New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing backlash for promoting a new law designed to increase tips for food delivery drivers, with critics arguing the policy will raise costs for consumers and potentially impact the affordability of food delivery services. The law, initially passed under former Mayor Eric Adams, mandates that delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash must stop 'hiding' tip buttons and cannot default to a 10 percent tip.
Mamdani's administration has taken responsibility for implementing the law, which Adams neither signed nor vetoed. According to the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Uber Eats and DoorDash were accused of using less prominent tipping options and defaulting to a 10 percent tip, practices that allegedly reduced driver earnings. Mamdani stated on social media that these practices led to a 79 percent decrease in tips for delivery workers and that his administration has since returned $104 million to drivers in the first six months of the year.
"This is only the beginning," Mamdani asserted. "We changed the law, enforced it, and it's working: $104 million has gone back into the pockets of the workers who keep this city fed, rain or shine. New York will not allow billion-dollar tech companies to boost their profits by taking money from working people."
Critics, however, have accused Mamdani of embracing policies that contradict his administration's stated affordability agenda. "Is Zohran Mamdani really bragging about making Uber Eats and DoorDash more expensive for New Yorkers?" one critic questioned online. "I guess his 'affordability' agenda doesn't extend to New Yorkers who order in take out."
Some critics also pointed out that Mamdani is taking credit for a law enacted before his tenure. "Hey Zohran Mamdani: Nice try! You even take credit for laws you didn't pass," wrote Sam E. Antar. "The NYC Council enacted these delivery-app laws in 2025 before you became mayor. Customers still aren't required to tip and they can leave $0 if they choose."
A spokesperson for Mamdani responded to claims of credit-stealing, stating, "A law is only as good as its implementation. We have been intentional about enforcing the laws on the books so that we are putting money back into the pockets of working New Yorkers."
The regulations officially went into effect on January 26, weeks after Mamdani assumed office. The city argues the law was necessary after DoorDash and Uber Eats allegedly minimized tipping options following the implementation of a minimum wage law for delivery workers. The city claimed these changes cost workers an estimated $550 million in tips. The new rules now allow apps to offer 10 percent, a custom tip amount, or the option to leave no tip.
The city reported that in the four weeks prior to the law's implementation, delivery workers averaged $1.18 per delivery, which increased to $2.29 per delivery in the four weeks following its enforcement, a nearly twofold increase. The city also asserted that the new law had "no measurable impact" on the number of orders placed through the apps. Collectively, the minimum wage and tipping laws are credited with increasing earnings for delivery workers by $2 billion over the past three years.