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A Los Angeles-based food delivery driver has gone viral after sharing that she has significantly boosted her daily earnings by including her feet in the delivery confirmation photos sent to customers.
Jade Phoenix shared the unique strategy on the social media platform Threads, claiming the side quest has led to a surge in customers adding extra tips after their food has been dropped off.
Phoenix shared that she initially started doing Uber Eats in the early morning hours to get some extra spending money, but soon discovered that a little bit of “foot work” went a long way.
The post includes several screenshots of the delivery photos Phoenix sends to customers to prove their order has arrived.
In one image, a Starbucks bag sits on a concrete doorstep, while the bottom of the frame clearly shows Phoenix’s feet in tan Birkenstock-style sandals with white-painted toenails.
Another photo shows a brown paper delivery bag alongside the same pair of sandals, while a third captures two McDonald’s bags positioned neatly on a door mat, with her feet once again making a cameo.
“I started leaving my feet in the frame of the picture of the food by the door,” Phoenix told her followers.
“I’ve seen my tips go up by a lot with people adding extra tips after the drop off!”
The post quickly gained traction, racking up over 70,000 likes and thousands of shares as other gig economy workers tried to see if the tactic would work for them.
It didn’t take long for the results to speak for themselves, with other drivers reporting back that the “gold medal strategy” was actually paying off.
One user shared a screenshot of their own earnings after trying the trick, admitting they were “shook” by the outcome.
The screenshot showed a total trip balance of $65.04, including a massive $49.69 tip on a fare originally expected to be around $15.99.
The customer significantly increased the tip after the delivery, despite it taking nearly 50 minutes to complete.
It didn’t take long for the results to speak for themselves, with other drivers reporting that the “gold medal strategy” was working for them as well.
Phoenix herself celebrated the success of her “new side hustle,” joking that she had officially earned enough for a “rotisserie chicken allowance” and was now aiming for a “pedicure allowance”.
She even shared a QR code for her Venmo account for those who appreciated her toes and wanted to leave a little extra.
Hundreds in the comment sections shared their praise, with one saying it was “absolutely genius” while others told her to keep up the “foot work”.
Someone even joked: “This is not tax advice, but I bet you could write off your pedicures.”
However, not everyone realised the “true” reason the tips were increasing.
One user admitted they were “extremely naive” and originally thought the tips were rising because the photo reminded customers that a human being had delivered their food.
“Crying reading the comments,” they added after realising the feet themselves were the main reason.
After going viral, Phoenix shared her thanks with followers.
“I knew my feet were pretty but I didn’t know HOW pretty,” she wrote.
She claimed that many people who normally “hate seeing feet” had reached out to tell her that hers were the exception to the rule.
Despite the potentially creepy nature of the messages, Phoenix insisted that the feedback had been surprisingly wholesome.
She described Threads as the “girls’ girl club of social media” and claimed that even the direct messages from men had remained respectful.
“I feel like I’m in an alternative universe,” she said, thanking her followers for the “life-giving” support.
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