Lately, something a bit unusual has been happening for delivery drivers in some major cities across Australia. A few fellow delivery drivers have been asked to provide a signature by restaurants or merchants before they’re allowed to pick up an order. This can happen on any platform you use, whether it’s Uber Eats, DoorDash, or Menulog.
So, before a driver can take the order, restaurant staff may hand over a notebook or some kind of form and request a signature. As far as I know, this isn’t an official rule from delivery platforms. It’s an initiative taken by the restaurants themselves.
Why Do Restaurants Ask Drivers to Sign?
Restaurants might see this as a way to ensure the food really reaches the customer and doesn’t disappear along the way. Those who adopt this practice may have previously experienced problems such as missing orders or mix-ups where the wrong driver picked up the wrong food.
If the food doesn’t make it to the customer, the consequences can be serious. The customer ends up frustrated, and the delivery platform loses money by having to cover the cost of the meal.
The restaurant itself may not always suffer financial losses since they don’t have to remake the food, but in some cases, they still get blamed.
By requesting a signature, the restaurant feels they have proof that the food was indeed picked up. This way, they won’t be held responsible if the order goes missing during delivery.
How Do Delivery Drivers Respond to This?
For some drivers, signing feels inconvenient and intrusive. They might think, “time is money,” and taking even a short pause to sign can disrupt delivery times,especially when they’re handling double orders.
Another reason drivers often give is that no official delivery platform policy requires signatures. Technically, this means drivers are free to refuse, even if the restaurant staff insist.
Still, some choose to comply and sign anyway, simply to make the pickup process smoother and avoid unnecessary arguments with restaurant staff.
Platforms like Uber Eats and DoorDash already have their own policies and advanced tracking systems in place to handle issues like missing or incorrect deliveries. So, when a restaurant asks for a signature, it’s purely their own initiative. Drivers won’t be penalised by the platform for refusing.
What’s the Best Way to Handle It?
If a restaurant staff member asks you to sign and you don’t mind, just go ahead. It’ll save your time. But if you’d rather not, politely decline without getting into lengthy arguments. Remember, the staff are just following instructions from their management.
If you decide not to sign, you can explain to the staff that delivery platforms don’t require signatures, so drivers aren’t obligated to provide them. Restaurants can’t force you.
To reassure them that you’re the assigned driver, you can show the order details on your driver app—such as the customer’s name or the Order ID.
You can also confirm the pickup right in front of the staff by tapping the “Confirm Pickup” button while they watch. In fact, this might be even more convincing and secure than simply leaving a signature.
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