DoorDash tipping scandal in Lake Charles
A video circulated showing a DoorDash driver allegedly stealing tips at a Lake Charles restaurant, sparking outrage on social platforms and drawing thousands of reactions. Incidents like this can affect trust in delivery platforms and put pressure on restaurants and apps to police gig workers (x.com).
Surveillance footage from Orinoco Restaurant in Lake Charles shows a person waiting for a DoorDash pickup take more than $200 in cash left on the bar, according to a local TV report. (kplctv.com) The clip, which was posted on X and picked up by KPLC, shows a woman with a child enter to collect a delivery and then pick up a checkbook and remove cash and small items before leaving. (x.com) Waiter Mason Buckman told KPLC and other local outlets that the checkbook contained more than $200 in tips plus letters, photos and foreign currency he had been saving for a mission trip to Costa Rica. (kpel965.com) Staff reviewed the restaurant’s surveillance for about 30 minutes before spotting the woman on camera, and Orinoco employees say they filed a report with the Lake Charles Police Department. (kpel965.com) This comes amid broader disputes over tip handling on delivery platforms: New York Attorney General Letitia James won a $16.75 million settlement with DoorDash in February 2025 after finding the company used customer tips to subsidize guaranteed pay. (ag.ny.gov) The New York settlement covered deliveries from May 2017 through September 2019 and estimated roughly 63,000 delivery workers in New York could be eligible for restitution. (nydoordashsettlement.com) Orinoco Restaurant is listed on DoorDash at 4723 Common Street in Lake Charles, and local police are asking anyone who recognizes the person in the surveillance clip to contact the Lake Charles Police Department. (doordash.com)
