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Hey delivery drivers! This Dutch city gives the most tips

Uber Eats bezorger

We’re well past the halfway point of 2025, making this the perfect time to look back at our eating habits over the past year. The order list in the Uber Eats app gives us not only a surprisingly good insight into what we like to eat and when we crave it, but also into how generous (or stingy) we are when it comes to tipping delivery drivers. And yes: there’s a clear winner. The city where people tip the most? Haarlem!

Foto van culinair journalist Sharon van Lokhorst

Tipping via Uber Eats: who tips and who pinches pennies?

In Haarlem, the average tip amount in 2024 was above 10% of the order total. That’s no paltry handful of change, but a serious show of appreciation. People in Hoofddorp and Bussum are generous tippers too. Amsterdam also does a decent job, with an average of 9%, although some feel that for that amount you should at least get a serenade and a warm pizza.

At the other end of the spectrum—the not-so-generous tippers—are cities such as Den Helder (2.35%), Hoogeveen (2.56%) and Drachten (2.65%). Almelo and Barendrecht don’t exactly come through when it comes to tipping either. Is it stinginess, or simply down-to-earth common sense?

Delivery heroes deserve better

Let’s not forget: great meal delivery is only possible thanks to the delivery drivers who bring your sushi, curry or poke bowl to you through all kinds of weather. They pick up the food, wait in line, ride through the rain and scooter traffic at risk to their own lives, and, if they’re unlucky, they even walk all the way up to the top floor because your elevator is broken yet again.

So if you think: hey, that delivery driver has worked themselves to the bone cycling my nasi to me, why not give them a little something extra? Small effort, big gesture.

Is tipping mandatory?

No. Tipping isn’t an obligation, but a token of appreciation. Still, the ins and outs of tipping generate quite a few reactions. There are several ways to tip through Uber Eats. Before placing your order in the app, after delivery (in the app or in cash at the door), and afterwards; this can even be done up to thirty days after delivery on a completed order. The phenomenon of tipping in advance with online orders is particularly irritating. Because how are you supposed to know beforehand whether the service will be good?

As foodie Harry says: “I do tip, but only if it’s delivered reasonably on time. And always in cash.” And Ploni grumbles: “You already pay a delivery fee, and then they ask for a tip in advance too? No thanks.”

Always in cash

Tip in advance? Cash? Not at all? Everyone has an opinion (and an excuse).⁠ Many people would rather tip in cash than digitally in advance. Suzy: “I always tipped at the door, if I had change. I wish they’d get rid of the digital option.” And Gerda is suspicious by nature anyway: “If I tip online, I don’t even know who gets it. The delivery driver? The restaurant? Uber Eats itself?”

The idea that a tip automatically disappears into the manager’s pocket or ends up in some black hole runs deep for some people. So it’s good to know that delivery drivers receive 100% of all tips given through Uber Eats themselves. So yes, every euro really does count.

Haarlem in the lead

Maybe it’s the Burgundian nature of the people of Haarlem. Maybe they simply have better tipping morals. Or perhaps they love their delivery drivers so much that they spontaneously add an extra 10%. The fact is: Haarlem is the undisputed tip town of the Netherlands.

And whether you live in Haarlem or Den Helder: if you’re happy with your delivery, show it. A hot meal, delivered on time and without any mess, surely deserves a little extra? And it really doesn’t have to be a tenner. Even one euro says: “Thanks, hero.”

Enjoy your meal!

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