- Lyft driver Kreskin J. Torres has traveled all 50 states, documenting his culinary experiences.
- Torres is working on a book and app called Rideshare Foodies and is hosting a national potluck.
- He said driving to concerts was only temporary and helped him achieve his bigger goals.
Kreskin J. Torres, 35, has traveled to all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. His ticket to achieving this? Driving for Uber and Lyft.
The Army veteran and Baltimore native documented his meals on his Rideshare Foodie blog. After seven years, he learned the most profitable times of day to drive, the best places to find passengers in each city, and the optimal strategies for maximizing tips.
“You just have to work smarter, not harder,” Torres said. “In my experience, I’ve been to every state, so I know how each city works now.”
At the same time, he was able to pursue his gourmet passions. Torres is currently working on a book called “Taste of the States,” her recommendations app called Rideshare Foodies, and planning a series of events to honor foods from various states and their history.
While driving for ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft can be a flexible way to make money for people like Torres who have more than one business, it can also be a recipe for burnout. Among the dozens of drivers with whom Business Insider spoke in recent months, many are already dreaming of what comes next: starting a business or finding new ways of employment.
And that’s Torres’ top career advice for those considering it. After all, he doesn’t intend to do this job forever, as he hopes to move away, even though it has helped him open new paths for his future.
“Don’t make it the end of it,” Torres said, noting how Uber and Lyft have threatened to pull out of Minneapolis. “When it started, it was billed as a gig, a side hustle.”
Travel the country as a gig driver
As a veteran, he said the job is relatively stress-free and helpful in not feeling alone, a similar sentiment he’s heard from veterans suffering from PTSD.
“I love meeting and communicating with different people and experiencing different places,” Torres said.
He decided to spend his next few years on the road, using driving to finance his adventures and meeting locals who could point him to the best restaurants and experiences.
“The great thing is you learn about different cities and how everything works,” Torres said.
He moved to San Antonio, although he worked primarily in the more profitable Austin area, and explored the South and Southeast.
Although he doesn’t make much money from his blog, he said driving has allowed him to try everything from Navajo tacos in Arizona to chocolate gravy cookies in Arkansas to blueberry swirls in Montana. Driving has taken him to some of his favorite restaurants like I693 Red Zone Grill in Jackson, Mississippi; Strawberry BBQ in Holcomb, Missouri; and Xing Xing’s Rice & Roll in Wichita.
Learn the most profitable places and times to drive
Torres noticed he would get more profitable rides driving in suburbs, airports and sports stadiums, places coveted by drivers because they get more tips and sometimes higher fares.
He learned that New Year’s Eve will still be profitable, even if travel slows down around February before picking up again in mid-March. This led him to be more methodical about what types of trips to take, as well as plan when to save more of his income and when to splurge on food and travel.
“After seven years, I have a lot more experience. It depends on the time of the season, so I can usually do a lot more business in college towns,” Torres said. “I would visit a town, see what it’s known for, a little bit of the history behind it.”
Torres earned enough to comfortably travel across the country, although he was always cautious because he said passengers were sometimes confused by his out-of-state license plate. He also faced a permanent deactivation from Uber last year over a dispute over the color of his car.
He has no wife, children, or apartment, as he mostly lives out of his car to save money. He acknowledges that growing competition on the road and falling incomes could further reduce the savings of people with families or permanent residences.
Torres has transitioned to driving full-time for Lyft, and he’s typically online 12 hours a day, but only actively drives five to six hours between airport waits.
He said he was increasingly putting himself in his passengers’ shoes to determine the best places and times to drive – he probably wouldn’t make the effort to drive in the rain, and he would be more likely to make subsequent trips around concert halls or bars.
To continue to support his commute, he said he sometimes has trips to the airport at 3 or 4 a.m., as well as trips between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. during the morning rush. He also said that being online around noon is fruitful for corporate workers, while 3 p.m. is the ideal time for schools to let out. He usually tries not to drive during the evening rush hour, but sometimes picks up later at night.
He also spends more time driving between Wednesday and Sunday, when trips are more frequent, whether for “Whiskey Wednesdays” or Friday afternoon happy hours. That’s also when he can better network with passengers and hear their stories, as he said he sometimes gets to drive famous people.
Torres said drivers should view this as a short-term opportunity while working toward long-term goals. As he ditches the app, he has his eyes set on more international travel in the coming months. He’s also investing more time into his food app, a local recommendation tool that works like a Facebook group where people ask questions, like who’s the best bartender in the neighborhood or where to eat this or that dish. It launched on Android and should be available on Apple by summer.
“As much positivity as you can get out of it, do everything you can and make the most of it,” Torres said. “The next few months will probably be the last time I do this because I’m focusing on other things, so I always had a plan for the things I was going to do.”
Are you a driver who is struggling to pay your bills or who has recently found success? Have you recently switched to a new driving career? Approach nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.
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