New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is touting a new delivery app tipping law that opponents warn could make ordering food more expensive, as his administration pushes platforms to stop making tip options harder for customers to find.
The measure, passed last year during the tenure of his Democratic predecessor Eric Adams, is now being implemented by Mamdani’s team. Adams did not sign the legislation.
The city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) has accused Uber Eats and DoorDash of “hiding” tip buttons and setting the default gratuity at 10 percent, practices officials say hurt delivery drivers.
Mamdani said those app design choices contributed to a 79 percent drop in tips for delivery workers and other drivers.
He also said that during the first six months of the year, the city had “put $104million back in delivery workers pockets.”
“This is only the beginning,” Mamdani added.
The comments quickly drew backlash online, where critics accused Mamdani of leaning into left-wing economic policies while moving away from his broader affordability message.
“Is Zohran Mamdani really bragging about making Uber Eats and DoorDash more expensive for New Yorkers? I guess his ‘affordability’ agenda doesn’t extend to New Yorkers who order in take out,” one critic wrote.
Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is making headlines again after promoting a new policy that could see the cost of goods go up as it forces delivery apps to stop ‘hiding’ tip buttons for delivery drivers
UberEats and DoorDash were accused by the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection of using hidden tip buttons and defaulting at 10 percent
Columnist Jonathan Levine added: ‘All the millionaires and billionaires using UberEats and DoorDash now going to pay more! Hurray!’
‘Great idea! Everyone loves being forced by apps to pay higher tips. This will definitely boost Mamdani’s approval ratings,’ added entrepreneur Rajat Suri.
‘Maybe DoorDash and UberEats can insert a “compelled by Mayor Mamdani” tooltip into the tip section to fairly attribute this brainwave.’
One critic slammed Mamdani for bloviating over a law that he had nothing to do with passing.
‘Hey Zohran Mamdani: Nice try! You even take credit for laws you didn’t pass. 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,’ wrote Sam E. Antar.
‘Apparently rewriting history is easier than writing legislation.’
Mamdani did respond to claims he was stealing credit from Adams for the law in a statement to Fox News.
‘A law is only as good as its implementation,’ a spokesperson said.
‘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 law passed under Democrat predecessor Eric Adams last year, but Mamdani’s team has been responsible for implementing it after Adams neither signed nor vetoed it
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Is it fair for city laws to push higher tips onto delivery customers, or is that punishing convenience?
Technically, the rules were finally put into practice on January 26, weeks after Mamdani took office.
The city argues that the law was necessary after DoorDash and Uber Eats hid tipping menus when the city enacted a minimum wage law for delivery workers.
‘DCWP estimates those changes cost workers an estimated $550 million in tips,’ the city claimed.
Apps can now offer 10 percent, a custom tip or the option to leave none.
The city said that in the four weeks before the law was implemented, delivery workers were earning an average of $1.18 per delivery.
That increased to $2.29 per delivery, nearly double, in the four weeks after the law was implemented.
They also claimed that the new law had ‘no measurable impact’ on the number of orders placed via the apps.
The minimum wage law and the tipping laws have allegedly increased earnings for delivery workers by $2billion in the past three years.
‘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,’ Mamdani added.
Mamdani’s first year has seen mixed results, as his initial friendship with President Donald Trump has faded amid the mayor’s criticisms of Israel and threats to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A poll released Thursday by CNN showed 30 percent of the country viewing Mamdani favorably, as opposed to 35 percent unfavorable.
While that was an overall negative, it was still a better approval rating than many Democrat and Republican lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mike Johnson and Chuck Schumer.
