At some point in your life, you have probably ordered food to be delivered to your home and office. And most likely, one of these orders have consisted of one or several boxes of pizza. After all, pizza is a favorite fast food across America for good reason. It’s tasty. It’s fresh. And it’s deliciously gooey with cheese. Not to mention, it can be a complete meal.
In fact, according to the website Statista, consumers throughout the United States generally spend as much as $33 billion on quick-service pizza restaurants across the country every single year. Moreover, takeout pizza typically takes the largest spending share in this category with an estimated earning of $15 billion annually.
Meanwhile, according to the PMQ Pizza Magazine, it is estimated that the United States pizza market has grown to as much as $45.1 billion in 2018. This is despite the closing of as much as 75,243 pizza stores across the country.
As you can see, pizza is an incredibly big business throughout America. It’s no wonder that leading pizza chains such as Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and Little Caesars are aggressively increasing their workforce. Specifically, they are adding in more pizza delivery drivers who take prepared orders from the shop and deliver it to customer’s addresses as soon as possible.
A lot of these pizza delivery drivers have had some years on the job. And over the years, they have learned some important things about their experience with customers and the job itself. Just to give you an idea, here are some details about your pizza delivery driver that may just surprise you.
20 There are some areas where they’ll refuse to deliver
A pizza delivery driver is trained to be cautious. After all, in the process of delivering an order, they can end up getting robbed. The pizza orders they are carrying and any loose change in their pockets may end up being stolen.
Even worse, it is also possible for someone to try to steal their car while they are walking up to someone’s doorstep with an order. This can be a real nightmare especially if the person delivery person happens to own the car that they are driving.
Because of these reasons, there are some instances when a pizza delivery driver may just refuse to deliver to certain areas. If this may be the case for you, you may have to go to the store yourself to satisfy your pizza cravings.
19 They appreciate patience
What you have to understand is that a pizza order does not get prepared in under five minutes. In fact, according to a report from Reader’s Digest, it typically takes around 20 minutes to transform a raw ball of dough into a perfectly baked pizza.
Once the pizza is done, it still has to be packaged perfectly. And if you have added special instructions such as asking them to draw a unicorn on the box, your order would definitely take more time. Hence, you should learn to have more patience when waiting on your order. Don’t worry, your favorite pizza delivery driver is going to get your pizza to you in the quickest time possible.
18 Accidents can happen while on a delivery run
During any pizza delivery run, there is always a possibility that things would go wrong. After all, your local pizza delivery driver can encounter a lot of possible obstacles while on the way to you. This can be a number of potholes on the road or really bad weather.
Even worse, your pizza delivery guy may also be forced to drive through slippery roads. In some cases, they can get into a serious accident as a result.
On the other hand, your pizza delivery driver may be able to escape dangerous road conditions unscathed. However, they may not be able to say the same thing about your pizza order. In some cases, all the cheese may have ended up sliding to one end of the pizza. In other cases, it’s possible that the box had flipped, and all the toppings are now glued to the top of the box.
If this happens, don’t you worry. Your pizza delivery driver would immediately return to the store and get you a new pizza.
17 A lot of them deliver pizza as a second job
Believe it or not, not all pizza delivery drivers are working for your favorite pizza restaurant full time. In fact, some of them are just taking the gig as a second job. And why not? The tips can be pretty good after all.
Hence, don’t be surprised if your local librarian appears on your doorstep with your hot and fresh pizza order. It can also be one of the teachers at your kid’s school or even a barista from your favorite coffee shop.
As you can see, it can really be anyone that you have encountered at least once before. This is especially the case if you live in a city where everybody knows everybody.
16 They can use their own car to deliver and get paid extra
In some cases, your local pizza delivery driver does not rely on the pizza shop’s official vehicle to make a pizza delivery. Instead, he or she may opt to use their own ride. In some cases, the delivery person may also use their rental car to bring pizza orders to homes.
This is a set-up that seems quite common nowadays. As one job ad for a delivery driver at Domino’s has pointed out, “You must be 18 years of age and have a valid driver's license with a safe driving record meeting company standards as well as access to an insured vehicle which can be used for delivery.”
In the process, it is also possible to earn some extra cash. As a report from Buzz Feed has revealed, these pizza delivery drivers end up getting paid extra to compensate for their car’s gas and maintenance. Earn money then get extra money for gas? That’s not a bad gig at all.
15 They know that certain income classes tip better than others
When it comes to tipping, chances are that your local pizza delivery driver has already noticed a common trend. That is, they tend to get more decent tips when they are asked to deliver to lower income class customers and middle income class customers. In fact, according to a report from the Reader’s Digest, one study reveals that customers from these income levels happen to be better tippers to service folk.
This is probably because these are the very people who can relate to the kinds of challenges that pizza delivery drivers face in their line of work. Hence, they are more appreciative of the service.
14 They probably won't deliver across the street
Sure, it is completely understandable that you would just feel lazy at times. You may have worked all night previously or you are still experiencing a hangover. In cases like this, you may want to just call for pizza delivery and stay in bed.
Unfortunately, however, your favorite local pizza shop might refuse to deliver your order if you live just right across the street.
In cases like this, the cost of utilizing a pizza delivery driver to take your pizza order to your doorstep just does not make sense businesswise. Hence, don’t get pissed if they refuse to accept your order. Instead, walk over to the pizza place yourself and grab a box to go.
13 They are not authorized to give a discount
What you have to realize is that pizza delivery drivers have only one goal in mind: to get a pizza order to a customer’s address as soon as possible without compromising the quality of the freshly made pizza. And when it comes to the cost of the pizza, it has already been printed out on the receipt by the pizza shop. Hence, there is no way that they can adjust that for you. In fact, there is no way that they give you a discount outright when they arrive at your doorstep.
If you think you are entitled to a discount, it’s best to call your local pizza shop and find out. On the other hand, it may also be possible to get a discount if you have a voucher for the restaurant. If this is the case, make sure you use it during the online transaction so that a certain discount will be applied.
12 They would appreciate help finding a house
Just like any other delivery service, your local pizza delivery driver would really appreciate if you can help them locate their house much more easily. Sure, they take to the streets on a regular basis, but they don’t know where every single house is, or which side of the street your house would be on.
To make it much easier for your local pizza delivery driver to find your place, consider giving some landmarks in the delivery instructions.
Is your house near an intersection? Are you the last house in the street? It would also greatly help if you can make sure that your house number is clearly visible from the street. And in case you ordered pizza for a night delivery, make sure that your porch light is on.
11 They will not wait forever
During any given day, your pizza delivery driver has a lot of pies to deliver around the area. Hence, they don’t really have time to wait for you forever. That’s because they also don’t want to compromise the quality of the other pies to be delivered in their car.
According to a report from Reader’s Digest, a pizza delivery driver may knock on the door three times and try to get you on the phone twice. If any of these efforts are not successful, they may choose to turn around and drive away with your pizza.
Meanwhile, Lutz also explained, “While I don’t expect customers to sit on their couches staring out the window like lonely puppies waiting for their owners to arrive, it’s still a good idea to stay somewhere within hearing distance of the doorbell.”
10 They always remember the good tippers
It is not unusual for a customer to call for pizza delivery again after ordering a couple of days ago. At the same time, it is also not unusual for a customer to call for a pizza delivery to their place just about every single week.
Because of this, your pizza delivery driver tends to be quite familiar with you. Because of this too, he or she will easily remember if you happen to be a good tipper.
For any pizza delivery drivers, good tippers are the best customers they can ever ask for. They really appreciate that you acknowledge their efforts in getting your order to your doorstep while the pizza is still hot and fresh.
9 The tip should be around 10 to 15 percent of the order
When it comes to tips, there is one important guideline that you should follow. That is, the amount of tip that you give must be equal to 10 to 15 percent of your order cost. Hence, if you ordered $26 worth of pizza, then you should at least tip $2.60.
At the same time, a report from CNN Money also revealed that you should be sure to tip at least $1 if your bill is around $10 or lower. Meanwhile, if your pizza delivery driver managed to pull off a difficult delivery such as in the case of bad weather, you should up your tip to 15 to 20 percent.
8 They remember people when they don’t tip
As we have explained before, it is not uncommon for a pizza place to get order after order from a lot of their repeat customers.
And if you happen to be a repeat customer who doesn’t like to tip at all, don’t you worry. Your pizza delivery driver will remember you and your house very well.
As former pizza delivery driver Steve Lutz explained on Western Courier’s website, “I took it a little too personal when people didn’t tip, and I never forgot where they lived.” He also added, “If you are making someone come to your house, a little monetary compensation is appreciated.
7 Most pizza delivery drivers are "kids"
If you think pizza delivery drivers are typically over the age of 30 with a spouse and a couple of kids, you are absolutely wrong. In fact, pizza guys are generally just ‘kids.’ That is, they are teenagers who are looking to make some money so that they can pay for their education or buy their stuff without having to ask their parents for help.
For parents, it’s safe to say that they are quite pleased with their teenage son or daughter making deliveries in the neighborhood. After all, it’s a good way for them to make a little cash for themselves. At the same time, it’s also a great way to get them started on learning the value of hard work.
6 They have had to deliver a lot of weird orders
Let’s just admit it. There are some pizza orders out there that can sound, smell and taste a little weird. There are even some pizza concoctions that are just downright outlandish.
No matter how weird your pizza order gets, however, you can be assured that your local pizza delivery driver will try his or her best to get it to you hot and fresh.
There are some who would order a pizza with no cheese, no tomato sauce, and just anchovies. There are some pizza orders that specifically call for an extra topping of pineapple chunks. There are also pizza orders that are seriously loaded with all kinds of meat. You’ve got sausages rolled bacon, pepperoni, ham, hamburgers, bacon bits and more.
5 They have received a lot of weird instructions already
Over the years, you can bet that your local pizza place has seen it all. This is especially true when it comes to delivery instructions. And if you ask your local pizza delivery driver about it, he or she can probably tell you some of the most unforgettable ones that they have encountered so far.
According to a compilation from Delish, one instruction read, “The gate is tricky, please don’t break it. And the spider on the porch is called Frank. Be nice to Frank, he guards the tomatoes.”
In another delivery run, a customer said that he got his local Domino’s delivery person to do an extra food run for him. The man explained, “Drunk. Got the Domino’s guy to buy me a McDonald’s in the special instructions section.”
4 They make mistakes (Like anyone)
As you can imagine, pizza delivery drivers take pride in doing their job extremely well as much as possible. Unfortunately, there are just moments when they fail to do that because they’re only human.
As former pizza delivery guy Lutz has confessed, “I’ve dropped 2-liters. I’ve spilled salad. And while I’ve personally never done it, orders get left on top of cars before driving away. A pizza delivery driver is human and prone to mistakes anyone could make. It is a hassle trying to balance five different orders going to five different addresses, and the occasional order will get mixed up.” He also explained it’s not personal.
3 The pizza tracker works but it’s controlled manually
Nowadays, when you order for pizza delivery online, there is usually a nice ordering system that you can use on the pizza company’s website. It’s typically very organized and you get to go through the process of choosing the pizza crust you want, the flavor or toppings that you want and the size you need.
After that, you can also make additional orders for other foods on the menu as well as your drinks. When this is all complete, you finally enter your full details and special instructions.
Once you have sent out the order, you would often see a tracker bar that green lights each step of your pizza delivery order. Believe it or not though, this tracker is actually updated manually. It doesn’t exactly run automatically on its own using a set countdown timer.
2 Some people they deliver to hire them for extra work
As you may know, there are some customers that tend to ask their local pizza delivery driver if they can get something else for them before they get to the house with the order or even stick around for some extra work. Pizza delivery drivers may be nice individuals but that doesn’t mean you should take advantage.
As Lutz has explained, “I don’t have time to pick up a beer, ice or cigarettes on my way to a house. “The other guy does it,” and “I’ll totally pay you for it, bro,” never won me over. I’m also not there to help move furniture, tell if the picture is hanging is straight or just to hang out for a little bit. The faster I can get back to my job, the faster customers can get back to stuffing their faces with cheesy, delicious pizza.”
1 They would appreciate keeping conversation to a minimum
For any pizza delivery driver, timing is everything. After all, their goal is to get pizza orders to every customer hot and fresh. Pizza is really not that good when it’s gone cold and the cheese is all rubbery. Hence, they would really appreciate it you don’t chat them up too much.
Ideally, you should get your order the moment the pizza delivery driver appears on your front door.
To make the transaction a lot faster, it would also be great if you have the payment (and tip) ready. Remember, you don’t have to try to make conversation. Just get your order and enjoy.
Sources: statista.com, pmq.com, dominos.com, rd.com, money.cnn.com, delish.com, westerncourier.com