If you’re a customer, you can file a complaint about food delivery apps.

Complaints include:

• Unlicensed app
• No disclosure of fees or surcharges
• No other required disclosures
• Tip required
• Data shared with restaurants without consent

If you make restaurant deliveries for an app that takes customer orders directly, you can file a complaint if your rights are violated.

You can report a licensed app that does not:

• Tell you how much the customer tips for each delivery
• Tell you your total pay and tips for the previous day

You may have better access to restaurant bathrooms when you pick up orders. Exceptions apply. Contact the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

You can report any app that does not:

• Let you set limits on how far you will go from restaurants and which bridges or tunnels you will use
• Tell you route details before you accept a delivery
• Pay you at least once a week
• Give you a free insulated food delivery bag after six deliveries

Online

File a complaint.

By Phone

Restaurants can file a complaint about food delivery apps that:

• List the restaurant without a written agreement
• Don’t list or link to the restaurant’s phone number
• Don’t disclose that additional listed phone numbers are for the app and may charge fees for placing orders
• Don’t give the restaurant consumer data upon request
• Charge the restaurant for phone orders that don’t end with a sale
• Charge the restaurant more than the fee caps

City laws require many food delivery apps to have a license and establish requirements that apps must follow concerning consumers, delivery workers, and restaurants.

Consumers

• Apps must tell consumers that they collect their data and may share it with restaurants unless consumers opt out.
• Apps must allow consumers to opt out of having their data shared with a restaurant.
• Apps must tell consumers how much delivery workers get paid from a tip, in what form, and when.

Learn more about consumer rights.

Delivery Workers

Licensed apps (apps that take customer orders directly for delivery) must:

• Tell delivery workers how much the customer tips for each delivery
• Tell delivery workers their total pay and tips for the previous day

All apps must:

• Give delivery workers more control over their deliveries, including setting limits on how far workers will go from restaurants and which bridges or tunnels they will use
• Tell delivery workers route details before they accept a delivery
• Pay delivery workers at least once a week
• Give delivery workers a free insulated food delivery bag after 6 deliveries

Learn more about worker rights.

Restaurants

• Apps must have a written agreement with a restaurant to list it on the app.
• Apps that list or link to a phone number for a restaurant must include the restaurant’s direct phone number.
• Apps must make clear to consumers that any additional listed phone number is for the app and confirm any fees to use numbers to place orders.
• Apps must give restaurants consumer data if they request it.
• Apps cannot charge restaurants for phone orders that do not end with a sale.
• Apps cannot charge restaurants more than the fee caps.

Learn more about restaurant rights.

In a settlement with DCWP, the courier service Relay has agreed to:

• Pay eligible delivery workers who experienced violations of their rights
• Reinstate delivery workers who were illegally deactivated
• Pay workers at least $21.44 per hour beginning July 3, 2025

Eligibility

You may be eligible for compensation if any of the following apply to you:

• Worked for Relay as a delivery worker at any time after April 22, 2022
• Wanted to set a maximum trip distance but couldn't
• Had your maximum distance preferences ignored by Relay
• Were assigned trips that were longer than you wanted

You may also be eligible for account reinstatement if your Relay account was deactivated for declining long-distance trips.

File a Complaint

In your complaint, be sure to include the following information:

1. Proof that you worked for Relay. This may include:

• A bank statement showing deposits from Relay
• An email or text from Relay related to your account
• A screenshot of your Relay account
• Any other evidence that shows that you worked for Relay

2. How Relay's maximum distance violations harmed you.
3. The email and/or phone number associated with your Relay account.
4. Whether you want compensation, reinstatement, or both. 

The deadline to submit a complaint is September 15, 2025.

Online

File a complaint.