Do people really tip the pizza delivery person so little?

[nancygirl1]

I guess I'm cheap. I will think 10% for delivery is generous.

I tip about that, too if we get pizza delivery. They deliver the pizza. They don't cook it or box it. They take the box, get in a car, drive it to you & walk to your door to hand it to you. Why would I tip them the same as a waitress/waiter that brings me my entire sit down meal.

 

[disneychrista]

I tip about that, too if we get pizza delivery. They deliver the pizza. They don't cook it or box it. They take the box, get in a car, drive it to you & walk to your door to hand it to you. Why would I tip them the same as a waitress/waiter that brings me my entire sit down meal.

The waitress didn't cook or plate your meal either.

 

[luvsJack]

I tip about that, too if we get pizza delivery. They deliver the pizza. They don't cook it or box it. They take the box, get in a car, drive it to you & walk to your door to hand it to you. Why would I tip them the same as a waitress/waiter that brings me my entire sit down meal.

Uhmmm not always true. Dd worked for Dominos. The drivers do sometimes make the pizzas and they do sometimes box the pizza. In a lot of stores they are crossed trained and they do what is necessary to be done when they are in the store to get the job done. Ds’s gf is an assistant manager at Pizza Hut and she sometimes delivers (and her pay is equal to other drivers when she is on the clock as a driver) and she also makes the pizzas and boxes them. And they do a service that you obviously didnt want to do yourself.

A waitress doesn’t cook the meal or plate the meal. She walks it to your table.

 

[meggiebeth]

I had this dilemma ordering pizza over the summer when in South Carolina - looked up standard tipping practice for delivery drivers and believe I read that you should tip a minimum of $5 regardless of order amount, or otherwise base it on percentage. The delivery guy was thrilled with our tip too and couldn’t have been expecting it. We don’t tip delivery drivers here so just went from what we read online, but it sounds like not many people tip drivers from his reaction.

 

[kimblebee]

Uhmmm not always true. Dd worked for Dominos. The drivers do sometimes make the pizzas and they do sometimes box the pizza. In a lot of stores they are crossed trained and they do what is necessary to be done when they are in the store to get the job done. Ds’s gf is an assistant manager at Pizza Hut and she sometimes delivers (and her pay is equal to other drivers when she is on the clock as a driver) and she also makes the pizzas and boxes them. And they do a service that you obviously didnt want to do yourself.

A waitress doesn’t cook the meal or plate the meal. She walks it to your table.

A waitress also gets you drink refills, extra plates, and napkins if you need them. They also clean up after you.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

A waitress also gets you drink refills, extra plates, and napkins if you need them. They also clean up after you.

How much total time do you think a waitress spends on you, specifically? Let’s figure worst case scenario where they seat you, take & bring your drink order, then the same with all courses of food, as well as handling all aspects of the bill. At one nice place we enjoy, the waiters even prepare your salad table side. Still, over the course of a meal, I probably interact at most 10 minutes total with the waiter. Figure another 10 minutes where the waiter is not AT my table, but handling my food. So, that’s 20 minutes total.

A delivery driver could EASILY exceed that time bringing your pizza round trip. As mentioned previously, my average round trip was double that when I delivered.

 

[luvsJack]

A waitress also gets you drink refills, extra plates, and napkins if you need them. They also clean up after you.

True. But it doesn’t cost the waitress a dime to do that service for you. Delivery drivers are using their own vehicle.

Like Gumbo said, they end up taking more time per customer. Plus, if someone calls for a delivery way out to the edge of their area, it can take all that time and they have ONE delivery. So that tip is all they get for that time. Wait staff can have 5 or 6 tables at a time. Makes a big difference on the ability to make tips.

 

[disneychrista]

Delivery drivers are using their own vehicle.

While I know this is true is most cases. We have a local place that actually has company cars that are used to deliver pizza.

 

[bdcp]

We always tip 20% and we've yet to have a delivery person surprised by it. We live in a very well off area and 20% is typical for delivery and restaurants. What I don't get is people who don't get that pay is based on them getting tips. It tends to encourage better service too. We also eat in several places where the waitress/waiter takes your order and brings your drink but someone else brings the meal to you and those places pool tips. Having waited tables for a year or so while I was in college 40 years ago I can tell you some people leave nothing at all and that doesn't mean they can't afford to. I, personally think everyone should have to work retail or wait tables while in their teens. It makes you understand the reality and appreciate what the employees do. Both my boys worked retail and you better believe they don't leave clothes on the floor in dressing rooms when they try things on. Just like those of us that waited tables are very aware of what goes into it. And, those doing deliveries have to deal with the elements as well as cheap customers.

 

[DisneyHardin]

How much total time do you think a waitress spends on you, specifically? Let’s figure worst case scenario where they seat you, take & bring your drink order, then the same with all courses of food, as well as handling all aspects of the bill. At one nice place we enjoy, the waiters even prepare your salad table side. Still, over the course of a meal, I probably interact at most 10 minutes total with the waiter. Figure another 10 minutes where the waiter is not AT my table, but handling my food. So, that’s 20 minutes total.

A delivery driver could EASILY exceed that time bringing your pizza round trip. As mentioned previously, my average round trip was double that when I delivered.

So, are you suggesting you tip the Pizza delivery driver based on how many miles you live from the store instead of the cost of the pizza?

 

[disneychrista]

So, are you suggesting you tip the Pizza delivery driver based on how many miles you live from the store instead of the cost of the pizza?

Makes as much sense as the cost of the food. Which doesn’t make sense either.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

So, are you suggesting you tip the Pizza delivery driver based on how many miles you live from the store instead of the cost of the pizza?

Maybe not entirely, but it’s definitely a consideration.

 

[rickybobby]

I think 5 minutes each way is way below average for delivery. When I drove for Dominoes, my average round trip was 40 minutes, and occasionally stretched to nearly an hour, often with a single pizza on board. We had 6 locations in a city of 130,000. The computer assigned the closest store, but places on the fringe of the route were often quite a drive (the newspaper was the WORST spot as it was not only a long drive, but you had to go inside). People who lived super close tended to carry out rather than get delivery.

There were occasions where a multiple stop delivery was the case, but it wasn’t the norm. On the flip side, it would be highly unusual for a server at a busy restaurant to be 100% dedicated to a single table for 40-60 minutes.

Wow, that does not sound very profitable for the business to send a single pizza out for one hour of an employee's time. In my area, all delivery is limited to about a 5 mile radius of the actual restaurant.

 

[RUDisney]

And, those doing deliveries have to deal with the elements as well as cheap customers.

The weather conditions are also a consideration in my tips. I will always tip more when the weather is miserable or there is snow to thank them for risking their lives for our gratification.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Wow, that does not sound very profitable for the business to send a single pizza out for one hour of an employee's time. In my area, all delivery is limited to about a 5 mile radius of the actual restaurant.

The problem is more traffic than distance related. They want to cover the entire town. And a few places on the outskirts are just too awkward to get to quickly.

 

[SharonZ]

I have no problems tipping 20% for my delivery order. To me, it's worth it.

 

[luvsJack]

Wow, that does not sound very profitable for the business to send a single pizza out for one hour of an employee's time. In my area, all delivery is limited to about a 5 mile radius of the actual restaurant.

Not that way here at all. Where dd worked, there was one store between 3 small towns. They delivered all over the town the store is in and parts of the other two towns. They also have places they will deliver to and meet the customer. So she may have driven to one of the other towns and met the customer at a local store or gas station to deliver the pizza. Those were the ones that would take a good deal of time and would only include one delivery. In the town they were actually located in, she may have taken 3 or 4 at one time but 2 was the norm.

Now, ds worked here in the town I am in and its a big area by itself. So he had a set area that he delivered, mostly around the university. So for him there weren't many deliveries that took extra time.

 

[OneOftheB's]

We typically go and pick up our orders, unless it's a weeknight during rush hour. There are 4 pizza delivery establishments who deliver to us (maybe more, I haven't placed orders with two others in my area). On a Saturday night, I can arrive at the restaurant within 3-5 minutes. During peak traffic, it can take 30 minutes to drive to the same location due to unbelievably high traffic on the road our neighborhood exits onto. If I order a pizza during that time, I'm happy to pay someone to sit in that traffic and I'll make it worth his while because I know that unless he is super lucky, I'm the only delivery he will make in run.

 

[Pink Partridge]

How much do you tip when you pick up?

I order, drive to Pizza Hut, get out of my car and wait in line for my food. They still expect a tip. But how much?

 

[kaytieeldr]

I don't even understand how one justifies a 20% tip for a delivery guy

Great thing about tipping. The 20(+) percenters don't have to justify how they tip. I don't think anybody has ordered any of the lower tippers to increase, right?

I don't understand why tipping a delivery person should be based on the total of your purchase. It takes the same amount of time, creates the same wear & tear on the vehicle, and uses the same amount of gas to deliver $2 worth of food or $100.

That depends. Are you talking two pizzas vs one bag of groceries sushi! I meant sushi!? Or two pizzas vs. ten? Because the latter will use mre gas and create more wear and tear on the vehicle.

it’s possible that your delivery driver also made your pizza, cut it and boxed it

...after first assembling the box, and probably a couple of hundred or more.