a certain percentage of offers sent during the block. If Grubhub sends you 5 orders and you decline 3 of them, you may forfeit the guarantee for that block — even if the orders you declined were extremely low-value.

Contribution pay is also calculated on your delivery activity, not your total time. If you’re sitting in a parking lot for 30 minutes between orders, that idle time still counts toward the block but Grubhub factors your deliveries-per-hour into the calculation.

The practical implication: don’t rely on contribution pay as your primary earning strategy. It’s a floor, not a goal. Your actual earnings should come from strategic order selection and peak-hour delivery — the guarantee is there to prevent catastrophic slow periods, not to fund your regular income.

Vehicle Expenses — The Numbers Most Guides Skip

Every delivery platform article should include real expense math, because gross earnings are meaningless without it.

Gas costs: The average Grubhub driver covers 15–25 miles per active hour. At 25 mpg and $3.50/gallon gas, that’s $2.10–$3.50/hour in fuel costs alone.

Vehicle depreciation: The IRS standard mileage rate ($0.70/mile in 2026) accounts for gas, wear, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation combined. At 20 miles per active hour, your total vehicle cost is approximately $14/hour — which is why gross hourly earnings of $18–$22 become net earnings of $10–$16 after vehicle costs alone, before taxes.

Maintenance acceleration: Oil changes every 3,000–5,000 miles instead of every 7,500. Tire replacement every 30,000 miles instead of 50,000. Brake pads every 25,000 miles. These accelerated maintenance cycles cost $100–$200/month for active drivers.

Insurance: Standard personal auto insurance may exclude commercial delivery activity. A delivery endorsement adds $15–$50/month but prevents claim denials if you’re in an accident during a delivery. Don’t skip this.

Building local lead generation assets eliminates all vehicle-related expenses. Your “commute” is opening a laptop. Your margins stay at 92–97% instead of being eroded by gas, depreciation, and maintenance with every mile.

Multi-Apping With Grubhub

The vast majority of successful delivery drivers don’t use just one platform. Running Grubhub alongside DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Instacart is standard practice — and it’s explicitly allowed by all major platforms.

The strategy is straightforward: keep multiple apps running simultaneously. When an order comes in, compare the payout, distance, and estimated time across platforms. Accept the most profitable order. Decline or ignore the rest.

During peak hours, this approach keeps you constantly busy with the highest-paying orders available. During slow periods, it prevents the dead time that kills hourly earnings.

The execution requires attention. Accepting orders on two platforms simultaneously — intending to complete both — creates delays, late deliveries, and rating drops. Only accept one order at a time unless they’re going in the same direction and you’re confident you can deliver both within their windows.

Grubhub’s scheduling system adds a wrinkle: if you’re on a scheduled block and decline too many Grubhub orders because DoorDash keeps offering better ones, your acceptance rate drops and your driver tier suffers. Balance multi-apping with maintaining your Grubhub status.

The most effective configuration varies by market. Some drivers find Grubhub is their primary earner with DoorDash filling gaps. Others use Grubhub mainly for its contribution guarantee during slow blocks while earning primarily through DoorDash volume. Experiment with your local dynamics.

Seasonal Earnings Patterns

Grubhub earnings fluctuate seasonally, and planning for these swings prevents financial stress.

November–December is peak season. Holiday parties, family gatherings, bad weather, and general consumer spending create the highest order volume and best tips. Some drivers report 30–50% higher earnings during this period.

January–February brings the post-holiday dip. New Year’s resolutions reduce food delivery orders as people commit to cooking at home and eating healthier. Order volume drops noticeably, though demand recovers by March.

Summer months are mixed. Warm weather means fewer “I don’t want to go out” orders, but vacations and outdoor events create pockets of high demand. Late-night summer orders can be lucrative in college towns and urban entertainment districts.

Bad weather days are consistently the most profitable regardless of season. Rain, snow, heat waves, and storms all boost delivery demand while reducing driver supply (fewer drivers want to drive in bad conditions). If you’re willing to drive when others won’t, these days can be $25–$35/hour gross.

Budget for the January-February slow period. If your December earnings are $2,500, your February earnings might be $1,500–$1,800. Saving during peak months prevents the panic that drives some drivers to work unsustainable hours during slow periods.

Who Grubhub Is NOT For

If you need high order volume, DoorDash is better in most markets. Grubhub’s lower market share means fewer orders during slow periods.

If you want maximum flexibility, Grubhub’s scheduling system, while beneficial for earnings, is more restrictive than DoorDash’s “go online anytime” model.

If you’re building toward financial freedom, delivery gigs don’t get you there. Understanding online business vs. remote job economics clarifies why.

If you live in a small or rural area, Grubhub’s coverage may not extend to your location, and even in covered areas, order volume can be low.

Protecting Your Customer Rating

Your Grubhub rating directly affects your driver tier and, by extension, your earning potential. Maintaining a high rating requires attention to details that many drivers overlook.

Communicate proactively. If a restaurant is running behind, send the customer a quick message: “Hi, the restaurant needs a few extra minutes. I’ll have your order to you as soon as it’s ready.” This simple step dramatically reduces frustration-driven low ratings.

Handle food with care. Use insulated bags (Grubhub provides one, but aftermarket bags are often better). Keep drinks upright. Don’t stack heavy items on top of fragile ones. Arriving with spilled or cold food is the #1 cause of low ratings.

Follow delivery instructions precisely. If the customer says “leave at door,” leave it at the door. If they say “ring doorbell,” ring it. Ignoring delivery instructions tells customers you don’t care — and they’ll rate accordingly.

Be professional at the door. A brief smile and “enjoy your meal” takes two seconds and makes a memorable impression. Dashers who treat customers like an inconvenience get rated like one.

Don’t contest unreasonable ratings. Occasional low ratings happen — wrong address, customer having a bad day, issues beyond your control. One bad rating won’t sink you. A pattern of bad ratings will. Focus on consistently excellent service rather than fighting individual scores.

Essential Equipment for Grubhub Drivers

The right gear improves both your earnings (through faster deliveries) and your experience.

Quality insulated bag ($20–$35): The Grubhub-provided bag is basic. Aftermarket bags with better insulation and dividers keep food hotter and drinks stable. Customers notice when food arrives at the right temperature.

Phone mount ($10–$20): Essential for safe navigation. Fumbling with your phone while driving is dangerous and slows you down.

Portable charger ($15–$30): The Grubhub app, GPS, and screen-on time drain your battery fast during long shifts. A dead phone ends your shift.

Car charger ($10): Backup to the portable charger. Keep your phone charging whenever you’re driving.

Drink carrier ($5–$15): A simple cardboard or foam drink carrier prevents spills — one of the most common delivery mishaps that leads to low ratings.

Total investment: $60–$115. These items pay for themselves within the first few shifts through better ratings, fewer spill issues, and longer uninterrupted shifts.

Grubhub Alternatives Compared

Platform	Avg. Gross/Hr	Tips % of Pay	Scheduling	Market Size
Grubhub	$15–$22	40–60%	Block-based with tiers	Moderate
DoorDash	$15–$25	40–60%	Open (anytime)	Largest
Uber Eats	$15–$25	30–50%	Open (anytime)	Large
Gopuff	$14–$18	20–40%	Shift-based	Smaller (warehouse-dependent)
Instacart	$12–$25	30–50%	Batch-based	Moderate
Amazon Flex	$18–$35	Minimal	Block-based	Moderate

DoorDash and Uber Eats dominate in order volume. Grubhub and Amazon Flex offer more structured scheduling. Instacart provides the highest tip potential due to larger order sizes. Most successful delivery drivers maintain accounts on 2–3 platforms and shift focus based on real-time demand.

For a comprehensive view of side hustles beyond delivery, the landscape includes dozens of options across different income tiers and effort levels.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can you earn on Grubhub per month? Part-time (20 hrs/week): $800–$1,500 net. Full-time (35+ hrs/week): $1,400–$2,300 net. Top earners in busy markets: up to $3,000+ gross during peak seasons.

Does Grubhub pay better than DoorDash? Per-order, Grubhub and DoorDash are comparable. DoorDash typically offers more orders per hour due to higher market share. Net hourly rates are similar ($12–$20/hour net) across both platforms.

How does Grubhub’s scheduling work? You sign up for time blocks through the app. Premier and Pro drivers get first access to scheduling. During scheduled blocks, you receive the guaranteed hourly minimum if deliveries are slow.

Do you keep 100% of tips? Yes. Grubhub does not take any portion of customer tips.

What are the driver tiers? Partner (base), Pro (mid), and Premier (top). Tiers are determined by acceptance rate, attendance, and block completion. Higher tiers unlock better scheduling access and priority orders.

Does Grubhub withhold taxes? No. You’re an independent contractor responsible for self-employment tax (~15.3%) plus income tax. Set aside 25–30% of earnings.

Can you drive for Grubhub and DoorDash simultaneously? Yes. Many drivers multi-app to maximize hourly earnings. Manage carefully to avoid late deliveries on either platform.

What happens if you miss a scheduled block? Your attendance rate drops, which can affect your driver tier. Consistent no-shows may result in loss of scheduling priority or account review.

Is Grubhub available in my area? Grubhub operates in thousands of U.S. cities but has less coverage than DoorDash. Check the Grubhub driver site for availability.

Do you need a car? In many markets, bikes, scooters, and motorcycles are allowed. Dense urban areas are most viable for non-car delivery.

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Every delivery platform — Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats — trades your time and vehicle for dollars. Local lead generation builds the opposite: digital assets paying $500–$1,200/site monthly, recurring, with 92–97% margins and zero gas costs.

My business partner James built a system for people building to $3,000–$5,000 monthly without delivery shifts.

Click here to see how it works.

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The Bottom Line

Grubhub is a legitimate delivery gig with some structural advantages — payout transparency, hourly guarantees, and less driver saturation. The real earnings are comparable to DoorDash, though order volume is generally lower.

Use it strategically. Schedule peak blocks. Multi-app during dead time. Track every mile. And build toward something that pays you even when you’re not driving — because ways to make extra money shouldn’t require you to be extra busy forever.