Jump to content

Menu

How much do you tip the pizza delivery guy?


How much?  

  1. 1. How much?

    • $0
      5
    • $1
      2
    • $2
      34
    • $3
      27
    • $4
      10
    • $5
      24
    • $6
      3
    • $7
      2
    • a percentage
      38
    • the change of the next largest bill I have
      5


Recommended Posts

I put $3 since that is normally around what I give, varies from $2.50 to $3.49 depending on what rounds up to the nearest whole number. I know that the delivery fee does not go to the driver (it says it quite clearly on the website where I order) so I ignore that fee when figuring tip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20% of the bill pre-tax/delivery charge (which itself is just a buck or two). I have trained my teens to also tip 20% - and they have noticed that when they order pizza to come here it now gets here a lot faster - when an order is placed at a friend's house...takes forever. I think you can get a rep. as a good tipper ;)

 

I do not think the driver gets that tacked-on delivery fee.

 

So - a $30 pizza order (3 pies) gets a $6 tip.

 

I also read the blog Waiter Rant.

http://waiterrant.net/

 

scroll down to his older posts, from his days as a waiter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, DH is doing this for a living right now while he looks for work, and he usually gets anywhere between change to $10. He gets no paycheck from the pizza joint and doesn't get to keep the delivery fee-that goes to the restaurant. The only $$$ he makes is the tip. Sometimes, it's good, and sometimes, he can't even replace the gas he used in our car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, DH is doing this for a living right now while he looks for work, and he usually gets anywhere between change to $10. He gets no paycheck from the pizza joint and doesn't get to keep the delivery fee-that goes to the restaurant. The only $$$ he makes is the tip. Sometimes, it's good, and sometimes, he can't even replace the gas he used in our car.

 

WOW - that seems just wrong! He ought to at least get the delivery fee.

 

Does anyone know if this is normal or if most get paid something? It could affect how we tip when we're on vacation...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is no such thing as pizza delivery in my town but in the city I never tipped. They charged a delivery fee so tough cookies for them, they already made me pay $5 delivery I refused to tip.

 

If they charge a delivery fee, I don't tip. If I order in bad weather, I do tip, but I generally go get my own pizza.

 

I voted zero.....but I really needed an other.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WOW - that seems just wrong! He ought to at least get the delivery fee.

 

Does anyone know if this is normal or if most get paid something? It could affect how we tip when we're on vacation...

 

We studied a pizza business in a college class my senior year. They paid well, and gave an allowance toward insurance and gas. This may not have been for part time employees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We studied a pizza business in a college class my senior year. They paid well, and gave an allowance toward insurance and gas. This may not have been for part time employees.

 

 

When he was doing this in college at a different place a few hours south of here, they paid about min-wage, and he got to keep any delivery fees (that wasn't every order because of distances), he got to keep his tips, and he used the store car. So it's definitely different all over.

 

There are so many people looking for work in our area that some of the delivery places can get away with what they are doing to DH. As it is, they try to get back to the building as fast as they can so they can take the most orders that night. He has only a couple of nights a week since he's a new guy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When he was doing this in college at a different place a few hours south of here, they paid about min-wage, and he got to keep any delivery fees (that wasn't every order because of distances), he got to keep his tips, and he used the store car. So it's definitely different all over.

 

There are so many people looking for work in our area that some of the delivery places can get away with what they are doing to DH. As it is, they try to get back to the building as fast as they can so they can take the most orders that night. He has only a couple of nights a week since he's a new guy.

 

So... how would one know whether to tip better or not? We're not wealthy, so can't just throw money at people, but if they're only getting paid what we tip them and don't get to keep a delivery fee, I'd like to do what we can. Do we look for a company logo on a car? A company shirt? Is there some common denominator?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WOW - that seems just wrong! He ought to at least get the delivery fee.

 

Does anyone know if this is normal or if most get paid something? It could affect how we tip when we're on vacation...

 

Not normal here - most the delivery people get a wage, mileage reimbursement and keep their tips. I was once an accountant so I've known quite a few who owned pizza places and also those who have worked at delivery places.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, DH is doing this for a living right now while he looks for work, and he usually gets anywhere between change to $10. He gets no paycheck from the pizza joint and doesn't get to keep the delivery fee-that goes to the restaurant. The only $$$ he makes is the tip. Sometimes, it's good, and sometimes, he can't even replace the gas he used in our car.

 

How can that be legal? It is not a commission so don't they have to at least pay min wage? I know the pizza joint we used in the city the drivers got paid min wage and they kept the delivery fee and if i recall correctly got reimbursed for how ever many km's they drove during their night (I dated a guy that drove for them in highschool and all that was true). It was institued after too many people were not tipping anyway, so the company instituted it to make sure every delivery was tipped. It irked me because they really were only 8-10 blocks from my house. To pay the enforced fee(and you have to order a minimum amount to get delivery in the first place) was enough imo because it was forced tipping they didn't need more than that $5 for a drive of 8 blocks or so. I only had delivery on those nights because I had a house full of little people to watch and often 1 was asleep.

 

Where I live now I have to drive 20 minutes to the next town over to get pizza.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dh is out delivering pizza right now. His company advertises that the delivery fee doesn't go to the driver - you might want to check a company's website on that.

 

For him, a "stiff" is anything less than a dollar. This is considered a real bummer, although it's understandable if the pie(s) are really late or there was a mix-up. It's more of an insult, though, if the delay or mix-up are not the driver's fault. (For instance, horrible weather, the store is short of "insiders" and the pies aren't getting made quickly enough, or the person on the phone wrote it down wrong.)

 

Dh gets paid "mileage," which is a set amount per delivery. I believe it's less than a dollar and is figured weekly from local gasoline prices. This means that short deliveries are nice and long deliveries stink, especially if there's a mix-up. He also gets paid less than minimum wage for hours worked. (I'm thankful he gets wages after reading about the pp's dh!)

 

An average night's tips/mileage brought home usually is about $3.50 per run. $4.00 is good. Anything above is literally a cause for praising God.

 

I'd suggest taking several things into consideration when you figure a tip. 1) If you're making a big order for a church or organization, do a percentage. 10% works well here. Your driver will bless you. Churches are known around here (and the last place we lived) for stiffing drivers on large orders. Not a good witness. :001_huh: 2) If you're a long way from the store, pleeeaaase tip well so that the poor guy can recoup his gas usage as well as feed the wife and three kids at home. 3) If you order fairly regularly and you want to see a genuine smile on your driver's face, make a point of tipping well - maybe $5 an order - each time. They'll really appreciate you and begin going out of their way to keep you happy. 4) Before you stiff a driver, make sure you know he/she is actually the one at fault. And give grace during snowstorms, etc. That's likely someone's Beloved out there struggling through the storm so that you won't have to.

 

I know there's a bias to this post. But dh says, "If you can't afford to tip decently, you can't afford to order the pizza." And, as the person responsible for stretching his wages/tips across the month, I whole-heartedly agree!

 

Just for the record. :D

 

Mama Anna

ETA: You're supposed to tip a waiter or waitress in a restaurant 20% if the service is acceptable, 10% if it's not very good. Now think about this: a delivery driver risks life and limb every time they get in their car to bring someone their food. When was the last time you heard of a waiter or waitress getting killed on the job? We get mugged and get into accidents. Now, tell me if your conscience will allow you to tip less than 20% for reasonably good service?

Edited by Mama Anna
Mama Anna's Dh got home after a bad night, and added his two cents.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I usually tip about what I would tip a waiter, maybe less (15% instead of 20%).

 

I would never dream of not tipping a delivery driver or a waiter, unless I had service which was horrible and unmistakably their fault. Delivery drivers and waiters do not get paid well in most cases, unless they get good tips - and even then it isn't good pay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Around here the delivery charge does NOT go to the delivery guy and he is NOT paid for gas or time. We remember dh's days as a pizza guy so we tip well.

 

I agree with a pp that if you can afford to order pizza (or go to a restaurant) you should factor in tipping well.

 

Even if you think that your delivery guy might be getting paid by the pizza place I think you should tip well, just in case. The worst case is that you spent a few extra bucks but on the bright side you'll have shown generosity!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So... how would one know whether to tip better or not? We're not wealthy, so can't just throw money at people, but if they're only getting paid what we tip them and don't get to keep a delivery fee, I'd like to do what we can. Do we look for a company logo on a car? A company shirt? Is there some common denominator?

 

I think of the delivery guys as waiters who come to my HOUSE. It just seems wrong to tip less than 20%. If that seems unreasonable, you (general you, not the poster I'm addressing) should drive out and pick up your order to save the fee.

 

I don't tip at all when I pick up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I agree with a pp that if you can afford to order pizza (or go to a restaurant) you should factor in tipping well.

 

 

 

:iagree:I have really emphasized this to my children as they now eat out without us. If you can't afford a decent tip (at least 15%), you cannot afford to eat there. No if, and or buts.... it is part of the cost of eating at a non-fast food restaurant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think of the delivery guys as waiters who come to my HOUSE. It just seems wrong to tip less than 20%. If that seems unreasonable, you (general you, not the poster I'm addressing) should drive out and pick up your order to save the fee.

 

I don't tip at all when I pick up.

 

In our case, we don't get pizza delivery at all to our house (country living at its best!), so if we want it, we need to go fetch it. ;)

 

We only order delivery once in a while when on vacation - and then we tend to round the bill up to the nearest $5 mark (meaning around $3 - 5 tip + change). However, if that's the only pay someone is getting... well, we'd add more. If they are already getting the delivery fee (WHY do pizza places charge this if it doesn't go to the driver? I'm stymied.) and mileage or a company car + minimum wage, then $3 - $5 seems reasonable for what's usually a $20 - $25 order.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've just started picking up my pizza. By the time you factor in the cost of the pizza, plus the delivery fee, plus the tip, it's just not worth it. Those little notes on the pizza box stating that the delivery fee doesn't go toward the drive so give him even more money!!! always rubbed me the wrong way. When you're paying fifteen bucks for a pizza, plus five for delivery, that should really cover the cost of paying the driver a living wage.

 

I'm a scrooge about this stuff, though. If I receive poor service in a restaurant (and it's the server's fault) I don't tip at all. I do tip well when they're polite, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...