Can someone honestly explain pizza delivery fees??

[USAF]

Your at home oven doesn't get as hot as most places including the chains...Most chains have a Conveyorized forced hot air system which is like a turbo convection oven.

[icemncmth]

Delivery drivers are required to carry insurance during whole time of employment. I would think its the driver's responsibility to have adequate insurance. If not, then the injured victims will possibly sue the company, but I doubt the company would be held liable...but to be on the safe side, I'm sure the companies also have insurance....just in case.

If the company pays you mileage then part of the money is supposed to go towards the extra you pay on your insurance. If you use your personal vehicle for work than you need to pay for the rider. When you purchase car insurance they ask you how far you drive to work. If you are in your personal vehicle and in a wreck without the proper rider on your insurance your insurance company will drop you.

Now your company will cover you if you are injured but not your vehicle.

[jn1780]

Its about 5-8 dollars extra getting a pizza delivered. At Pizza Hut you can get a large any topping pizza for 10 dollars. So thats about 3 dollars saved there and 3 -5 dollars saved by not having to worry about tipping a delivery driver.

[Thunder]

Mom ordered from Papa's John yesterday. About $14 total. She gave me the $20 for the delivery guy....and the guy gave back $1. He decided it was best to keep the rest for himself. Mom was furious at that attitude and called the place back to report. Now her next order, whatever it may be, will be free. As for the delivery guy.... he needs a job now.

[ljbab728]

Mom ordered from Papa's John yesterday. About $14 total. She gave me the $20 for the delivery guy....and the guy gave back $1. He decided it was best to keep the rest for himself. Mom was furious at that attitude and called the place back to report. Now her next order, whatever it may be, will be free. As for the delivery guy.... he needs a job now.

And you seriously didn't ask him about the change? Surely you noticed what he gave you and asked for an explanation.

[Thunder]

And you seriously didn't ask him about the change? Surely you noticed what he gave you and asked for an explanation.

I'm not the kind of person to confront someone. I almost always just typically let it go. Mom almost blew the house down. lol

[ljbab728]

I'm not the kind of person to confront someone. I almost always just typically let it go. Mom almost blew the house down. lol

Sounds like you should let your mom answer the door next time you get delivery. If I was her, I would be as mad at you as I was at the delivery person.

[WilliamTell]

I just pick up myself. We live anywhere from 3 to 5 miles away. Easier that way and I don't have to pay bs fees.

[RadicalModerate]

RE: $20 from Mom = $1 Change. (Plus F5 Tornado)

I think the delivery guy was being generous.
After you deduct the "Service Charge" he settled less than a $2 tip.
(And now he's out of a job . . .)

Maybe the next time you are at the store you might consider picking up some Hot Pockets, Totino's Pizza Rolls or Tony's Pizza. Checkout people at the store don't expect tips.

I guess it's like they say . . .
"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished . . ."

[ctchandler]

Comment wasn't necessary, so I deleted it.
C. T.

[JayhawkTransplant]

RE: $20 from Mom = $1 Change. (Plus F5 Tornado)

I think the delivery guy was being generous.
After you deduct the "Service Charge" he settled less than a $2 tip.
(And now he's out of a job . . .)

They usually add the service charge in when they tell you the total over the phone or the internet, not have the delivery guy do it. I read it to be the total was $14, which included the charge.

The delivery guy either pocketed the extra on purpose or it was an accident. Either way, whoever ordered the pizza or answered the door should have said something.

[USAF]

Now her next order, whatever it may be, will be free.

I wouldn't want slice from that order...I would find it funny if the same delivery guy ends up showing up...

[Thunder]

I wouldn't want slice from that order...I would find it funny if the same delivery guy ends up showing up...

He lost his job. It was a different guy.

[Joe Kimball]

He lost his job. It was a different guy.

They take notes, you know. I don't endorse any type of retaliation whatsoever, but you're not always dealing with forward-thinking honest types.

[Achilleslastand]

I look at it this way......If you can afford to order 20 bucks of pizza or eat in a sit-down establishment that isnt fast food then you should be able to afford to tip a few bucks. If not get your lazy rear end in your car and go pick up the order or go to mickey d's.
And never ever anger the people that are preparing or serving/delivering your food.

[ljbab728]

I look at it this way......If you can afford to order 20 bucks of pizza or eat in a sit-down establishment that isnt fast food then you should be able to afford to tip a few bucks. If not get your lazy rear end in your car and go pick up the order or go to mickey d's.
And never ever anger the people that are preparing or serving/delivering your food.

You're right about that. Don't forget this incident:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0..._n_186908.html

[Achilleslastand]

I was thinking of getting a dominos pizza here in the next couple weeks but after that i think i will refrain.
I hope he got fired as well as a good caning.

[USAF]

He lost his job. It was a different guy.

I'm not picking on you, but how do you know for sure? Did the manager say they'd fire him? If so, do you think that's the manager's "canned" response, eg: "he did what? I'll fire him and give you a free pizza, have a good night <click>"

[Firefly831]

I delivered for mazzios in Midwest city for a short time after high school then worked in their call center for a but after than. There a driver made their hourly wage (which i feel like was just above min wage. plus for each pizza you delivered the mileage was calculated at the end of your shift and you made so make change to the mile a little more change if you put the sign on top of your car. those signs had strong magnets and could scratch up paint pretty easy.
As far as those who don't tip delivery people...do you not tip you waitress in a restaurant? Cause there all they did was bring you your food about 30 feet if that. A pizza delivery person braved the weather (including heavy snow, pouring rain ect which i will promise you is our busiest time) to bring you warm food so you can keep your pajamas on. I am not sure what job if not this deserves a tip.
AS a side grip, if you are having pizza or any food delivered please for the love of god have house numbers clearly visable from the street or mention that you don't and some other defining trait that one would be able to pick your house out with. And porchlights are your and your delivery persons friend.

[kevinpate]

Although a waitperson does significantly more than deliver the meal thirty feet, the rest of your post was quite informative, and mirrors a lot of my son's concerns when he was a driver for another company a few years back.

[SoonerDave]

You could argue that the pizza shops offering delivery without a surcharge simply include the cost of the delivery person into the cost of everyone else's pizzas. The surcharge at least hits the people paying for the service.

[baryl]

I live out of state now but I delivered pizza for a Mazzio's in OKC for a few years up until earlier this year.
When I left drivers at my restaurant were paid $1.25 per delivery which was supposed to cover gas and general wear and tear on your car. It basically worked out okay and I thought $1.25 was fair. Sometimes you would deliver one that was 15 miles round-trip and lose money but more often you'd have 4 deliveries all within one square mile so it averaged out.
Another chunk of that fee is for insurance and some of it really is just a money-grab. Last October-ish when gas prices shot up, they raised the fees by .50 but only paid the drivers an extra .25.

As for people tipping, the simple fact is that people are willing to do that job because they make tips. If nobody tipped then nobody would be willing to beat up their personal car for minimum wage. That is why the service of having a pizza delivered to your home exists.

[RadicalModerate]

Here is what you miss by not picking up pizza yourself and, instead, having it delivered =):

So . . . I get home from work, and when the inevitable question ("Have you thought about supper?") comes up, I reply with a simple "No."
The discussion turns quickly to The Pizza Possiblility and I say, "Okay . . . Phone it in."

A few minutes later, after locating the telephone number, performing the obligatory search for coupons, and making the call to the nearby Papa John's--since Perri's is gone, Falcone's is too far away and Little Caesar's essentially sucks except in a hurried pinch (plus probably doesn't do "reservations")--my wife comes to me, sort of wide-eyed, and says: "Well THAT was weird . . . When I asked how much it would be, first he said $11-something and then he said $14-something with delivery. I said we would be picking it up."

"Good call," I said, reflecting upon what I have learned in here (regarding pizza and pizza delivery and tipping and so-forth). "The delivery fee topic has been all over OKCTalk. It's old news."

"Huh?" she replied.

"How long did they say it would be," I inquired.

"Ten minutes," she replied.

"Yeah. Right: 'Ten minutes' . . . Sure . . ." I said, doing my best to keep the sarcastic (a.k.a. pragmatic realist in search of pizza truth and expectations met) tone to a minimum.and hoping she didn't see the smirk.

There is a significant thunderstorm brewing, just to the north, replete with lots of lightning and a little rain, as I--after about fifteen minutes--get into the car to make the two minute drive to the pick-up point.

When I pull into a parking slot in the nearly empty lot and walk through the door, I find a diverse, three-person, crew hard--and efficiently--at work. There is a young, "non-colored (in the traditional sense of the phrase)", counter guy/manager up front, an African-American dude dealing with the balls of dough, and--way in the back, by the entrance to the oven--a blonde girl of indeterminate genetic heritage decorating the pizzas and singing a song that actually has a tune.

"Here for a pickup?" the front man asks.
"Yup."
"What's the name?" he inquires.

I share that critical information and I am told, "It will be a few minutes . . . It's in the oven now . . ." (This somehow reminds me of that old joke/parable about the guy who dropped off some shoes for repair, forgot about them, and went back years later after he stumbled upon the pick-up receipt only to be told, "Next Wednesday." Except not quite to the same scale of temporal non-alignment.) Fortunately, I wasn't in any hurry.

"I apologize for her singing," the young man at the counter says.
"Don't apolgize," I respond, "It's nice to see someone happy enough in what they are doing to be singing."
Apparently, and unfortunately, the lead guy's words caused her to cease the vocalizations.

"I'll wait outside," I say. "There's a pretty cool storm out there. Lot's of fresh air and ions and ozone and stuff."

Just as I step back outside the door, leaving CounterGuy and his quizzical smile behind, another Pizza-Seeker's car--on a stormy Oklahoma City night--pulls into an adjacent slot in the nearly empty lot.
"Good call," I think to myself.

About three minutes later--and just as the only delivery vehicle I have seen that evening pulls into the lot--I go back inside.
The other customer is just fininshing up her order for about thirty pizzas, wings and drinks--that she is apparently going to come back for later.

Counter Guy brings my hot, fresh, pizza to the value-exchange area, I pay for it, and thank them for doing such a good job . . .
Including kudos for the complimentary singing and how they helped make supper easy.

Incidentally: That particular pizza was just as good as I expected it to be.
Maybe it isn't "Better Ingredients" that make "Better Pizza" . . . Maybe it's just "Better People" . . . ?

[Maynard]

Here is what you miss by not picking up pizza yourself and, instead, having it delivered =):

So . . . I get home from work, and when the inevitable question ("Have you thought about supper?") comes up, I reply with a simple "No."
The discussion turns quickly to The Pizza Possiblility and I say, "Okay . . . Phone it in."

A few minutes later, after locating the telephone number, performing the obligatory search for coupons, and making the call to the nearby Papa John's--since Perri's is gone, Falcone's is too far away and Little Caesar's essentially sucks except in a hurried pinch (plus probably doesn't do "reservations")--my wife comes to me, sort of wide-eyed, and says: "Well THAT was weird . . . When I asked how much it would be, first he said $11-something and then he said $14-something with delivery. I said we would be picking it up."

"Good call," I said, reflecting upon what I have learned in here (regarding pizza and pizza delivery and tipping and so-forth). "The delivery fee topic has been all over OKCTalk. It's old news."

"Huh?" she replied.

"How long did they say it would be," I inquired.

"Ten minutes," she replied.

"Yeah. Right: 'Ten minutes' . . . Sure . . ." I said, doing my best to keep the sarcastic (a.k.a. pragmatic realist in search of pizza truth and expectations met) tone to a minimum.and hoping she didn't see the smirk.

There is a significant thunderstorm brewing, just to the north, replete with lots of lightning and a little rain, as I--after about fifteen minutes--get into the car to make the two minute drive to the pick-up point.

When I pull into a parking slot in the nearly empty lot and walk through the door, I find a diverse, three-person, crew hard--and efficiently--at work. There is a young, "non-colored (in the traditional sense of the phrase)", counter guy/manager up front, an African-American dude dealing with the balls of dough, and--way in the back, by the entrance to the oven--a blonde girl of indeterminate genetic heritage decorating the pizzas and singing a song that actually has a tune.

"Here for a pickup?" the front man asks.
"Yup."
"What's the name?" he inquires.

I share that critical information and I am told, "It will be a few minutes . . . It's in the oven now . . ." (This somehow reminds me of that old joke/parable about the guy who dropped off some shoes for repair, forgot about them, and went back years later after he stumbled upon the pick-up receipt only to be told, "Next Wednesday." Except not quite to the same scale of temporal non-alignment.) Fortunately, I wasn't in any hurry.

"I apologize for her singing," the young man at the counter says.
"Don't apolgize," I respond, "It's nice to see someone happy enough in what they are doing to be singing."
Apparently, and unfortunately, the lead guy's words caused her to cease the vocalizations.

"I'll wait outside," I say. "There's a pretty cool storm out there. Lot's of fresh air and ions and ozone and stuff."

Just as I step back outside the door, leaving CounterGuy and his quizzical smile behind, another Pizza-Seeker's car--on a stormy Oklahoma City night--pulls into an adjacent slot in the nearly empty lot.
"Good call," I think to myself.

About three minutes later--and just as the only delivery vehicle I have seen that evening pulls into the lot--I go back inside.
The other customer is just fininshing up her order for about thirty pizzas, wings and drinks--that she is apparently going to come back for later.

Counter Guy brings my hot, fresh, pizza to the value-exchange area, I pay for it, and thank them for doing such a good job . . .
Including kudos for the complimentary singing and how they helped make supper easy.

Incidentally: That particular pizza was just as good as I expected it to be.
Maybe it isn't "Better Ingredients" that make "Better Pizza" . . . Maybe it's just "Better People" . . . ?

Great narrative, RadicalModerate! Perhaps your praise of the 'pizza girl' might change the view of the manager. Let's suppose you repeated your order [process] in a couple of weeks, and returned to the store and noticed that the 'pizza girl' was nowhere in sight and someone new was in her place, would it be the same experience, even if your order was a duplicate of the last time [pizza results]? I wonder if the manager would see it as, "she didn't leave no vacancy" -- after all, there's a body there performing the exact same task as 'pizza girl'.

[RadicalModerate]

Every time I go in there--maybe once every two months--there is an entirely different crew.
So I suppose that both the direct and indirect questions are moot. =)

BTW: I didn't get the impression that CounterGuy was actually "apologizing" for the free and unexpected entertainment. I think he was excusifying for the non-timeliness of my order in a friendly, winsome way. Frankly, I think he liked the singing too. In fact, I am nearly sure of it. =)