Anyone work for Pizza Hut?

[Flasch186]

So they charge a $2 delivery fee but when i asked if the driver got any of that, she replied that the driver did not so I ask what does the delivery fee go towards other than a junk fee? The second question is whether or not driver's receive any sort of compensation for gas or mileage?

[JeeberD]

My guess would be that it goes towards paying gas for the drivers, but it's just that...a guess.

[QuikSand]

I'm not sure I understand how complex an answer you want here. What does "go towards" mean?

If you buy a pizza in the restaurant, an employee walks it to your table in about 15 seconds. If you order it delivered to your home, an employee drives it to you, taking maybe 20 minutes round trip, plus transportation costs.

I don't see how there's a more complicated answer than that. And preemptively, don't give me the line about how delivery is free from someplace that's pretty much delivery-only... it's not free, it's built into the price.

[Flasch186]

I'm actually pissed that the driver isnt getting some of that. I generally overtip since I waited tables for a long time but it ticks me off that theyre "auto gratting" and the server is getting none of it, IMO.

[QuikSand]

I disagree that the delivery fee is the same thing as a gratuity. It's a fee. if you want to tip the driver, do so.

[Flasch186]

but what does the fee correlate to? IMO it goes towards all that goes into delivering which, I think, 100% falls on the driver's shoulders. I think he should get ALL of my tip and anything else that applies to delivering the product. If they want to charge a "marinara" fee than im ok with that but think it should be accurate, that's all.

[Karlifornia]

some places do two bucks per delivery..one goes to the driver, and one goes to the restaurant. Other places don't charge anything at all for delivery, but every place reimburses the driver for each delivery, whether it be a per box rate (pizza my heart gives the drivers $1.20 per pizza, so if you take an order that has three pizzas, the driver gets $3.60...)

I've always thought that a delivery fee was dumb. 95% of people tip anyways, but I guess some places get money anywhere they can find it.

[Cringer]

but what does the fee correlate to? IMO it goes towards all that goes into delivering which, I think, 100% falls on the driver's shoulders. I think he should get ALL of my tip and anything else that applies to delivering the product. If they want to charge a "marinara" fee than im ok with that but think it should be accurate, that's all.

I agree with what someone else said above. The $2 fee probably helps pay for the gas, which they reimburse the drive for. Basically they are having you pay for the gas to get the pizza to your house. Perhaps they also pay some type of extra insurance because they are having the employee drive their car for them, I don't know about that though....

If you don't like it, don't have them deliver and you don't have to pay their fee.

[Bearcat729]

So they charge a $2 delivery fee but when i asked if the driver got any of that, she replied that the driver did not so I ask what does the delivery fee go towards other than a junk fee? The second question is whether or not driver's receive any sort of compensation for gas or mileage?


As far as I was always told the delivery charge goes towards liability insurance the company has to carry on the drivers. I can say that as a driver I always hated when they would raise the delivery charge because my tips always went down when they did.

Now I worked for a Pizza Hut franchise so I'm not sure how a corporate store may be different, but we always got a flat fee for each delivery we took reguardless of distance. That was $1.00 when I quit driving last year.

[QuikSand]

I just checked my local pizza delivery fliers. Both of the ones I found had a special deal for "takeout" orders. For one, there was an $8.99 "pickup special" that was essentially the same thing as you could get delivered for $12. That, right there, is a $3 delivery charge, just by a different name.

Pizza Hut can't get away with the same thing, because the bulk of their business is in-store. Life goes on. Most people get it, a few won't, they'll get by.

The employee who drives the pizza to your house gets paid a wage. He freely enters into an employment contract, where he understands what his job is, and what he'll be getting paid. He's free to leave at any time for a better opportunity if his skills and preferences suggest he has a better option. That's good enough for me. The terminology that the corporate bigwigs at Yum come up with doesn't affect my thinking about him one whit.

I tip my pizza delivery people pretty generously, incidentally, and that has nothing to do with whether I felt I was getting a great deal on the product from their bosses' bosses.

[Joe]

I get charged a delivery fee plus a fuel surcharge.

[Flasch186]

I get charged a delivery fee plus a fuel surcharge.


???

[cartman]

I just noticed a delivery fee added to the DiGiorno's pizza I picked up at the grocery store.

[Joe]

???

Delivery fee = $2
Fuel Surcharge = $1

[Greyroofoo]

I used to deliver pizza for a local place about 5 years ago. I got paid $1 per delivery and kept all the tips in addition to an hourly wage.

[Cringer]

Do you tip a pizza delivery guy for NOT spitting in your food the next time you get delivery? I am not a big pizza delivery guy tipper, he is bringing what I order like the job is supposed to be. If he was coming into my house, plating it, serving drinks, then ok he gets a tip.

[Flasch186]

Delivery fee = $2
Fuel Surcharge = $1

no shit, but you get charged both from where?

[JonInMiddleGA]

According to this article (and several similar ones I've found, going back as far as 2002 and as recent as earlier this month)
http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/article.php?id=4449

where the fee goes depends on who is charging the fee.

[Flasch186]

So most people DONT tip the drivers?

[JeeberD]

Who said that?

[Flasch186]

I think Ive totally gotten confused by this.

[Passacaglia]

I don't get it, either. The delivery guy does get money. It may not be the same $2 you pay, but they do get paid. It's probably likely to be a different scale (like hourly or something, not per delivery -- that way drivers would be pissed at getting orders to places too far away).

[Flasch186]

so when the $2 fee was installed the wage went up somewhat? I dont know but I doubt it without having any information. Like Quik pointed out, it's not a high demand field to push up wages.

[Draft Dodger]

I'm not sure I understand how complex an answer you want here. What does "go towards" mean?

If you buy a pizza in the restaurant, an employee walks it to your table in about 15 seconds. If you order it delivered to your home, an employee drives it to you, taking maybe 20 minutes round trip, plus transportation costs.

I don't see how there's a more complicated answer than that. And preemptively, don't give me the line about how delivery is free from someplace that's pretty much delivery-only... it's not free, it's built into the price.

there are costs associated with dining in as well. I'm not at all saying you're wrong, just that the cynical side of me wonders if the answer to the "why do they charge a $2 surcharge" question is "because they can".

[tarcone]

Delivering pizzas was my all time favorite job. I made a killing (relatively speaking) doing that job. Money was outstanding. If I had a junky car, I would do it again as a part time job.
I always tip delivery guys. Better then waiters.

[Maple Leafs]

The employee who drives the pizza to your house gets paid a wage. He freely enters into an employment contract, where he understands what his job is, and what he'll be getting paid. He's free to leave at any time for a better opportunity if his skills and preferences suggest he has a better option.
Well, in fairness, the driver really dreams of being a telemarketer, but he had to quit because so many people yelled at him.

[Maple Leafs]

there are costs associated with dining in as well.
Duh. That's the $2 "dish washing fee" on your eat-in bill.

[Cringer]

So most people DONT tip the drivers?

I never said most people don't but I don't think it is a must and I don't feel obligated to do so. The last couple times I had pizza delivered I didn't tip. Times before that I have.

We don't get pizza that much anyways, and usually pick it up ourselves.

[Passacaglia]

so when the $2 fee was installed the wage went up somewhat? I dont know but I doubt it without having any information. Like Quik pointed out, it's not a high demand field to push up wages.

I don't really remember a time when the delivery fee was installed. It's been there as long as I can remember.

[Flasch186]

I don't really remember a time when the delivery fee was installed. It's been there as long as I can remember.

hmmm, I guess it's possible it's always been there and I just didnt notice but for some reason when the coupon price totalled up and it was 6$ different from the final price I asked how the difference got so high. I assumed that there was an error because a quick guess on tax couldnt have gotten to that gap. That's when she mentioned it and I asked if it went to the deliverer and she replied "no" and I just thought that that was a little bit deceiving or underhanded.

[Pyser]

my brother delivers pizzas for pizza hut. i could ask him if you really want to know

and a good amount of people dont tip him, he has told me

[CU Tiger]

If they didnt deliver they wouldnt need delivery guys.
Since they do deliver they need extra employees.
They charge you to bring your pizza to you, not sure I understand the confusion.

All that aside, when we first starteed our business I delivered pizzas at night and on weekends. Many of our friends snickered, but I maade an extra $1500/month for driving aorund in my car not being bothered
and handing someonee a pizza.


And I always got to hope for that 3 blondes in towels porno scene...ALAS maybe I should start delivering again...

[Brian Swartz]

It just so happens that I drive for Pizza Hut for a living. So let me weigh in on a few points here.

1. Does the driver get anything out of the delivery fee?

Yes, pretty much everywhere. However, they don't get all of it. How much of it they get varies from area to area(franchises are different from corporate stores which are different from other chains).

Having said that, the standard amount in the market I'm in is $2 charge, $.50 goes to the store, $1.50 goes to the driver. It is less in some areas, but that's what it is here. Now for those of you who don't understand why the store gets part of it, there are delivery-specific costs(having managed in the past for PHI I pretty much know what I'm talking about on this). Driver maps have to be updated every so often(new subdivisions, roads, etc, store delivery areas change when new stores are built, renovated, or taken down). This is not an inexpensive process. Also, average delivery time for most store areas is about 15 mins. round-trip. Well, for in-store orders, the 'serving' time required of an employee is more like 60 seconds. That's a lot of time per delivery that you are paying a driver to basically do nothing -- he's not adding any value to the store, so there's a charge to make up for part of that(it doesn't even come close to the true cost).
Furthermore there are MVRs every six months from the state which the company pays for, insurance costs for being a delivery business, etc etc etc.

Now, from that $1.50 + tips the driver gets, gas + maintenance(tires, oil changes, repairs) etc. come out of it. Average delivery is 4-5 miles depending on area(a little higher in my case), and when you look at gas prices you can do the math -- most vehicles are not going to be making a killing on the $1.50 rate when you add it all in. Simply put, drivers survive on their tips, and I will say that in the industry it's the hardest position to staff. A good driver in a good area does well, but across the board it isn't exactly a bowl of cherries.

Oftentimes people will be told to say the driver gets nothing to encourage tipping, because of the difficulty of staffing said drivers as it is. I've seen it happen personally, though it's not something I do(honestly with the customer is always the best policy long-term).

2. How many people tip?

On average for me, I get zilch from about 40% of people. A good percentage of the others don't tip much. It varies wildly but there are enough generous people to make it worthwhile. Now, I'm not saying this to make anybody feel guilty, because when you buy something it's totally up to you whether you feel you want to tip or not(and I say that at the door when people ask). However, it is simply an economic fact that if nobody tipped, there would be no delivery pizza places(or the price would go up to like $6 a shot). I will also say for those who think it's just part of their job -- standard pay in the industry is minimum wage. Drivers don't make a lot of money off of their flat rate. I know of no pizza delivery business where it is considerably higher than that.

[Anthony]

Do you tip a pizza delivery guy for NOT spitting in your food the next time you get delivery? I am not a big pizza delivery guy tipper, he is bringing what I order like the job is supposed to be. If he was coming into my house, plating it, serving drinks, then ok he gets a tip.

same here, i just double the tax if its on the bill, if its not and the bill comes to like $17 i just give him a $20 bill and tell him to keep the change. they aren't serving me nor are the making the food, what more should they get? my motto towards tips like that is "it's not my job to pay for his kid's college". i tip more when i'm served at a restaurant, but not for delivery. the places we order from are no further than 8 blocks away, so its not like these delivery guys have to run a gauntlet or anything to get to me.

then again, i'll normally tip like $1 or $2 when i order from this bar/grill and i go to pick it up. i don't feel right not giving something, but i also acknowledge that not only was i not served food, it wasn't even delivered to me so they should be happy with what is essentially free money.

[Anthony]

i don't get people who "generously tip". do you get generously tipped at your jobs? i know no one tips me at my job, and i carry several licenses in the financial industry. just cuz some college kid is making minimum wage doesn't mean i should generously tip. if everyone stopped tipping, there'd be no delivery drivers. if there were no more delivery drivers that would create a much larger demand to fill those positions, which would in turn increase wages.

i give no more and no less than what people got coming to to them. i'm free to leave my job for more money any time i want, much like delivery people have the same option. i'm not gonna give people a handjob just cuz they don't have the skills to do anything more than take food from one place to another.

[Izulde]

HA's a finance guy?

That explains a lot.

[Brian Swartz]

I think the point HA is that your opinion of giving people 'what they have coming to them' is not universal -- what they got coming to them means different things to different people. You say you typically give a 20 for a $17 bill -- that makes you a fairly generous tipper. Most people would ask for $1 - $3 back.

i'm not gonna give people a handjob just cuz they don't have the skills to do anything more than take food from one place to another.

Aside from this not really be an appropriate job description of the delivery driver's job, a lot of people are not doing it because they have no other skills. And very, very few college kids are drivers. Mostly they are people working a second job, or adults as their primary income.

if there were no more delivery drivers that would create a much larger demand to fill those positions, which would in turn increase wages.

Not so. Increased wages would result in increased costs(as I mentioned) and people by and large would not be willing to pay the kind of price required.

[QuikSand]

1. Does the driver get anything out of the delivery fee?

Having said that, the standard amount in the market I'm in is $2 charge, $.50 goes to the store, $1.50 goes to the driver.

What about the many mainly-delivery places that don't itemize a charge for delivery? (Around here that would mean Papa John's, Pizza Boli, Domino's, and others) Do you have any sense what the drivers there earn? My presumption is it's essentially the same thing -- a buck or two per delivery, plus whatever they drag in tips.

Once again... the notion that when this "charge" gets itemized it suddenly becomes of the highest importance to whom it gets allocated seems silly to me. Either the employees are paid fairly, or they are not. Either the pizza and service costs a fair price, or it does not. We're all free to vote with our feet here.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And very, very few college kids are drivers. Mostly they are people working a second job, or adults as their primary income.


I'm going to take a guess here & figure that's something the skews strongly based on location. Granted, I'm sitting in the middle of a town built around a major university but I've had only two deliveries in the past year from anyone that wasn't a college student, one by an owner & the other by a manager.

[Brian Swartz]

What about the many mainly-delivery places that don't itemize a charge for delivery? (Around here that would mean Papa John's, Pizza Boli, Domino's, and others) Do you have any sense what the drivers there earn? My presumption is it's essentially the same thing -- a buck or two per delivery, plus whatever they drag in tips.

All the Papa John's I've ever seen DO have a specific delivery charge, so I can't comment on that directly. I will say I'd be surprised if it wasn't between $.75 and $2 a delivery, as it's almost always somewhere in that range.

I think I'm just far too dense today to understand your other point :).

I'm going to take a guess here & figure that's something the skews strongly based on location. Granted, I'm sitting in the middle of a town built around a major university but I've had only two deliveries in the past year from anyone that wasn't a college student, one by an owner & the other by a manager.

There are always places where there are special circumstances. Let me put it this way. I've worked in two pretty typical major cities(well actually it would be considered the outskirts of said cities). I've worked in over a dozen store locations, with probably 200 different drivers total. No more than 12-15 have been college-age people. At the current location zero out of about a dozen are of that age, and there are a couple universities, a community college, and two smaller religious colleges within our area. Point was, it's a false stereotype overall. Now when I was in college and ordered with my roomates from Papa John's in a college town -- yeah, college students delivered it. But that's the exception, not the norm.

[Anthony]

I think the point HA is that your opinion of giving people 'what they have coming to them' is not universal -- what they got coming to them means different things to different people. You say you typically give a 20 for a $17 bill -- that makes you a fairly generous tipper. Most people would ask for $1 - $3 back.


well, if the bill comes to like $17.90something, he's still getting whatever the change is from that $20 bill. that is more due to me not wanting to do the math in my head as to what the tax is and what the tip should be as a result of the tax. if that makes me generous then that's an unwanted biproduct of my laziness.


Not so. Increased wages would result in increased costs(as I mentioned) and people by and large would not be willing to pay the kind of price required.

the delivery guy isn't concerned with how the store owner needs to make up for increased wages. regardless, you don't get paid a lot to deliver cuz you're doing something that people could easily do themselves. i did away with my landscapers this year because while i was expecting complete upkeep of my property (taking care of dry spots or areas with thinning grass) what they were doing was essentially mowing my lawn. i don't have a green thumb, but if the basic gist of the service they were gonna provide was doing something i can do myself then i had no need for them. i can mow my own lawn, i don't have the expertise to make it thrive in areas that require more attention. of the whole pizza equation, the delivery guy is the easiest to eradicate. they don't make the pizza nor do they serve it. store owner would basically say its not worth it to have delivery guys because the increased costs needed to attract someone to staff that position would drive customers away.

[Anthony]

I'm going to take a guess here & figure that's something the skews strongly based on location. Granted, I'm sitting in the middle of a town built around a major university but I've had only two deliveries in the past year from anyone that wasn't a college student, one by an owner & the other by a manager.

ditto. don't live near a university, but i've yet to see anyone who looks much older than their early 20s. i can count on 3 fingers the # of times i've seen an adult deliver my food.

[JonInMiddleGA]

but i've yet to see anyone who looks much older than their early 20s.

This reminded me to clarify something about what I said too.

When I said college students, I meant college students, not just college-aged kids. I've made enough small talk with them to know they're enrolled at UGA & were indeed students.

[Brian Swartz]

regardless, you don't get paid a lot to deliver cuz you're doing something that people could easily do themselves.

People are paying for convenience. A lot of people equate convenience with need(just look at the size of the fast-food industry if you need convincing of that, and the comparative price with preparing same food yourself). This is why the delivery guy isn't really the easiest to eradicate -- a sizable percentage of our customers either don't want to or can't(no transportation) come get their food. We either deliver it or they don't get it. It's not as small a proportion of the overall clientele as you probably think.

Obviously it isn't your average delivery guy's concern to deal with the store's bottom line -- I would discussing what the effect would be.

[Anthony]

This reminded me to clarify something about what I said too.

When I said college students, I meant college students, not just college-aged kids. I've made enough small talk with them to know they're enrolled at UGA & were indeed students.

LOL, i swear, the difference in culture based on region - i barely look the delivery guy in the eyes.

[Anthony]

People are paying for convenience. A lot of people equate convenience with need(just look at the size of the fast-food industry if you need convincing of that, and the comparative price with preparing same food yourself). This is why the delivery guy isn't really the easiest to eradicate -- a sizable percentage of our customers either don't want to or can't(no transportation) come get their food. We either deliver it or they don't get it. It's not as small a proportion of the overall clientele as you probably think.

Obviously it isn't your average delivery guy's concern to deal with the store's bottom line -- I would discussing what the effect would be.

hey dude, you don't need me to tread on you. you're making what i assume is easy money doing something people could 9x out of 10 do themselves, far be it for me to knock it. keep banging playa.

[Brian Swartz]

I swear HA is looking more and more like the prototypical delivery customer every time he posts in this thread.

[st.cronin]

Papa Murphy's ftw.

[JonInMiddleGA]

people could 9x out of 10 do themselves

Careful not to mix up "could" with "want to" or even "are willing to".

I haven't cut a blade of grass since I was in my 20's.

[Anthony]

I swear HA is looking more and more like the prototypical delivery customer every time he posts in this thread.

apparently i fall in the generous tipper category. regardless, i don't want to hear your hopes and dreams - just give me my fucking pizza, take some pocket change for your troubles and be on your way.

and its not like i don't smile and say thank you. i just ensure i make the delivery portion of my dining the quickest part. you seem like a decent guy so i wish you the best.

sincerely,

HA

[MJ4H]

Alright as good a place as any.

Got an online only coupon here for 2 mediums, breadsticks, and cinnamon sticks + 2 liter. ONLINE ONLY. K? Cool.

I want a pepperoni and a barbecue pizza. Sounds easy right? Apparently there is no option for barbecue pizza on the online order. I called pizza hut and they dont have a clue. Maybe someone here that works for them knows? I just had them put in the order manually at the call center and they did it. Just would like to know for the future.

[Brian Swartz]

Not every store sells the same products. Some uncommon ones(like barbecue) are not in the online option for that reason.

[Joe]

LOL, i swear, the difference in culture based on region - i barely look the delivery guy in the eyes.

same

[mrsimperless]

Tipping my delivery drivers generously has everything to do with the fact that they know where I live. Although now, unfortunately, they may think I'm ballin.

[vtbub]

I have 8 pizza places 5 blocks from my house. I tip on speed of delivery. Customary $3 on a 30-45 minute delivery and less the longer I wait.

[JeeberD]

Around here the vast majority of delivery drivers are adult, at least in my experience.

Oh, and I always tip $3-4. As someone who has lived off of tips in the past, I know how it is...

[Flasch186]

Careful not to mix up "could" with "want to" or even "are willing to".

I haven't cut a blade of grass since I was in my 20's.

here here.

I held on strong to the lawn people during our household budget adjustments.