What’s The Best Time To Do Uber Eats in 2024?
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Are you an Uber Eats driver looking to maximize your income on the platform? One Uber Eats hack most drivers use is finding the best time to do Uber Eats.
As with other jobs like Uber Eats, work is not guaranteed since demand varies based on factors like location and time. So, to make the most of your time working on the platform, you must understand the peak times and your market in general.
In this post, we’ll look at the best Uber Eats times as well as the best days of the week to drive for this gig app.
I’ll also cover the different ways to determine peak hours and days in your market so you can maximize your income.
The Best Time To Do Uber Eats
Mealtimes are typically the best times to do Uber Eats. There’s usually a significant increase in the number of orders during the lunchtime and dinnertime rush. More customers are ordering food during this period, so you’re more likely to deliver more orders and make more money.
The lunchtime rush is usually between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., while the dinnertime rush starts at 5 p.m. and runs till 10 p.m. However, this may differ from one location to another.
Take time to understand your market and note patterns like peak hours in your area.
Still, the demand during these times also depends on whether your area has a significant business presence.
One of the Uber Eats tips and tricks you can use is positioning yourself in a busy downtown area with many businesses to increase your chances of getting orders.
While mealtimes are typically the best times to do Uber Eats, there are other times you should consider as well, including:
1. Major Events/Surges
Whenever there’s a major event in an area, Uber Eats orders tend to increase significantly, so you can make double or triple your usual amount during large events.
If there will be a major sports game or concert in your city, try and avail yourself for deliveries at the time.
Ensure you’re updated on upcoming festivals, games, or music concerts so you can adequately prepare yourself.
This way, you can determine where and when the rush of orders will be and strategically position yourself to take advantage of the surge.
2. Holidays
Uber Eats orders also tend to increase during holidays when people rest and treat themselves to their favorite meals.
However, it’s crucial to determine the type of holiday. For holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Fourth of July, people tend to prepare their own food, so there will be very few orders.
Holidays like New Year’s Eve, Halloween, and St. Patrick’s Day are great for Uber Eats drivers.
If you don’t mind working during the holidays, you can significantly boost your Uber Eats earnings.
3. Late-Night Rushes
Another great time to deliver for Uber Eats is during late-night bar rushes. People go out till late on Fridays and Saturday nights and are more likely to order food.
If you live near busy bars or in a college town full of young people, you can increase your income by delivering during the weekend late-night bar rushes.
4. During Bad Weather
People tend to stay inside and order in during bad weather, which can be an excellent opportunity to make money delivering meals.
If you have a reliable vehicle and you don’t mind being out during bad weather, you can earn a decent income, mainly because there are fewer drivers to compete against.
Furthermore, Uber Eats usually implements surge pricing during these times, so you’ll make more per hour.
The Best Time To Do Uber Eats According To Drivers
One of the best ways to gain insight into the best time to do Uber Eats is to find out what other Uber Eats drivers are saying.
You can visit forums like Reddit, where drivers share their experiences delivering for the company.
Here are some comments about the best time to drive for Uber Eats from delivery drivers on Reddit:
- Easyetx says: “For me, it’s 11 to 2:30 and 4:30 to 8:30.”
- Arnold-Ziffel44 says: “You will find the best times are variable for not only your city but your location. The best advice I can give you is experience all times and all neighborhoods. Find a particular restaurant or group of restaurants that may give you better offers than others.”
- Koroku_Gaming says: “It really depends on location. You have to try different time periods in different places and see.”
This YouTube video from Gig Hustle also goes into detail about the best time to do Uber Eats.
The rider shares that one of his favorite times to deliver is Sunday morning, mainly because people sleep in and order breakfast, and there aren’t many Uber Eats drivers to compete with.
At 11 a.m., when the breakfast orders start to taper off, he takes advantage of the lunchtime rush by strategically positioning himself near popular restaurants and fast food chains like KFC.
Ultimately, it all depends on what works for your market. Depending on the demographic, there may be many breakfast orders over the weekend.
Take time to test different times to see what works best for you. Some drivers only work during the dinnertime rush, and that’s enough to hit their income targets.
Once you’ve figured out the peak hours in your market, boosting your Uber Eats earnings will be easier.
The Best Days To Do Uber Eats
The best days for Uber Eats deliveries are typically towards the end of the week, as this is when order volumes significantly increase.
Choosing the right days to work is another tip to boost your Uber Eats earnings.
- Thursdays and Fridays: The work week has taken its toll, and many people would rather order in that cook, so the volume orders increases significantly.
- Weekends: Saturdays and Sundays are typically busy days for food delivery apps.
Monday and Tuesday, on the other hand, are the slowest days for Uber Eats, so you can take a break on these days.
However, holidays and major events that take place on Mondays and Tuesdays can make the days better.
Factors Affecting the Best Times To Drive for Uber Eats
The best time to deliver for Uber Eats varies depending on several factors. You should consider these factors when scheduling your Uber Eats working hours.
Location
Location is one of the biggest factors influencing the best times to do Uber Eats. Customers in different locations have different behavior patterns.
For example, if you live in a busy downtown area with many bars and nightclubs, you can make good money delivering during late-night bar rushes.
Demographics
The demographics of your market is another major factor that influences the best time to do Uber Eats.
Customer habits differ depending on the demographics, and understanding the patterns of your local customer base will help you maximize your income.
For instance, if you live in a region with a high proportion of young people, such as a college town, you’ll most likely be making deliveries late at night and early in the morning.
Restaurant Types
Different restaurants have different busy times, which will determine the best times to drive for Uber Eats.
Fast food chains like McDonalds may be busy from morning for breakfast orders, while higher-end restaurants are busier later at night.
Uber Eats Peak Hours
One of the advantages of signing up for apps that pay you to drive is you get to work whenever and however much you want.
Conversely, one of the challenges of gig economy apps like Uber Eats and Instacart is work is not always guaranteed.
One of the best ways to boost your income on Uber Eats is to work during peak hours.
Peak hours are certain times during the day when the order volume increases significantly, affecting your earning potential. Uber Eats peak hours vary based on location and the specific day of the week.
Sometimes, Uber Eats offers peak pay as an incentive to attract drivers when customer demand is high and drivers are few.
Always be on the lookout for opportunities to earn peak pay by availing yourself for work during peak hours.
Understanding the peak hours in your local market can help you capitalize on your working hours.
How To Find Uber Eats Peak Hours
Now that you know the advantages of working during peak hours, how do you identify these peak hours?
Research Based on Your History
A simple way to find Uber Eats peak hours is to log into your driver app and check your delivery history.
This information is available under the “Delivery History” tab, and you’ll find details about your previous deliveries, including the time and day of each order.
This way, you can determine the time of day when you get the most orders and schedule your working hours around these peak times.
Visit Uber Eats Driver Forums
You can use sites like Reddit to interact with other Uber Eats drivers to share tips and overall experiences.
By joining these online communities, you can ask about peak hours and be answered by fellow Uber Eats drivers with more experience.
Check the Uber Eats Driver App
Sometimes, finding peak hours is as simple as regularly checking the Uber Eats app. You can check the number of orders at different times.
If you notice an increase in orders during specific times, these are most likely peak hours.
Use Uber’s Information
Another way to determine the best times to do Uber Eats is to stay updated on company information.
Monitor the company’s website and social media channels for information about boosts, quests, and other promotions. This way, you can adequately prepare for these promotions and take full advantage of them.
Tips To Get More Uber Eats Orders
As an Uber Eats delivery driver, you have a lot of control over your work, so you can implement strategies to help you increase your orders.
Below are a few tips you can use.
1. Park Near Busy Restaurants
Uber Eats considers your location when assigning orders, so you can improve your chances of getting more orders by waiting around busy restaurants.
You can determine high-demand areas in your zone using review sites like Yelp to find popular restaurants.
The Uber Eats heat map is also a valuable tool that can help you find busy areas in your zone.
These restaurants receive a large volume of orders, so waiting near them can help you get back-to-back Uber Eats orders and maximize your income.
2. Understand Your Market
A proper understanding of your market can go a long way in helping you maximize the number of orders you get.
The demographics of your market determine the busiest times to work, and you can schedule your working hours around these peak hours to increase your orders.
Additionally, knowing how to navigate your city, especially during traffic, helps to improve your speed and efficiency. The more efficient you are as a driver, the more orders you can take and the more money you’ll make.
Take time to research your market and use the knowledge to maximize your earning potential on Uber Eats.
3. Try Other Uber Eats Markets
Sometimes, you may notice that Uber Eats is consistently slow in your area. This is especially true if you live in small towns or rural areas.
In such cases, order volume is out of your control, so one of the best tips is to test other markets close to you.
Uber Markets are different, so you may have better luck delivering in a busier city close to where you live.
Busy cities with higher populations have larger order volumes, so you can significantly increase your Uber Eats orders by delivering in these markets.
Moreover, some Uber Eats markets pay higher on average depending on the restaurants in the zone and the specific demographic.
4. Take Stacked Orders
Sometimes, Uber Eats offers stacked orders, where you’re required to pick up two orders from a restaurant and deliver them separately.
One of the benefits of taking stacked orders is you complete more orders in less time, which also means you’ll make more per hour.
Stacked orders may not necessarily pay double the amount, but you get to complete two orders simultaneously, freeing you to take more orders.
Whenever you come across stacked orders, check the dropoff locations to ensure they’re not too far from each other.
Ideally, avoid orders that take you too far away from a hotspot. Your Uber Eats acceptance rate doesn’t affect your standing, so you should only take orders that compensate you adequately.
Before taking stacked orders, ensure they’re worth your time and effort.
You’ll need to be extra careful with these orders to avoid mixing them up. Remember, customers rate you based on their experience.
The Best Uber Eats Alternatives
While Uber Eats is one of the highest-paying gig apps, you may not get enough orders during slow periods. That’s why stacking several driving gigs is a good idea.
Here are other gig apps to consider:
- DoorDash: You can sign up for DoorDash, a delivery platform like Uber Eats that allows you to make money with a bike, scooter, or car delivering meals to customers.
- Instacart: This is a grocery delivery platform where you can get paid to shop and deliver grocery items as an in-store or full-service shopper.
- Walmart Spark: Become a Spark driver and get paid to deliver these items from Walmart and other businesses to customers’ doorsteps.
- Shipt: This is one of the popular gigs like Instacart. You can join the platform and start making money shopping and delivering groceries within your city.
- Amazon Flex: With this side gig, you can make money delivering Amazon packages to customers in your zone.
- Grubhub: This food delivery platform connects diners with their favorite restaurants. You can sign up to Grubhub as a delivery driver.
- ParaWorks: This relatively new platform helps drivers find various driving and delivery gigs in their area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Best Time To Drive Uber Eats on Weekends?
Friday and Saturday nights are quite busy for Uber Eats drivers. You can start working around 8 p.m. when people order dinner or late-night snacks.
This is especially beneficial for people who live in an area with a busy nightlife scene.
What’s the Best Time To Do Uber Eats in the Morning?
The best morning delivery time for Uber Eats depends on your location and other factors influencing demand. Generally, breakfast hours are between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., so you can try hitting the road during these hours.
What Are the Slowest Days for Uber Eats?
Generally, Mondays and Tuesdays are considered slow for Uber Eats and other food delivery platforms. The slowest days for Uber Eats may also vary based on location, demographics, and market conditions.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, with this information on the best times to do Uber Eats, you can now maximize your earnings on the platform.
With the right tips and tricks, you can make a decent income on Uber Eats. One of these tips is knowing the best times to work. Take time to understand your market to make informed decisions about your work.
As an independent contractor, most aspects of the job are within your control, and with the right strategies, you can make good money with Uber Eats.
The more experience you gain as an Uber Eats delivery driver, the easier it becomes to make more money on the platform.
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