For delivery
February 7, 2025
Uber Eats is one of the most popular delivery options, with a high level of freedom and an opportunity for added pay for drivers. However, the time you choose to do Uber Eats can significantly impact your earnings.
Having an opportunity to control when to deliver can maximize pay and reduce downtime for drivers.
Consumer behavior, work shifts, and even weather in your area can make demand for delivery at specific times of the day.
Let’s learn when the best time to do Uber Eats is.
Just as is the case with other food delivery apps, such as DoorDash, certain times are better for delivering Uber Eats orders than others. Here’s what they are:
While breakfast deliveries are not as popular as lunch or dinner orders, they can still be profitable.
Business professionals ordering a quick brunch for work, passengers at hotels, and family groups in search of an easy breakfast make early morning orders.
Demand in the early morning is not high, but competition between drivers isn't high either, and early shift workers can make constant orders with little downtime between them.
Lunchtime is one of Uber Eats drivers' most lucrative and busiest times, with many ordering lunch at work or home.
Office workers with no lunchbox depend on food delivery, and work-from-home employees will have lunch delivered instead of preparing it.
Business districts, universities, and residential communities also have high demand.
Considering how Uber Eats partnered with more than 800,000 restaurants in over 11,000 cities, it’s easy to see why so many people order their lunches from this app.
Lunchtime is most profitable because orders will be small and quick to deliver in contrast to orders for dinners, and drivers can make numerous deliveries in a short period of time.
To maximize your earnings, positioning yourself near high-food-action restaurants in anticipation of lunch can secure lucrative orders.
The most profitable portion of the day for Uber Eats drivers is during the dinner rush, with high demand for orders.
Singles, couples, and family groups prefer ordering dinners instead of preparing them, and there is a high demand for dinner orders. Many restaurants offer deals and discounts during this period, which further increases the demand.
There will be high diversity in orders during this period, with lots of high-value orders, and tips will contribute towards overall earnings.
Late-night deliveries differ, but most of the time they will be busiest in nightlife areas with high activity.
Fast foods, 24-hour diners, and pizzerias tend to have high activity during this time.
Not only that, but many drivers prefer working during such a period for fewer cars in motion, which means delivery times can have shorter durations.
However, drivers must be careful when it comes to security and fatigue when working during this time. This is important if you wish to maintain high ratings.
Friday and Saturday nights are consistently the busiest times for Uber Eats deliveries.
With diners out, having guests, and ordering in after a night out, demand for delivery is high.
Fast foods and restaurants witness a boom in orders, with most preferring ordering in over preparing a meal in-house.
In general, if you are looking for high earnings, these two days are the best time to do Uber Eats.
Sunday evenings become busiest when preparing for work for Monday, and many prefer ordering in for family dinners, creating constant demand for Uber Eats orders.
With many customers preferring to have a quiet evening in and not go out, it’s easy to get high-paying orders.
At the same time, there aren’t many cars on the street, and the city generally isn’t very busy, making everything easier for delivery drivers.
Midweek lunches, between Tuesday and Thursday, can be an ideal opportunity to work, particularly in city locations with workers ordering lunch during break.
Demand is not high, but it’s consistent, so you can achieve efficient delivery with less downtime.
Although the earnings may not be as high as during peak evening hours, weekday lunch shifts can serve as a reliable option for workers seeking a consistent source of income.
Are you looking for a better e-bike or new battery?
-> Use code "WOW" to get $30 off your next e-bike.
Get your e-bike today
While these are some basic best times to do Uber Eats, many things might influence peak hours. These are some of them:
Bad weather, such as rain, snow, and extreme temperatures, tends to increase the number of orders, with most preferring to have food indoors over venturing out for a meal.
Delivering in such weather can become a challenge, but it can generate high earnings through high demand and a chance at surge pricing.
Customers tip liberally when the weather is poor, appreciating the added work of delivery drivers venturing out in such weather. This can increase your total daily tip amount.
Happenings such as the Super Bowl, New Year's Eve, Halloween, and even big concerts and sporting events cause a tremendous boost in orders for food delivery.
As groups gather for parties or opt to have food at home and enjoy an event, the number of food orders increases.
On such days, Uber Eats tends to implement a price surge, and with it, drivers working during such times can earn remarkably high profits.
Urban areas will have a constant demand for orders for an entire period of a day, but in rural and outlying communities, peak times will only occur at lunch and dinner alone.
Having an acquaintance with your marketplace will enable one to best capitalize during times of high demand.
In a city, lunch orders will regularly occur in the early part of the afternoon, but in small communities, long gaps between meals will prevail.
Read next: How much do Uber Eats drivers make before tips?
The best Uber Eats times depend on location, demand, and availability, but peak times for the most profitable earnings include lunch and dinner.
Bad weather, weekends, and events generate volumes, providing the best times to do Uber Eats.
Another thing Uber Eats delivery workers can do is get the best electric bike for delivery. Companies such as Whizz offer just that.
A proper electric bike can increase the number of orders you can complete in a shift, further increasing your profits.
.jpg)
