How much do you tip Delivery guys?

[yoshii8]

I recently got a part time job delivering pizzas, and I have to say I really enjoy it. However I'm amazed at how little some people tip me. Whenever I order out I always tip the drivers at least 20%, I figure thats the least I can do since they are bringing food to my house.

Am I tipping to much, or are others tipping to little?

[dadofandrew]

$1-2. I've never worried about percentages, since it isn't much harder to deliever 4 pizzas than it is 1.

 

I delivered for 5 years back in the day, and I usually averaged about 80 cents - $1.10 per delivery a shift. This was '90-'95, so maybe it's went up a bit.

[Jimbo]

I've been told a tip = gallon of gas.

 

I just round up to an even amount. Like hand the guy a $20 and tell him to keep it.

[homer]

I used to deliver pizzas. I'd have been ecstatic with a 20% tip. Usually it's the change plus a dollar (i.e. if the order is $8.50, you'll give $10). Now if it's a big order like $30 then I'd tip like $3 - $5 or something.

[Invader3K]

10-15% depending on how quickly they get it over. At least a buck generally.

[razzzorsharp]

I rarely get delivery but I usually go 3-4 dollars regardless of amount.

[dhoffman19]

I tip about $2.00, but only b/c I used to deliver myself. Getting the change, plus an extra buck is about what you should expect.

 

I tip waiters 20% but that's different since the tips are most of their income and they may not be getting minimum wage from their employer. Pretty sure pizza guys always get at least min., wage. At least I did at the 3 places I worked.

[Trombone482]

As a manager of Pizza Hut, I want to add in my .2 cents. What makes a delivery driver and different then a waiter/waitress. They are putting ware and tear on there car to bring you your food so that you don't have to leave the house. I have seen many a drivers come and go because they do not get tips. I have also seen drivers take 10 pizzas or more and they come back with no tip or the change. IMO if you can't afford at least 15% on your order then do not order delivery.

[Glennron]

$1-2. I've never worried about percentages, since it isn't much harder to deliever 4 pizzas than it is 1.

 

Just curious, but do you do the same at restaurants? I mean other than writing down more stuff on the order slip and carrying more food from the kitchen to your table, it's not that much more work yet people still do percentages.

 

Definitely not suitable for work, but this fits the topic well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgBGRfSvfxY

 

[Patrick425]

Our pizza order usually comes to around 16 bucks with garlic bread. I normally tip about $2 and whatever the change is...so close to 15%.

By the way, when did 15% become 20% in resturaunts. Are people just so bad at math or too lazy to figure it out that now we all have to start tipping 20%? I thought 15% was high enough. Not a big fan of tipping anyways. I think it's an odd custom that for some reason only applies to certain services. Where does it end (garbage men?, hair cutters?, furniture delivery?, the guy that does your taxes?) I would much rather they raise the price of the food and pay the staff a respectable wage. I understand that it's a way of showing your appreciation (or lack of) for the level of service you got, but then why does not apply to everything. Should they lower your cable bill and then allow you to tip at the end of the month based on the service you think your cable company provided you? I just never understood tipping.

[yoshii8]

I make well below min. wage as a delivery guy, so I am pretty much counting on tips for salary. I agree that it is just as much or more work to deliver food to someones house as it is to wait on a table.

[cnycerveceros]

Tipping is about personal service and paying someone for doing something you could have easily done yourself but just didn't want to. If someone brings you food, that's a person who just brought your dinner to your door so you could keep sitting on your couch watching Full House reruns(or is that just me?). The Cable company, there is nothing personal about that service at all. It's faceless. With furniture delivery, that's more like a 'have to' than a 'want to' if that makes sense. If I want a pizza I could pretty easily go get one, but I'd rather have someone bring it to me (there may be an episode of Full House I haven't seen). But, with furniture, I can't fit a couch into my economy car.

[brewcrew00]

The added delievery charge is what kills the tips. People see that on the receipt and nobody wants to pay more than that. I'm sure I'm over critical of this whole delivery thing, but there's really no point in ordering an expensive pizza and having to wait near an hour to get it. It's criminal all the fees added to pizza delivery...

[Chio151]

Well, all I know is that if you don't give our garbage men a Christmas tip, they tend to scatter your cans right in front of your driveway. So really, is more of an optional service upgrade (bribe).

[burniebrewer]

As a manager of Pizza Hut

 

 

I've always wondered, with all of our information on your restaurant computer, do you have a little comments section like the doctors did for Elaine on Seinfeld? Drivers come back and enter a note, "poor tip again" or am I just crazy?

 

I just figured that when I call, you have my delivery information pulled up simply from my phone number.

[jwill535]

I managed a Dominoes while going back to school. One thing I can tell you is that the Drivers do the most work of anyone that work there. They answer phones, sometimes make pizzas, and box up pizzas. Most places pay the driver $.50-$1.00 per delivery(not trip), which is usually 10-15 orders per night depending on the night. This is payed by the company, and was payed before they started with delivery charges. Delivery charges were put in so that the company could make up the money in rising food costs without raising their prices. Its essentially so they can still charge $9.99 a pizza or what ever to stay in line with national advertising. Cheese costs are what drive pizza, the price fluctuates week to week and makes oil price rises and falls look petty.

[yoshii8]

I think most places including where I work have free delivery. Where do you order from?

[logan82]

I think I usually tipped around $2 a delivery. At restaurants I tip 15% up to 20% for good service and down to 10% for bad service. If I get really bad service I will not leave a tip at all. I don't care if waiters don't get paid much and depend on tips.

[pitchleague]

I've never tipped my garbageman. Never even heard of doing that. He just drives the truck and uses the vehicle's auto-loader device to grab the trash bin, raise it up, and dump it. Then sets it down and drives to the next house. He doesn't even touch the bins.

 

Is this common to tip the garbageman?

[Patrick425]

Tipping is about personal service and paying someone for doing something you could have easily done yourself but just didn't want to.

So, why am I tipping hair cutters? I could not easily cut my own hair. I also could not easily take my garbage to the garbage dump. I also don't have the option of getting my own food at sit down resturuants or dealing my own cards at a blackjack table. As I referred to in my original post, I understand that some of these people rely on tips. However, my point is that they shouldn't. They should get paid a fair compensation to begin with and the price of goods should be increased to pay these fair wages. If the person providing the service can not get motivated to provide good service if tips are not involved then that is something the employer needs to address, not the customer.

 

edit: sorry about the multiple quote boxes...not sure what happened there.

[SeriesFinale]

Tipping is one of those topics like religion and politics that people get up in arms about so I usually don't bring it up but since we're here...

 

Personally I try to be a big tipper, for better or for worse: I worked as a waiter and bartender for years during high school, college, and a couple years after, and I know how I always appreciated getting those 25%+ tips, so I try and be that guy.

 

We get a lot of delivery and takeout, too, so I try and do the same there, although usually less, around 15-20%. I know most don't, but I do tip when I pick up takeout, especially if it's at a sitdown restuarant, where a waiter usually has to do the work to put the order together but people seem to think the food just magically appeared.

 

I don't look down on people for their tipping habits, good or bad, usually, but I can't stand when people brag about being bad or non-tippers.

[dhoffman19]

I make well below min. wage as a delivery guy, so I am pretty much counting on tips for salary. I agree that it is just as much or more work to deliver food to someones house as it is to wait on a table.

Really? That's surprising to me. Maybe times have changed.

[dhoffman19]

As a manager of Pizza Hut, I want to add in my .2 cents. What makes a delivery driver and different then a waiter/waitress. They are putting ware and tear on there car to bring you your food so that you don't have to leave the house. I have seen many a drivers come and go because they do not get tips. I have also seen drivers take 10 pizzas or more and they come back with no tip or the change. IMO if you can't afford at least 15% on your order then do not order delivery.

Do you guys at least reimburse for mileage on the car? Probably doesn't help much with gas prices where they are anyway. Back in myyyyyyy dayyyyyyy (old man voice) gas was like $1.25 a gallon so that wasn't a big problem.

 

 

[homer]

You are old.

[Patrick425]

I don't want to be misunderstood. I understand that the people providing services rely on tips and I think I'm a pretty fair tipper. In fact, on a couple of occasions, when I've been out to eat with my parents, I had to pull the Ross on friends thing and go back and leave a few extra bucks. I'm just saying I don't agree with the system and I wish it were different.

Another awkward thing about tipping. Lets say I frequent a restaurant. One day I get bad service and I show my displeasure with a bad tip. Now, the next time I go in, I get the same server. Now I have to be worried about the content of my food. I would much rather not have to worry about tipping and voice my displeasure annonomously with a phone call to the restaurant manager making him or her aware of the situation and then they take any action that is needed to correct the situation. Bad tips don't encourage better service, they just make for angry service providers.