Delivery driver job description: a free template for restaurants
Updated October 20, 2026
A restaurant delivery driver job description should say five things plainly: what the driver does on a shift, the hours, the pay (hourly wage, mileage and tips), what they need (age 18+, a license, a clean record, insurance, a phone), and how to apply. Copy the template below and fill the brackets. If you have 15 or more employees in California or Washington, or 4 or more in New York State, the posting must include a pay range. Don't put "17+" in the ad: federal rules bar under-18s from food delivery driving.
In short
- Template below, ready to paste into a job board or your website.
- Pay range in the post: required in California (15+ employees), Washington (15+, plus a description of benefits) and New York State (4+). Elsewhere it's still the fastest way to get the right applicants.
- Say how waiting time is paid. Under federal law, time a driver spends waiting for orders at work is work time.
- State the mileage rate and that tips are the driver's.
- Age 18+: pizza and prepared-food delivery is off-limits to 16- and 17-year-olds (29 CFR 570.52).
Delivery driver job description template
Copy everything in the box and replace the brackets.
Delivery Driver, [Restaurant name], [City, State]
About us: [Restaurant name] is a [cuisine] restaurant in [neighborhood]. We deliver our own orders to customers within [X] miles.
What you'll do
- Pick up packed orders at the pass, check them against the order and load them in insulated bags.
- Deliver orders to customers' doors safely and on time, using our driver app for the address and directions.
- Hand over orders politely, and call the customer from the app if you can't find the address.
- Mark each order delivered in the app.
- Between deliveries, help at the restaurant: folding boxes, packing orders, keeping the bags clean.
- Follow traffic laws and our phone policy: hands-free mount only, messages when parked.
Hours: [Days], [start time] to [end time]. [Part-time / full-time]. Weekend shifts [required / preferred].
Pay
- $[X] to $[Y] an hour for every hour on shift, including time waiting for orders.
- Mileage repaid at $[rate] a mile for business miles, there and back. [Or: you drive our car; we pay fuel and insurance.]
- Tips: you keep 100% of your tips. Card tips are paid [each payday / each shift].
- [Benefits, if any: meals on shift, paid sick leave as your state requires, etc.]
What you need
- Age 18 or over.
- A valid driver's license from [State] and a clean driving record.
- Your own insured, reliable car [if they use their own car].
- A smartphone that runs our driver app (iPhone or Android).
- Good knowledge of [area], or quick with a map.
How to apply: [Email / link / apply in person], with your availability. We'll ask your permission before checking your driving record.
Which states require a pay range in a delivery driver job posting?
| State | Who must include it | What the post must show | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Employers with 15 or more employees (also when a third party posts for you) | A pay scale: a good-faith estimate of the wage range you expect to pay at hire | Labor Code §432.3(c)(3), as amended effective January 1, 2026 |
| Washington | Employers with 15 or more employees | A wage scale or salary range, and a general description of all benefits | Washington L&I, Equal Pay and Opportunities Act |
| New York State | Businesses with 4 or more employees | The compensation range (minimum and maximum hourly pay), and the job description | Labor Law §194-b (NYS Department of Labor) |
California's Labor Commissioner can order a civil penalty of $100 to $10,000 per violation. For a first violation of the posting rule, no penalty applies if you show that all your open postings now include the pay scale. Other states and cities have their own rules: check yours before you post.
Two more posting rules worth knowing:
- California: don't ask about past pay. An employer may not seek an applicant's salary history (Labor Code §432.3(b)). You may ask what pay they expect.
- Washington: license requirements. Since July 27, 2025, a Washington job posting may require a driver's license only if driving is an essential job function or part of the job's legitimate business purpose. For a delivery driver, it is.
Worked example: a filled-in posting
An example only: a pizzeria in Sacramento, California, with 18 employees, so the pay-scale rule applies.
Delivery Driver, Hilltop Pizza, Sacramento, CA
We deliver our own pizzas within 4 miles of our store on J Street.
Pay: $16.90 to $19.00 an hour for every hour on shift, including waiting time · mileage at 76¢ a mile, there and back · you keep 100% of your tips, card tips paid each payday.
Hours: Thursday to Sunday, 5 pm to 10 pm. About 20 hours a week.
You need: age 18+, a California driver's license, a clean driving record, your own insured car and a smartphone.
Why those numbers:
- $16.90 is California's 2026 state minimum wage, the lowest rate the range can start at. Check whether your city sets a higher minimum.
- 76¢ a mile is the IRS business rate for July 1 to December 31, 2026. California requires employers to repay employees' necessary work expenses; see how to pay delivery drivers.
- "Including waiting time" follows the federal rule that an employee who is "engaged to wait" is working (29 CFR 785.15).
For a sense of the market, the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median for driver/sales workers in food services at $30,580 a year (May 2025), about $14.70 an hour over 2,080 hours.
What should a delivery driver job description leave out?
| Leave out | Why |
|---|---|
| "16+" or "17+" | Federal child-labor rules ban 16- and 17-year-olds from urgent, time-sensitive deliveries such as pizza and prepared food |
| "Paid per delivery only" | Each hour must still reach the minimum wage; see how to pay delivery drivers |
| "Independent contractor" for a driver you schedule and direct | Usually the wrong label for a restaurant's own drivers; see employees or contractors |
| "Tips shared with the kitchen" without checking the rules | Tip pools with cooks are allowed only if you don't take a tip credit; see delivery driver tips |
| "Salary history" questions (California) | Not allowed under Labor Code §432.3(b) |
What are a delivery driver's main duties?
The duties that matter most for a restaurant driver, in order:
- Get the order right out of the door. Check every bag against the ticket before leaving.
- Keep food at temperature. Hot and cold in separate closed bags. See how to keep delivery food hot.
- Drive safely. Your insurer and your customers care about this more than speed.
- Hand over well. A friendly, correct handover is the last part of the meal.
- Keep the app up to date. Online at the start of a shift, delivered as soon as the food is handed over.
Hiring next? See how to hire delivery drivers for how many you need and the paperwork, and delivery driver insurance before the first shift.
How Menuthere fits the job
On Menuthere's Pro plan ($39 a month), your drivers use the Menuthere Delivery App (iPhone and Android): they sign in with the phone number and password you set, get a New Delivery Assignment notification when you assign an order, share their location while delivering, and mark the order delivered. The customer's order page shows the driver's name, a live map and a Call button. There's no per-driver or per-delivery fee from Menuthere. You assign orders yourself; Menuthere doesn't dispatch automatically or plan routes.
Run your own drivers with live tracking and no per-delivery fee. then. Plans:.
More own-delivery guides: hiring drivers, driver pay and mileage, tips, insurance, employees or contractors, delivery radius and zones, keeping food hot. The overview with costs: in-house delivery for restaurants.
Frequently asked questions
What should a delivery driver job description include?
The duties on a shift, the hours, the pay (hourly wage, mileage rate and tips), the requirements (age 18 or over, a valid license, a clean driving record, an insured car and a smartphone) and how to apply. In California and Washington with 15 or more employees, or New York with 4 or more, include the pay range.
Do I have to put the pay in a delivery driver job ad?
In some states, yes. California employers with 15 or more employees must include a pay scale, Washington employers with 15 or more must include a wage range and a description of benefits, and New York businesses with 4 or more must include a compensation range. Other states and cities have their own rules.
What are a pizza delivery driver's job responsibilities?
Checking and loading orders, delivering them safely and on time, keeping hot and cold food in separate insulated bags, handing over politely, updating the driver app, and helping in the restaurant between runs.
Can a 17-year-old be a delivery driver for a restaurant?
No, not for food delivery. Federal rules let some 17-year-olds drive for work in narrow cases, but those cases exclude urgent, time-sensitive deliveries, and the Department of Labor names pizza and prepared food as examples.
Should I say the driver is paid while waiting for orders?
Yes. Under federal rules, an employee who is engaged to wait is working, so waiting time on shift is paid time. Saying so in the post sets the right expectation.
Sources (10)
- California Labor Code §432.3: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=432.3.&lawCode=LAB (read in a browser 20 Oct 2026; "Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 468, Sec. 1. (SB 642) Effective January 1, 2026"): (b) no seeking salary history; (c)(3) "An employer with 15 or more employees shall include the pay scale for a position in any job posting"; (c)(5) third parties; (d)(4) civil penalty "no less than one hundred dollars ($100) and no more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per violation", no penalty on a first violation of (c) if all postings are updated; (j) may ask salary expectation; (m)(1) "Pay scale" means a good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage range.
- Washington L&I, Equal Pay and Opportunities Act: https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/equal-pay-opportunities-act/ (read 20 Oct 2026): 15+ workers must show a "wage scale or salary range" and "a general description of all benefits"; from July 27, 2025, a driver's license may be required "unless driving is an essential job function or part of a job's legitimate business purpose" (exception wording).
- New York State Department of Labor, Pay Transparency: https://dol.ny.gov/pay-transparency (read 20 Oct 2026): Labor Law §194-b applies to "New York State businesses with four or more employees"; compensation ranges and job descriptions for job opportunities.
- 29 CFR 570.52: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/29/570.52 (read 20 Oct 2026): (c)(6) prohibited trips include "the delivery of pizzas and prepared foods to the customer".
- 29 CFR 785.15, On duty: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/29/785.15 (read 20 Oct 2026): "waiting is an integral part of the job. The employee is engaged to wait."
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Minimum Wage Laws: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state (last updated July 1, 2026; read 20 Oct 2026, Wave 1): California $16.90.
- IRS, Standard mileage rates: https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates (read 20 Oct 2026, Wave 1): 76¢ (1 Jul – 31 Dec 2026).
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Delivery Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/delivery-truck-drivers-and-driver-sales-workers.htm (read 20 Oct 2026): food services median $30,580 (May 2025). $14.70 = $30,580 ÷ 2,080.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #15: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/15-tipped-employees-flsa (read 20 Oct 2026): mandatory pools with non-tipped staff only when no tip credit is taken.
- The Hilltop Pizza posting is a made-up example (no real business), labelled as such on the page.