A federal judge on Friday rejected a request from DoorDash and Uber to block two New York City laws requiring food delivery companies to include certain tipping options and prompt customers to tip delivery workers before or during checkout.
U.S. District Judge George Daniels ruled that the two companies had failed to show they were likely to succeed on the merits of the case or that they would suffer irreparable harm in the meantime.
“Plaintiffs raise important constitutional questions,” Daniels wrote. “Those questions warrant careful consideration on a full merits record. But the preliminary injunction standard demands more than the existence of contested issues.”
The two new tipping laws, which are set to take effect next week, require food delivery companies to offer customers the option to tip before or while they are placing an order, rather than afterward.
They are also required to include certain tipping options, including one option of at least 10 percent and another where customers can manually input their tip.
The new measures came after food delivery companies shifted their tipping prompts to after customers placed an order in the wake of new minimum wage laws for delivery workers.
DoorDash and Uber have challenged the tipping laws, arguing they violate their First Amendment rights. However, Daniels suggested the laws likely implicate “commercial speech” at most, which typically enjoys more limited protections.
The judge was also unpersuaded by the food delivery companies’ argument that the laws will “irreparably damage Plaintiffs’ relationship and goodwill with consumers due to tipping fatigue and high costs.”
Following Friday’s ruling, DoorDash warned that allowing the measures to take effect will result in an “immediate drop off in orders for New York’s small businesses, a worse experience for customers, and fewer overall deliveries for New York City dashers.”
“Dashers in New York City earn roughly $30 an hour while on delivery before tips,” a company spokesperson said. “Forcing platforms to solicit a tip before checkout at a time when New Yorkers are sick of tipping culture and facing a growing affordability crisis is bad policy–plain and simple.”
“We’re disappointed in this ruling, but are confident in our position and will continue working to prevent further losses for local businesses and higher costs for consumers,” they added.
Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.