To give you an idea of the prices, I just ordered a sandwich and a pizza. It's $35.

Aarrgh! I tipped him again!

I think you have to tip. Either that, or go pick it up.

Some places the only payment the delivery guys get is the $3 delivery charge. Sometimes the charge goes to the company and the delivery guy is getting an hourly plus a per delivery or an hourly plus mileage.

Either way if your into tipping delivery guys it should be above and beyond the charge.

Yeah, yeah. I tipped 'em. It just bugs the hell out of me that they're the only place in the city that I know of who still has a delivery fee. Most places have a fee if it's a small order (under $10 or whatever) but not Magic Oven.

It never occured to me that the $3 might be their only pay. I think that would be illegal but what do I know.

They sure as hell make a mean tandoori potatoe pizza, though:

tandoori potatoes
herb tomato sauce
ginger
green chilies
red onion
coriander
mozzarella

Mmm.

I think I'm just cranky being home alone on a Sat night. Yeah, that's it.

You're paying some one to bring you food, and you're looking for justification to pay him as little as possible? Umkay...

But all those old rumors about folks spittin' in the soup at Shoney's hadda start somewhere.

erm, potato. not potatoe.

On preview, so... paulsc, do you tip the pizza guy $6?

It never occured to me that the $3 might be their only pay. I think that would be illegal but what do I know.

Essentially they are working as a piece work contractor. At a busy place and with a good dispatcher you could be making 4-6+ deliveries per hour and about 50% of people will tip. Your Purolator/Loomis guy is probably getting paid the same way. Every couple of weeks or so you'll get an outrageous tip from some drunk. It's a lot better than minimum wage, especially if you enjoy driving.

You may be right, Mitheral. I'm gonna check into it as now I'm curious. But if I find out the restaurant's keeping that $3 and the guy's just getting by on tips I'm gonna be pissed.

And now I'm double curious. How much do you folks tip delivery people?

$5 on a $25 order is pretty standard (20%), but our brick oven pizza joint is just down the block, so usually, I just go get it myself. That way, it's still steamin' when it hits our table.

I normally tip $3 or so (more if it's more than just a pizza or one meal), on top of any delivery charges. I just try to avoid ordering from places that charge extra for delivery, or else figure it's a laziness tax and forget about it.

I've worked as a waitress as places that gave no money other than tips. Whether or not it's legal is rather secondary to whether or not it's common.

Wow, never heard of tipping 20% on delivered food before. I can completely understand it in a restaurant as they're making multiple trips, filling water glasses, carrying breakables and hot plates, taking orders, remembering stupid crap that customers request, etc etc. But for carrying a pizza box? Never would have occured to me. I usually just round it up to an even dollar that makes the tip $2.50 - $3.50. I rarely order more than 1 pizza. (The one I just got was $34.70 with the sandwich and I gave $38).

Plus, if you do it the percentage way the guy that works at the shitass pizza place (large is $12) gets a smaller tip than the guy at the gourmet place where the large is $30. Hardly seems fair. Box is the same. Whereas in a fancy restaurant the service is (supposed to be) of a higher caliber.

Oh, it was $34.70 with the $3 delivery fee included so presumably he ended up with $6.30.

dobbs, it's your money, and your pizza delivery guy's spit. You do what you want, and I'll do what seems prudent.

I'd ask if the dude gets the three bucks or not. Three bucks is, IMHO, a reasonable tip. Plenty of people kick in a dollar or less, so three is solid. Six bucks is a bit much, although if I order food during a snowstorm or something I try to kick in a few more bucks "the delivery guy is schlepping for me" tax.

I tip anyone who brings food to my door $5. It's always the same guys delivering, and I figure the next time, I'll get my food faster. Plus, just in case they're some kind of sicko, I figure if I tip well, they'll leave my food alone.

When I delivered pizza there was a $3 delivery charge from the company that I never saw any piece of. I appreciated all tips. $2 was standard at the time (10+ years ago). $3 was nice. $5 was awesome and usually meant the customer was drunk or had the hots for me.

Tip big if your order sucks - like 15 pizzas + drinks, or it's delivered to someplace with no lights/ visible addresses/ street signs. Scary dogs/gangsters &/or construction crap in the pathway in the middle of the night deserve extra, too, imo.

p.s. this was Round Table. Higher end than Dominos, not so high as the local gourmet place.

18%. 20% (or more) in restaurants, but the delivery boy (or girl) isn't refilling my iced tea and bussing my table.

Oh, and $20 if it's a delivery girl and she flashes me.

I tip on delivery the same as if I'm tipping in a restaurant -- in the neighborhood of 20%. Seriously, the day I have to nickel and dime the guy bringing me my food because I'm too fucking lazy to cook for myself that night is the day I sign away my soul. (Then again, having worked for tips myself and dating someone who works for tips himself makes me a mite sensitive on this subject. In fact, I consider how someone tips to be a surprisingly reliable indicator of how basically decent they are as a person.)

What scody said. If you can afford Magic Oven prices, dobbs, you can afford to throw a couple of bucks the pizza deliverer's way.

Also what small_ruminant said. The 'carrying a pizza box' part of the delivery is only the part you see. A lot more than that goes in to making sure your gourmet pizza gets delivered safely to your door.

Thanks, all, for your comments; very interesting.

scody, I agree with you about the tipping reflecting the person--and I feel the same way about people who nitpick when divying up the bill, especially when in large groups (I prefer to just split it evenly, regardless of who had what). Few things drive me as crazy as spending ridiculous amounts of time figuring that shit out. But 20% for carrying a box to my door--I can't imagine I'll ever be comfortable with that.

I'm gonna ask my sister today what she thinks. She was wait staff for almost 15 years and I've seen her chide strangers for poor tipping habits. I suspect she'll agree with me, however, for the logic of "Why should the delivery guy make the same amount as the person who's busting their ass and has to prove themself for the 20%? The delivery guy never has a chance to have his performance reflected in the tip."

A lot more than that goes in to making sure your gourmet pizza gets delivered safely to your door.

No more than the guy delivering the crappy pizza or the KFC or whatever else people order that doesn't cost as much.

My point, dobbs, is that the delivery guy is also busting his ass. You just don't see that part. It's Not Just Carrying A Box To Your Door. Rushing all over the city all night ain't easy.

You should tip any delivery person. Crappy pizza, KFC, whatever else. I used the word 'gourmet' because that's what we're talking about here: you not wanting to tip a hard-working delivery person a few bucks on top of the cost of your gourmet meal.

I never said I didn't want the driver to have a tip. I just wanted to know if that $3 delivery fee was going to my guy or not. IE, was the company charging that because drivers were saying no one was tipping so they built in a gratuity. And I do tip every delivery person, regardless of gourmet or regular or whatever. The discussion, I thought, was whether the guy carrying seven $3 subs or a $12 bucket of chicken should be making less than the guy carrying one $35 pizza. I don't think he should, but based on the 20% thing, he is. (This restaurant has one pizza that's $70 for chrissakes! It's in the same size box as their cheapest pizza, which is $19--why should the guy delivering the more expensive box get a $14 tip and the other guy get $4? Doesn't make any sense.)

In an expensive restaurant, the server (who is making more on the tip because the food is more) is presumably working at a higher caliber than the server at the buffet filling your water glass. The gourmet delivery guy's doing the same job as the regular delivery guy. Why should he earn more?

Also, it seems to me that if a company charges a $3 delivery fee, then $3 is probably the "going rate". IE, a $3 tip to a delivery person is standard. Otherwise, wouldn't they, like restaurants who have a built in gratuity, make it a percentage?

The gourmet delivery guy's doing the same job as the regular delivery guy. Why should he earn more?

So tip 'em all the same. Give 'em all 3 to 5 bucks.

It sounds like what you really have a problem with isn't tipping, it's the delivery fee. You're asking if it's okay to not tip on top of the delivery fee.

Call the Magic Oven and ask who gets to keep the fee. If it's the driver, you're in the clear. If not, give 'em 3 bucks.

As for the delivery fee, if you're 'sick of paying it,' you've got three choices: Either suck it up and pay it or pick up the food yourself or order from somewhere else. Don't try to make up the difference out of the delivery person's pocket.

20% is for the cute waitress who puts up with my nitpicky ordering and keeps my drink full.

Not for some dude to hand me a box.

So is it the cuteness or the keeping the drink full that warrants the tip? What if the delivery guy hands you a box and a nice chilled 2L of your favourite beverage?