OT: What do you usually tip the pizza guy?

Submitted by aaamichfan on

So I haven't been on the board much lately, and figured this would be an interesting question for the MGoMasses on a Friday night. I just ordered a pizza for delivery(first time in probably 9 months), and ended up tipping the guy $1.75. He gave me a look like, "Geeze buddy, thanks for being such a cheap bastard."

I figure, $1.75 seems like an adequate amount for a pizza driver, especially when everyone is already charging $2.50-$3 for delivery nowadays.

Am I being a cheap bastard by tipping $1.75? What is your standard tip for delivery? What is your standard tip at a restaurant?

aaamichfan

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:42 PM ^

I remember when I was younger, my parents would give 15% standard, and if the waiter really went above and beyond, they would give like 17-20%. From what I gathered, they were good tippers at the time.

Nowadays, I rarely tip under 20% at a bar/restaurant, and most of the time it's in the 25-30% range.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:32 PM ^

If you handed him coins, that's probably why he gave you the cheapo look.  I usually just hand out round bills and say the change is his.  (edit....nvm, I see that's what you did.  Yeah, $1.75 is a little bit on the low side for that size order, it's less than 15% and tipping the delivery guy like a waiter is a good rule of thumb.)

Then again, I usually don't order delivery for just this reason.  Who carries enough cash these days to tip correctly?  I just go out and get it myself.

JHendo

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:47 PM ^

I'm with you. I haven't ordered delivery in almost year and just go pick it up myself. I like to consider myself a good tipper (20% for average service, 10 to 15% for bad, 30% if I'm impressed), but with all pizza places charging a delivery fee now, I refuse to pay that while still being expected to tip the driver.

evenyoubrutus

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:34 PM ^

I consider myself a very generous tipper and I generally go with $2 plus the metal change left over. If the bill is like $16.69 I will just give him a $20 and have him keep the change. I guess I'm saying $2 would really be the minimum. But $1.75 doesn't deserve a dirty look. I doubt you were the lowest tipper he's ever had.

Damn now I want pizza.

evenyoubrutus

August 4th, 2012 at 12:04 AM ^

At a restaurant, whether it is Denny's or the Chop House, I will tip 30-50%. My wife will sometimes take the bill away from me so I don't shell over hoards of cash. However, driving a pizza to someone's door is a far cry from waiting on a table.

evenyoubrutus

August 4th, 2012 at 7:12 AM ^

No. I guess I could have worded that better, but if I get a $10 bill at a lesser place, I figure that waiter gets a lot of cheap bastards anyway so I will give him/her a $5 quite frequently, unless they are a total douche. Buy if I go to a nice place and the bill is over $60-70 then I will still tip 30%, or sometimes much more, unless the server really does something to not deserve it.

CorkyCole

August 4th, 2012 at 12:58 PM ^

I kinda follow the same logic as you here. Usually go 20-25% at restaurants, but I try to keep my bare minimum at $3 per meal. For instance, go to a a dine-in pizza place where my meal is $10 and I'll automatically make it $13. I usually feel bad for the waiters who work at cheaper restaurants thinking they make less in tips than people who do the same job for a little bit fancier restaurant. They're doing the same job for about the same amount of time, sometimes an even better job, but they get jipped on tips just because the food is cheaper and not as many high-priced drink options.  That's my logic anyway.

ckersh74

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:37 PM ^

I also go get my own, as I'm about a hundred yards from a Jet's. On the odd occasion I get it delivered, I'll usually throw a couple bucks to the driver. My order is usually $10-12, $15 tops. It it's more, I have no problem giving them a little more. 

BlueBrad

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:36 PM ^

I used to deliver pizzas. A 1.75 tip even on a small order is a bit discouraging because A) drivers pay for their own gas and B) drivers only get a small portion of the delivery fee if they get anything at all. I would always hope for a 3 dollar average tip per delivery, but if you only live a mile away and you're willing to pay for a delivery fee you may as well give a decent tip.

Braylons Butte…

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:37 PM ^

As others have stated:

a) The delivery "fee" is never given to the driver, that goes to the restaurant.

b) More often than not, the driver is responsible for paying gas out of wages and tips. As you can imagine, wages are next to nothing and get eaten up by gas and upkeep on the car, so the driver primarily works only for the tips.

I universally tip $5, as I always make deliveries worthwhile by ordering at least $25 worth of food for a few meals. Sometimes a bit more if the order is larger. In your position with the minimal order, I probably would've given $3, maybe even $3.75 to round up. I'd never tip below $3.

SFBayAreaBlue

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:40 PM ^

I used to deliver pizza, and it depends on the size of the bill.  But my biggest pet peeve was people who required you to make change to a precise amount.  Time is precious, I don't want to be at your door counting nickels and pennies.  I didn't mind if people were giving me tips in odd amounts, or bags of coins.

The best is when people give you a  20 and say "just give me xx back".  Where xx has been rounded to the nearest dollar, or they already knew the exact amount they wanted to tip and they just give you the cash and you can go.  

LSAClassOf2000

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:44 PM ^

At restaurants, I usually shoot for around 15%-20% as a rule, but I do essentially extend a similar courtesy to the people that deliver from the Jet's nearest my house because I live on the perimeter of their delivery area, so they do go to some trouble to provide decent service and I would like to maintain that relationship. Our typical order (two adults, two kids) is about $20 and I give them around three dollars accordingly. If the weather sucks or we get it really quickly, I'll go to four or even five dollars.

graybeaver

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:44 PM ^

I usually tip 5 dollars. I'm a little bias because I worked at papa johns when in college. If you always order from the same pizza shop it's definitely beneficial to tip well. Once you establish a good relationship with the delivery driver the benefits of that are awesome. My favorite pizza guy has delivered me beer, ice cream, and other extras he had to stop and get on the way. If you don't have the cash for a decent tip I would suggest hits from the bong!

The2nd_JEH

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:47 PM ^

I've been a pizza delivery driver for the past 3 summers and I'd say the average tip is around $3. That's a good amount to average, but the bests are usually around $5. And yes we have to pay for our own gas, and if the pizza place charges delivery, the driver does not get any of that money. So at the end of the night, whatever the tips the driver got for the day is what he/she goes home with. 

KyleMac

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:53 PM ^

Always at least 20% unless they are really really late.  Remember, this is not a waittress, this is pizza being delivered directly to your door.  The $2 delivery charge helps constitute the driver's base salary.  But its not like the driver gets $10 dollars if he goes out to make 5 deliveries on one trip.  Its just another way the pizza place generates revenue.

Rather be on BA

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:52 PM ^

Most pizza guys make below minimum wage.  If the delivery charge is $2.50, the driver probably makes $1 of that.  99% of drivers pay for their own gas.  You should tip better.

michfan6060

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:53 PM ^

What do you guys tip appliance delivery guys? I had a washer and dryer delivered today and my wife said it wasn't necessary to tip them since they were just doing their job. I ended up giving them both 20 bucks.

ppToilet

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:54 PM ^

Sorry, I'm going to dissent with the majority but $15 was just fine.  In fact, $13.25 is fine because that is what you owed - anything extra is by definition "gratuity".

With that said, I almost always just pick it up myself unless it's a huge party. And before you think I'm a cheapskate, I will put at least a 10% tip on the order even when I pick it up myself.

cozy200

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:58 PM ^

To answer simply.. Damn you are cheap. 5 bucks and no more. It's fair. These dudes are in and out in all kinds of weather. Middle of winter, 100 degrees, 5 is just fine.

aaamichfan

August 4th, 2012 at 12:23 AM ^

Valet Parking is also a luxury, but I'd never tip a Valet more than a buck or two. 

 

..........and a Valet usually appears to have shaved/showered within the last few days. 

M-Wolverine

August 4th, 2012 at 12:31 AM ^

And is designed to deliver has delivery as a "luxury"? By that logic everything is a luxury. I didn't realize my tip was meant to make someone feel good about their career choices.

cozy200

August 4th, 2012 at 6:59 AM ^

Look.. Just don't be cheap. If you can't tip 5 bucks, on an order that wasn't wrong or late.. Just go get it. Let's be honest in sure there is no retirement plan delivering food. If its a matter of principle than you've watch reservoir dogs to many times.

M-Wolverine

August 4th, 2012 at 8:42 PM ^

To make one feel better about their career necessities is what I found ridiculous, not that "hey you choose to be a pizza driver, screw you." I know that was no one's lifetime dream. But I don't see it as my responsibility to make everyone feel better about it, no matter what they're making. My doctor may have really wanted to be the QB for the Cowboys and is miserable in his job; I'm not slipping him a ten spot after the exam to make him feel better.

mgobleu

August 3rd, 2012 at 10:07 PM ^

I just figure that I wouldn't deliver a dang thing for $1.75. Hell, I wouldn't deliver a pizza for $5, but thats usually what I give. I will say that I've never felt bad after leaving a big tip, but I feel like crap every time I leave a small one, even if the service sucks.