With the growing popularity of food delivery smartphone apps, there are more options than ever to have food delivered to your door. And, of course, there’s still the traditional pizza delivery driver.
However, when you order in, you might be wondering how much to tip pizza delivery? While most people tip 15 to 20 % of the total, there’s no set rate for tipping, so it usually is determined by several factors. We’ll break down those factors here so you know that you are treating your delivery person fairly, no matter the time or circumstance.
The Weather
Take the weather into account when factoring in the tip. If you’re not willing to travel because it’s a stormy day outside, make sure to float a few extra bucks to your delivery driver. Food delivery drivers are unsung heroes whenever mother nature decides to strike. These professionals will go out of their way to deliver your order even during the worst weather conditions. You can thank them for braving the storm by giving them double the amount you normally would give. The staff will remember your generosity and serve you well in the future.
Distance Travelled
One pizzeria could be virtually next door, while the other one may be several miles away. You will not reward these two services equally. A driver who spends an extended period on the road to deliver your pizza deserves to get a higher tip than the one who only takes a few minutes, especially considering that most drivers are using their own vehicles nowadays. Maybe you prefer white pizza with broccoli from a restaurant that is far. You could have been ordering from them for some time, and even though they are far away, they always arrive on time. You can decide to give that driver a tip that is a little more than 20 percent, which is the higher end of the standard amount. After all, he is making all the hike for you and saving you time in the long-run.
Sporting Events and Holidays
It could be Super Bowl Sunday, and you cannot imagine having your party without some large pizzas, cheesy garlic bread, and wings. Personally, I like party pizza from Totino’s. As you place your order, you should know that the driver is going to be a busy person. If the food makes it on time (or even a few minutes late), it’s good to go the extra mile and appreciate their efficiency by tipping 25 percent of the total for getting the job done under tough circumstances.
When You Order Close to the Closing Time
There are times when you might be ordering a pizza very shortly before the restaurant is closing up for the night. Even though the restaurant is still technically open, your order might be causing the delivery driver to stay late. If your food arrives on time and the delivery driver has a smile on his face despite the inconvenience, float a few extra dollars his way to show your gratitude.
Driver Vs. Kitchen Circumstances
Remember it is not your driver’s fault if your pizza does not have the right topping, you don’t get your dressing on the side, or the pie isn’t gluten-free. As the popular saying goes, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” Therefore, be sure not to punish the delivery person and tip as you normally would. If you feel you shouldn’t pay for your meal, a follow-up call to the restaurant would be in order to lodge your complaint about your incorrect order.
However, if the pizza goes to the neighbor’s house, gets ruined in the box, or arrives late, you can put the responsibility on the person who is delivering the pizza. In this case, you can cut back on the tip (or eliminate it completely if the driver makes several errors) since you shouldn’t reward poor services.
Why Is It Good to Tip a Pizza Delivery Guy?
You might be wondering if you need to tip your pizza delivery person. After all, you paid for the order and the driver is getting a paycheck, right? Well, just like restaurant servers, delivery drivers depend on these tips to make ends meet. Here are three reasons why you need to tip the delivery person.
1. How Much do They Make?
Most restaurants know that pizza delivery drivers are tipped employees, so they will pay them minimum wage. I have come across some of them who only earn $8 per hour. The other challenge with these drivers is that they only work during meal times, so most aren’t even making full-time wages. An average tip for pizza delivery of 15% will raise their pay to $11 per hour, so you can see how tipping can make a difference for the driver – and motivate him to bring your food to you in a timely fashion! Think of your tip as a convenience fee, since the driver is bringing the food to you, you don’t have to get in your car and go get it yourself.
2. Hidden Costs
Most delivery drivers these days use their own cars. Therefore, they are paying out-of-pocket on gas, car insurance, and car payments. Any tip that you give to these drivers goes a long way in subsidizing some of these expenses.
3. Busiest Time
Traffic can be absolute madness during specific events, holidays, and even during the dinner rush hour. If you order food on a holiday (or even an unofficial holiday like Super Bowl Sunday), you will be having a great time with your family and friends, but the driver will be on the road working to serve you. It is good to reward that commitment and even float your driver a few extra bucks on a holiday to show the driver that you appreciate his dedication.
Answers from a Pizza Guy!
How Much to Tip Pizza Delivery when There is a Delivery Charge?
Most people wonder whether it is right to tip when you are already paying a delivery charge. In most cases, the driver will receive a small amount of the delivery charge. On top of that fee, it is customary to tip 15% to 20 % for good to excellent service from the driver. If you want to be sure about the delivery fee before you account for your tip, you can ask the restaurant how much is going to the driver.
Should You Tip Less if the Driver is Late?
The answer is yes, but how much less should be determined by a sliding scale. First, make sure the tardiness is the driver’s fault. If the driver is late by around 10 to 15 minutes, you can call the restaurant so that they can give you the approximate arrival time. You could be blaming the driver, yet the delay could be due to a problem in the kitchen. In other cases, the delay may be a result of an accident that has backed up traffic on the road. Some of these factors are beyond the control of the pizza delivery driver. You should not reduce the tip unless you are sure that the delay is the fault of the driver. If he’s 30 minutes late and it’s his fault, it’s fair to reduce the tip by half.
Should You Reduce the Tip if the Pizza Order is Incorrect?
You need to call the restaurant so that they can send the correct order or give you a refund. It is not the driver’s fault since he only delivers the food that someone in the restaurant packages up for him. Therefore, you cannot penalize the driver for an issue that is out of his hands.
How Much Do You Need to Tip for Large Catering Orders?
If the catering order is significant – say, over $100 – you can tip 10 %. This will give a nice chunk of change and reward him fairly for bringing you a larger order.
Why are Delivery Fees So Expensive?
The main purpose of delivery fees is to offset the expenses and wages that are related to the delivery. You’re also paying for the convenience of not having to leave your home to have a meal brought to your front door. If you want to save a few bucks, you can always go order take-out and pick up the order yourself.
Can You Use Credit Card for Payment?
You will get a receipt to sign if you are using your credit card to make the payment. That receipt will have a tip line like the ones that you see at normal restaurants. Add the tip, figure out the total, and then sign the receipt. If you’re placing your order by phone, let the restaurant know that you’ll be paying with a credit card. They will likely take your information over the phone. In some cases, a card reader can be used to swipe your card, but this is not very common.
Is there a Benefit of Placing Order Online?
Placing your order online doesn’t change anything for the driver. If you made an online payment via your credit card, a receipt will be given to sign, that also has a tip line. If you are paying by cash, you will be able to tip in cash.
Using Apps like DOORDASH and UBEREATS
Tipping remains the same across all of the delivery applications. For normal tipping, you can give 15 %, with a minimum of $3. For great service, consider tipping 20 %, and give 10 % for poor service.
If You Get Your Pizza from a Chain Restaurant
No. The same rules apply even if you are ordering your pizza from the national chains.
A Few Things to Remember
- To Tip or Not to Tip?
If there is a problem with the order, it is not the fault of the driver. Therefore, you should not take your frustration out on the driver because someone at the restaurant messed up your order. Go ahead and tip them as you normally would. In case you are not willing to pay for the food because the order was wrong, call the restaurant and request them to refund the incorrect item from the bill since it is their mistake.
- Safety
There could be a massive traffic jam on the road that makes the driver late with your food. Remember, you have an option of going to sit in the traffic yourself, and you chose to avoid that by ordering in. Therefore, don’t penalize the driver for being late if he’s stuck in traffic. anything, consider tipping him even more to compensate for the gas and time that he lost in the traffic jam while serving you.
- The Truth of Delivery Fee
Most of these drivers get 50 % (at most) of the amount that you pay in a delivery charge. Therefore, it is good to go the extra mile and reward their efforts through a fair tip.
- Be Nice
This point is self-explanatory. Remember to appreciate good service, because if you are not grateful, you might not be so lucky the next time!
Conclusion
The main difference is that pizza delivery drivers have to use their money – in car and gas expenses – to deliver your product. Therefore, you have to make sure that you tip these professionals accordingly.
With this guidance, you now know how much to tip your pizza delivery driver. These people make most of their money from the tip, so appreciate their effort by tipping them fairly.
Great info about pizza delivery tips! We’ve never actually had pizza delivered to our house, as we live in the country, but we like to travel, and might have pizza delivered to then. Thanks for the great info!
Thanks for your opinion. Though I have written this article on pizza, the same rule applies to any food?? delivered at our home from restaurants by food delivery man.
Good info! You’re right that pizza delivery drivers are unsung heroes driving in bad weather. They earn their tips. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I tried to clear the concept of how important to give a tips as much as we can.
Thank you for this helpful article! I love your approach to show us how challenging the job of Pizza Delivery Drivers could be. I definitely have now more understanding and respect for these people!
One of my friends is a food? delivery man. I got a lot of information on this topic from him. This informations encourage me to write this post. I have written this post, keeping in mind that many people would acknowledge the proper conditions/circumstances in which they have to work. Through this post, I tried to clear the concept of how important to give a tip as much as we can.
Such a good resource! As one whose parents owned and operated a pizza restaurant…and I worked in it as a teen…and whose daughter worked in a pizza restaurant for her first job, I know how much tips are appreciated! I’m an excellent tipper because I know how important they are.
When I was at uni, I worked in restaurant; waitering 6 hours a night for 2 nights a week. I had no lectures on Friday so I could work long weekends.
A great post for reference on tipping! It also helps us as customers to be better understanding of what obstacles the drivers can encounter in making the delivery. Thank you for sharing!
A small step can make a significant change. By paying a small amount as a tip, we can easily appreciate his dedication to work. Imagine when there is a holiday, we are with our family, but they are on the road with your food to be delivered at your front door. We should not reduce the tip unless you are sure that the delay is the fault of the driver. Sometimes restaurants delay making the food, packaged & hand them over to the driver. Thank you so much for your opinion.
Great info! I stay in Singapore and we don’t have this tipping culture here..
You can start the culture there! By paying a small amount as a tip, we can easily appreciate their(delivery men) dedication to work.