Being a pizza delivery driver is quite a fun job to have; you can listen to music in your car and collect tips while bringing food orders to addresses.
At least, that's what some customers may think.
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I have delivered for both Domino's and Papa Gino's, and I can honestly say that I have liked the job I have had to do. To me, it beats having to work inside a building for so many hours. Yes, I get to go out on the road, play the radio, make some cash right on the spot and meet some great people along the way. But there is so much more to the job that drivers may want customers to know.
1. It is important to tip your delivery driver.
This is plain and simple. Rewarding your delivery driver for their service is just as important as tipping your waiter or waitress at a restaurant. In many pizza places, drivers get paid at minimum wage when they are in the store, but when they are dispatched to go on a delivery, their pay rate lowers until they return to the store. Having said that, drivers have to make the rest of their earnings through tips.
Now, when tipping your deliverer, you don't necessarily have to tip 20 percent of your bill like at a restaurant. For me personally, two or three dollars would satisfy me on a regular sized order. However, when you are placing a larger order to be delivered, you should consider tipping a greater amount.
2. The delivery charge is not a tip.
If there is no required minimum amount due for your order to be delivered, the restaurant will likely issue a small delivery charge. This cannot be stressed enough -- a delivery charge does not go to the driver! This amount goes to the store and is billed with the food, as shown in the example above.
3. In most delivery places, drivers use their own personal vehicles.
In order to work as a delivery driver for many pizza places, you have to use your own vehicle. Pictured above is the car that I use when I work. It is reliable to me, but it is 16 years old, and when I start and stop my engine so many times during a shift, it may cause some wear and tear. It may even break down in the middle of a delivery (yes, this has happened to me multiple times). This is another reason why tipping is important; I have to be prepared to fix my car if anything happens to it because if I am not, I can't report for work.
4. The restaurant does not pay for gas.
Although some restaurants have a form of reimbursement for delivery drivers based on the number of miles driven or how many deliveries dispatched to them during a shift, they don't just hand them the money to replace the amount of gas used. Add on another reason why you should be considerate when tipping.
5. Deliveries always go on the road in order of when they were placed.
You will be waiting as long as everyone else for your order. It does not matter if your food is ready first (this does not happen that often anyway) or if you live closer to the store than the person who ordered before you. Delivery drivers should never skip orders. Rest assured, we are working diligently to get your food to you as soon as possible.
6. In some restaurants, drivers are only allowed to dispatch so many orders at a time.
At both Domino's and Papa Gino's, there is a limit to how many deliveries I can take out on the road at one time. As much as I would love to deliver to all addresses, I have to be considerate of the other drivers on duty and allow them to have places to go as well. Plus, if I took an excessive amount of orders, the last order would probably get cold by the time I arrive at its residence, so the orders have to stay in the heater until they leave the store. If I leave more recent orders behind, it is because I can only go out with two or three orders at a time, and chances are that those orders are older. But fear not -- another driver will be dispatched with your food soon.
7. Delivering food is one of the most dangerous jobs in America.
You might not think so before you think about it. What could go wrong with delivering pizza?
Well, because delivery drivers carry cash on them, whether it is collected from orders or used as change, they are likely to get robbed. Robberies do not happen often, but they are possible. You might not think that someone would perform a robbery at their own residence; after all, it would be super easy to catch them. That's why they could set the driver up. For example, they might give them a fake address. Drivers should be watching for anything that seems suspicious about the address or the order. If the food costs over a large amount of money, a new customer is ordering, or a customer needs to be verified, the driver is advised to do a callback to make sure everything is okay. Of course, safety is more important than a pizza. So, if I didn't feel right about making a certain delivery, I simply would not do it and I would speak with my manager to take the next step.
This is another reason why delivery drivers deserve more appreciation.
8. If I forget your soda, please forgive me.
Nobody is perfect. If I mistakenly leave the store with an item missing from your order, I will be extremely apologetic. I will retrieve what you need and then return to your address to give you what I owe. Also, if the store policy permits me to do so, I will add in something extra to make the issue right by you.
9. If you are paying with cash, please remember that the driver is probably only allowed to carry a limited amount of money.
As mentioned above, drivers have a small chance of being robbed. Plus, if they somehow lose any amount of money on the job, they may not have enough to pay the store at the end of their shift, and who knows what would happen then? These are reasons why drivers may only be allowed to carry a small amount of money when out on a delivery. Ideally, they should be allowed to carry $15 to $20, which should be enough for change. So, if at all possible, please avoid using $50 or $100 bills because they may not have enough money to return to you unless you want all that change to be a tip.
10. "Delivery in 30 minutes or it's free" is rare.
Delivery drivers try their absolute best to deliver within a half hour. But there are several circumstances that can prevent that from happening. The restaurant could be busy, the staff could be short handed, or the order may too large to be able to deliver in best quality in such a short amount of time. I am no manager, but if that was the standard, I'm not sure the store would make as much money. So, if for any reason your order is taking a while, these may be events happening in the store and you are still kindly asked to pay the amount due. If you ever want to know where your order is, check the online tracker (if the store uses one) or call to ask.
11. It is important for me to follow the rules of the road, especially since I am driving for a company.
If someone sees me driving recklessly with my car top sign on, they could call the restaurant and complain. Although I trust that customers want me to be safe, it is important to understand that I cannot rush to my deliveries. I can only get there in whatever amount of time would allow me to do so safely.
12. You should be prepared to answer your phone.
Communication is key in this job. The reason you are asked for your phone number is so I can call if I am having difficulty finding your residence or if I am letting you know I am right at the door. If you don't answer your phone and I cannot find you, I will have to return to the store, and I would hate to do that.
As an experienced pizza delivery driver, I value all of my customers. I appreciate all of my tips, whether I earn one penny of $20. I want to do whatever it takes to make someone happy. With the above concepts in mind on both sides, there's no question that I will provide the best service possible.
