Also in this article:1. My other line is ringing, so choose the toppings before you call. Remember: It's a pizza, not a lifetime commitment.
2. We know when kids are prank-calling us. They can't mask their voices very well. The smart ones block the phone number. The dumb ones don't.
3. If I drop your pizza on the way, sometimes I'll shake the box to get the cheese to slide back on right.
4. Patience, please. It takes about 20 minutes to go from raw dough to fully baked pizza. And then I have to drive to your house. 5. In some neighborhoods, a kid getting out of a car with a pizza in his hands is like screaming, "Rob me! I have cash!" That's why we won't deliver to some neighborhoods.
6. When you see me drenched and shivering in the rain, it's not nice to close the door in my face while you search for some quarters in the sofa cushions.
7. When you open the door, please hang up your cell phone or put it down. It's basic etiquette.
8. I'd prefer that you have a shirt on (and definitely some pants).
9. Tips should be 10 to 15 percent of your order. If you order a lot of pizza—say, hundreds of dollars' worth, for a party or something—but give me a $1 tip, well, I'm going to have a problem with that.
10. The more gated the community, the more guarded the wallet. The best tips actually come from middle- and lower-class people who know what we go through.
11. I remember every customer who doesn't tip. I won't do anything to jeopardize my job, but shaking the soda on the next delivery would not be out of the question.
12. I'll knock on your door three times and call you on the phone twice. If you don't answer, don't call later to complain that you didn't get your food. I can't wait forever.
13. A guy once ordered pizza from me just so he'd have some help moving his sofa up a flight of stairs. I agreed to help him. He gave me a few extra bucks. I took it.
Sources: Anonymous pizza delivery people in New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
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13 Things Your Pizza Guy Won't Tell You
Pizza delivery guys share their secrets, tips and best etiquette advice.
By Maureen Mackey
From Reader's Digest
Also the chain I worked for the driver only saw half of the delivery fee. So while the customer often thought I was getting $1.50 from the delivery fee it actually fluctuated between 65-90 cents depending on the companies review of gas prices the company kept the rest to cover liability insurance. For my car getting around 27/mpg I broke even on gas but there are still oil changes, brakes, tires to cover. At the end of the day you don't have to tip, and we don't have to give good service.
If your order is screwed up, or very late we understand not tipping. You shouldn't pay extra if we screwed up. But the delivery guy isn't just bringing your food, they are taking orders, prepping dough, making pizzas, washing dishes, and delivering. The accepted norms in the US are a 10-15% tip for your server at a restaurant the delivery person does the same work or more and has to cover operating costs on a car.
2 things a driver will always remember a good tipper and a bad/non tipper. On that note when I was delivering, a family 2-3 minutes drive from the store ordered pizza 3 weeks in a row during blizzards that dumped around 12" each week 1 no tip, week 2 no tip, the next time the pizza sat in the back of my wagon without a bag I drove with all 4 windows down with the heater up high blowing at me. They called to complain about their cold food but I was out and back so quick the manager called BS.
I always tip 5 bucks per pizza. And thank the driver. I'm more then willing to pay someone 5 bucks to bring me & my family dinner. Plus, the drivers remember a good tipper & you can bet you'll be first on their list next time.
I've delivered pizzas as a way to put myself through college over the past 4yrs or so. It's through the kindness of strangers I get to do what I do. But if anyone who refuses to tip because we "simply" delivering food. Drive your lazy self and pick up your on darn pizza. If it's not hard to deliver, it's not hard to pick up. If your time = money, then tip someone who's doing you a service/favor.
I would tip more than a buck or two if the pizza companies didn't add that 15% "delivery fee" that they all charge now. I mean, a $9 pizza + delivery fee + tax + tip ends up being like $14 even if you don't tip more than a buck or two. It's a ripoff.
Some places your driver actually picks up the phone and takes your order and actually makes your food and then delivers it. 10-15% is just right.
This would have been a great article, if of course, I gave a hoo-hah what the pizza guy thinks.
Three of the 13 are complaining about tips. Why should a pizza guy ever get more than $1-2 tip? All you did was drive a couple of pizzas to my house. How is that worth more than a couple bucks? This guy is nuts if he thinks a pizza driver should be tipped 10-15% of the order. So if I order 4 pies and some wings and have a $65 bill, I'm supposed to give the guy who drove the stuff a mile to my house $10? That's insane.
I have delivered on and off since 1992 as a college job or second job. I taught my Son, now 16, that if you can't tip, don't order. I have to put gas in my car and change the oil. I am a single Mom, I graduated with a Bachelor's...and I'm not a loser because I deliver. I have a "real" job, but my ex pays 47.00 a week in child support (wow, right?!). I need the second job. Thanks to everyone who defends us, we work our butts off so people can order pizza on the weekend...while we work.
It's important to treat all delivery people with courtesy, not just the pizza guy. And if you have a problem remember the old saying dont shoot the messenger. He did not make the pizza only delivered, it. He also can not control, traffic and weather conditions. Thanks for sharing
I think a lot of customers don't consider that it's not only the cost of gas...it's the cost of monthly repair to your car. Some drivers are trying to put themselves through school. And jobs are tight.
rodeo: the "reimbursement for mileage" where i work (a popular chain) is 3% of what i personally deliver...most people order about 10 bucks of pizza and i'll deliver about 8 deliveries in a shift. That's 2.40 a day in gas reimbursement. My car gets about 25 miles/gal and i drive about 40 miles a shift and gas is 2.50/gal. so....reimbursement not so much. and irishmama...advice to get another job cause you hate yours? easier said than done.
Yes, I am yet another pizza guy, difference is that I do it because I enjoy working with the kids I work with. I retired from the army and do it to stay busy, don't tip me and I mark you as rude. Fail to tip some of the kids I work with and they don't make rent... huge difference!
americangirl06: I will only tip if the service is good.being paid hourly reimbursed for the mileage for your vehicle. Expecting tips like I said is rude. Not topping in the face of bad service is entirely appropriate. That said the rest of your post is somewhat naive. Yes pizza deliver folks are paid hourly, usually well below minimum wage. Yes there is a mileage fee built into most deliveries... and after 3 deliveries the driver may be able to afford a whole gallon of gas!
Guys, the moral of this article isn't limited to the pizza delivery profession, it's about treating those around us reasonably. This list included more than just tipping your driver, it also mentioned the treatment of drivers. I know the issue of tips is important, but don't let money blind you from the other things in life.
To say that expecting a tip is rude only points out what's been said in the article.That some people just don't get it! The pizza companies pay minimum wage and usually give around $1 per delivery.On top of that comes the wear and tear on the drivers car and most auto insurance companies will not cover an accident if it comes while delivering pizza. Would you be able to pay your bills on that money? So while delivering food may seem easy on the surface, it's a job that requires a lot of hustle.
That makes no sense at all and it's 4 words, not 2....
If you don't like delivering pizzas, I have two words for you: learn to f***ing type
All three of my sons delivered pizza, chinese food at one time or the other....and I know how important that tip is...because the resturant is NOT paying for gas or car repairs with all that driving. So whenever I have something delivered, I make sure that it is worth their time to deliver to my door. After all it's all about convenience isn't it??? Seriously, tip these people, they are doing you a huge favor!!!!