Reader's Digest has some confessions and advice from anonymous pizza delivery people in North Carolina, New York, and Pennsylvania. From 13 Things Your Pizza Guy Won't Tell You:
8. I'd prefer that you have a shirt on (and definitely some pants).
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.
6. I can reel off the addresses of all the customers who don't tip. (Yes, we remember!) I also know all the good tippers and will treat them and their food accordingly.
14. After I leave this job, I'm sure I won’t be able to eat pizza for at least a year.
14 is wrong, as well. I delivered pizza (in NC) for over a year and trust me, I could eat it once a day for the rest of my life. Also as much as I hate to admit it, if you're an attractive woman you can get anything you want. Imagine it, a bunch of stoned college guys sitting around a pizza shop all afternoon bored out of their skulls. We knew which addresses were the hot girls and we used to fight over who got to make the run. They always got free soda and sometimes even an extra pie.
I'm into going and picking it up myself, thus avoiding one degree of disgruntled workers with their dirty little secrets that they'll only tell to Reader's Digest. And saving money on tips.
It's also better for the environment, I can grab most things on the way home. And for pizza, the way my parking lot is configured, the pizza delivery guy could get to my car faster than I could. By the time I get to my car, I might as well walk a hundred feet further and pick it up.
My bf is a pizza guy and he'll gladly deliver to you, peony. It doesn't matter how close you are as long as you pay. Also, customers should tip 15 to 20 percent, not 10 to 15 percent. And he breaks way more than one speeding law a day, but the cops in our town are also his customers so they just wave. Unless they're new.
Why would I tip at 15-20% for food that I don't even get a chance to look at until the money and the driver have gone? That's the kind of tip I give for good service... just getting a pizza to my door doesn't really rate the extra money. I tip 10%, more if the pizza's actually hot enough to burn my hands through the box.
(minor disclaimer - I also live in Canada, and delivery drivers are actually paid decent wages, unlike down in the States.)
Ashamed confession -
When I order from a place close to my house but don't feel like going out to pick it up myself, I always apologize to the delivery person and tell them I would have picked it up myself, but I just got the baby to sleep.....
I don't have any kids.
10% is pretty much a stiff. These days, 15-25% is a good range to stick with. If you can't afford the tip, go pick it up yourself, or make your own pizza and save even more..
I wonder if location matters when tipping. I used to deliver chinese food in Arizona. Tips were terrible, usually ranging from nothing to the rare $2.00. Often, the tip was the coin portion of the customer's change. Maybe I just sucked at it, though.
In Albany, I usually tip 10-15% for delivery, though I imagine the standard in NYC is a bit higher. Ratbuddy, I'm surprised to hear that the delivery driver expects compensation to the tune of one quarter of the price of my order.
I don't tip delivery on a percentage. It's always 3 bucks on top of the total, unless the order is huge and cumbersome or the weather is really crappy out.
@leilah- well really you are tipping the person for the trouble of delivering your order, not based on the quality of the food, which the delivery person didnt have anything to do with. if your food is bad, you should call the pizza place and hash it out with them.
i tip more now that i live in a third-floor apartment and the poor guy has to carry my order up lots of stairs. i felt especially bad one time when they didnt print my special instructions on the box telling him what door to go in, so he went in the wrong door, went up the stairs, then had to come down, go outside, go back in and up another two flights of [unusuallly steep] stairs to get to me. i was like oh god, please wait while i go get you a few more bucks, poor dude. i have tons of problems with the pizza place i order with but i know its not the delivery guy's fault.
#15 is true. It is rude not to tip. If you're going to be rude, commit to it. Go ahead and write a zero on the tip line instead of pretending like it's not there. I'm not condoning stiffing, I will still be tempted to kick the ceramic kitty that you have on your porch, but I have a certain amount of respect for people who are a-holes instead of cowards.
@Kerosena, let me qualify by saying I'm not a driver any more, but I used to be. I tip now according to what I counted a 'good tip' when I was driving. Not over the top, but enough that the driver will remember me and appreciate that I recognize their worth.
10% on a $20 order is only two bucks. For a driver who may only get 4-6 deliveries per hour, that's not a whole lot. Basically $10/hour for a job that requires using their own car, insurance, gas, etc. 15% is still only 3 bucks. It really isn't that much when you consider what the drivers go through to bring you that pizza.
To the person who said "Why would I tip at 15-20% for food that I don't even get a chance to look at until the money and the driver have gone? That's the kind of tip I give for good service... just getting a pizza to my door doesn't really rate the extra money. I tip 10%, more if the pizza's actually hot enough to burn my hands through the box." I would say that you are stiffing the delivery guy. Just getting the pizza to your door is his job, and you are tipping according to that. Yes, if he shows up holding the box sideways under his arm and keeps the soda in his pants, it might warrant penalizing the driver. Otherwise, that's just plain cheap. Of course, it might be different in Canada..
i agree about #12 -- as a delivery person he should know that it's not only distance that makes people order delivery (and it can't be, considering the delivery zone of a lot of places is like, 2 miles!). it's convenience. who cares how close it is? i'm still tipping the same and i appreciate having food brought to my door!
I tip the person who gives me my pizza when I pick it up myself. Not extravagantly, but just a recognition. Depending on what's in my purse, the delivery person will get 2.50 to 3 bucks for a single pizza (DC metro area).
I know this has been beat to death on some other food sites, but what I tip the driver is directly related to whether or not the pizza place charges me a "delivery fee" on top of the pizza. If you don't want a meager tip, remove the delivery fee. If I am paying a FEE for the delivery, why should I have to tip on top of it? I know other people feel differently about it but this one really gets my goat.
You are stiffing the driver because the store itself is charging you a fee? If you don't like or can't afford the fee, don't order pizza from them. Screwing over the driver isn't making some kind of moral statement, it's exactly that: screwing over the driver.
I've long believed that a tip is as much for NEXT time as it was for this time. My local delivery shop always says 45-60 minutes. My pies always come in under 30. Wonder why that is?
The delivery fee doesn't necessarily go to the driver, so it's adding insult to injury to refuse to tip because of it. I understand when some restaurants charge a straight take out fee because they have to package up the order (containers, cutlery and condiment packets add to the cost of your meal) so I find it annoying when a pizzeria without a dining room charges a delivery fee, but it's not the drivers fault. I generally feel that one should tip 20% minimum and I usually tip extra when the weathers lousy or I'm ordering close to closing time. I also believe that tipping well helps you establish a friendly relationship with your pizza place and can result in getting faster service and extras (I order from the same place most of the time and get comped soda and appetizers frequently) I've known my fair share of pizza drivers and it can be a thankless and sometimes dangerous job. Even with a huge tip I'm spending less than eating at a sit down restaurant and saving myself time and effort which often is well worth the money.
I am with Santoslhalper. There is no need for a 15% tip. We're not talking abotu a long trip across town here. $3 to $5 is just fine. Really, I go by how much it is and what denomination bills I have. If the pizza is $21, and all I haave is a 20 and a 5, that's what the driver is getting. Even if it's $23.
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21 Comments:
I agree with a lot of these except #12 on the second list:
12. If you live across the street, please don’t call for a delivery. Get off your rear end and pick up the pizza yourself.
I live across the street and have two children under age 3, trust me, it is easier to have you deliver it.
Peony at 12:07PM on 03/10/09
14 is wrong, as well. I delivered pizza (in NC) for over a year and trust me, I could eat it once a day for the rest of my life. Also as much as I hate to admit it, if you're an attractive woman you can get anything you want. Imagine it, a bunch of stoned college guys sitting around a pizza shop all afternoon bored out of their skulls. We knew which addresses were the hot girls and we used to fight over who got to make the run. They always got free soda and sometimes even an extra pie.
santoslhalper at 12:38PM on 03/10/09
I'm into going and picking it up myself, thus avoiding one degree of disgruntled workers with their dirty little secrets that they'll only tell to Reader's Digest. And saving money on tips.
It's also better for the environment, I can grab most things on the way home. And for pizza, the way my parking lot is configured, the pizza delivery guy could get to my car faster than I could. By the time I get to my car, I might as well walk a hundred feet further and pick it up.
kevster at 1:25PM on 03/10/09
My bf is a pizza guy and he'll gladly deliver to you, peony. It doesn't matter how close you are as long as you pay. Also, customers should tip 15 to 20 percent, not 10 to 15 percent. And he breaks way more than one speeding law a day, but the cops in our town are also his customers so they just wave. Unless they're new.
emgroff at 1:33PM on 03/10/09
@Peony, I agree with you re: #12. I dont have kids, but I'm damn lazy. And trust me, its easier for them to deliver it...
ESNY1077 at 1:48PM on 03/10/09
Why would I tip at 15-20% for food that I don't even get a chance to look at until the money and the driver have gone? That's the kind of tip I give for good service... just getting a pizza to my door doesn't really rate the extra money. I tip 10%, more if the pizza's actually hot enough to burn my hands through the box.
(minor disclaimer - I also live in Canada, and delivery drivers are actually paid decent wages, unlike down in the States.)
leilah at 2:11PM on 03/10/09
Ashamed confession -
When I order from a place close to my house but don't feel like going out to pick it up myself, I always apologize to the delivery person and tell them I would have picked it up myself, but I just got the baby to sleep.....
I don't have any kids.
marzipanda at 2:13PM on 03/10/09
10% is pretty much a stiff. These days, 15-25% is a good range to stick with. If you can't afford the tip, go pick it up yourself, or make your own pizza and save even more..
ratbuddy at 2:46PM on 03/10/09
I wonder if location matters when tipping. I used to deliver chinese food in Arizona. Tips were terrible, usually ranging from nothing to the rare $2.00. Often, the tip was the coin portion of the customer's change. Maybe I just sucked at it, though.
In Albany, I usually tip 10-15% for delivery, though I imagine the standard in NYC is a bit higher. Ratbuddy, I'm surprised to hear that the delivery driver expects compensation to the tune of one quarter of the price of my order.
Kerosena at 3:11PM on 03/10/09
I don't tip delivery on a percentage. It's always 3 bucks on top of the total, unless the order is huge and cumbersome or the weather is really crappy out.
santoslhalper at 3:35PM on 03/10/09
@leilah- well really you are tipping the person for the trouble of delivering your order, not based on the quality of the food, which the delivery person didnt have anything to do with. if your food is bad, you should call the pizza place and hash it out with them.
i tip more now that i live in a third-floor apartment and the poor guy has to carry my order up lots of stairs. i felt especially bad one time when they didnt print my special instructions on the box telling him what door to go in, so he went in the wrong door, went up the stairs, then had to come down, go outside, go back in and up another two flights of [unusuallly steep] stairs to get to me. i was like oh god, please wait while i go get you a few more bucks, poor dude. i have tons of problems with the pizza place i order with but i know its not the delivery guy's fault.
redzerostar at 4:22PM on 03/10/09
I'm hoping the last one (#14) is simply as a result of eating too much pizza and not sanitary concerns about the restaurant!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 4:45PM on 03/10/09
#15 is true. It is rude not to tip. If you're going to be rude, commit to it. Go ahead and write a zero on the tip line instead of pretending like it's not there. I'm not condoning stiffing, I will still be tempted to kick the ceramic kitty that you have on your porch, but I have a certain amount of respect for people who are a-holes instead of cowards.
apizzagirl at 5:13PM on 03/10/09
@Kerosena, let me qualify by saying I'm not a driver any more, but I used to be. I tip now according to what I counted a 'good tip' when I was driving. Not over the top, but enough that the driver will remember me and appreciate that I recognize their worth.
10% on a $20 order is only two bucks. For a driver who may only get 4-6 deliveries per hour, that's not a whole lot. Basically $10/hour for a job that requires using their own car, insurance, gas, etc. 15% is still only 3 bucks. It really isn't that much when you consider what the drivers go through to bring you that pizza.
To the person who said "Why would I tip at 15-20% for food that I don't even get a chance to look at until the money and the driver have gone? That's the kind of tip I give for good service... just getting a pizza to my door doesn't really rate the extra money. I tip 10%, more if the pizza's actually hot enough to burn my hands through the box." I would say that you are stiffing the delivery guy. Just getting the pizza to your door is his job, and you are tipping according to that. Yes, if he shows up holding the box sideways under his arm and keeps the soda in his pants, it might warrant penalizing the driver. Otherwise, that's just plain cheap. Of course, it might be different in Canada..
ratbuddy at 6:26PM on 03/10/09
i agree about #12 -- as a delivery person he should know that it's not only distance that makes people order delivery (and it can't be, considering the delivery zone of a lot of places is like, 2 miles!). it's convenience. who cares how close it is? i'm still tipping the same and i appreciate having food brought to my door!
megannesta at 8:53PM on 03/10/09
I tip the person who gives me my pizza when I pick it up myself. Not extravagantly, but just a recognition. Depending on what's in my purse, the delivery person will get 2.50 to 3 bucks for a single pizza (DC metro area).
chanterelle at 10:14PM on 03/10/09
I know this has been beat to death on some other food sites, but what I tip the driver is directly related to whether or not the pizza place charges me a "delivery fee" on top of the pizza. If you don't want a meager tip, remove the delivery fee. If I am paying a FEE for the delivery, why should I have to tip on top of it? I know other people feel differently about it but this one really gets my goat.
rockandroller at 8:23AM on 03/11/09
@rockanroller,
You are stiffing the driver because the store itself is charging you a fee? If you don't like or can't afford the fee, don't order pizza from them. Screwing over the driver isn't making some kind of moral statement, it's exactly that: screwing over the driver.
ratbuddy at 1:14PM on 03/11/09
I've long believed that a tip is as much for NEXT time as it was for this time. My local delivery shop always says 45-60 minutes. My pies always come in under 30. Wonder why that is?
beersnob at 11:59PM on 03/11/09
The delivery fee doesn't necessarily go to the driver, so it's adding insult to injury to refuse to tip because of it. I understand when some restaurants charge a straight take out fee because they have to package up the order (containers, cutlery and condiment packets add to the cost of your meal) so I find it annoying when a pizzeria without a dining room charges a delivery fee, but it's not the drivers fault. I generally feel that one should tip 20% minimum and I usually tip extra when the weathers lousy or I'm ordering close to closing time. I also believe that tipping well helps you establish a friendly relationship with your pizza place and can result in getting faster service and extras (I order from the same place most of the time and get comped soda and appetizers frequently) I've known my fair share of pizza drivers and it can be a thankless and sometimes dangerous job. Even with a huge tip I'm spending less than eating at a sit down restaurant and saving myself time and effort which often is well worth the money.
stonechiper at 8:47AM on 03/12/09
I am with Santoslhalper. There is no need for a 15% tip. We're not talking abotu a long trip across town here. $3 to $5 is just fine. Really, I go by how much it is and what denomination bills I have. If the pizza is $21, and all I haave is a 20 and a 5, that's what the driver is getting. Even if it's $23.
Raiders757 at 8:28PM on 03/12/09