Pizza Delivery Myths Revisited

Everyone has ordered pizza delivery at some time or another. But what happens behind the scenes to get that pizza to your door? Here's an in-depth look at the entire life of your pizza, from a slab of dough to your kitchen table.

Myth
Pizzas are pre-made at a factory, and simply warmed as needed.

Fact
When you order a pizza, a dough ball is chosen based on the size of pizza you want. The dough will be tossed and formed to the correct shape and size, topped with sauce, then passed on to the make line. At the make line, a pre-measured amount of cheese is added. If there are any extra toppings, the pizza will be sent down to the next person for them to add the correct toppings. Once the pizza is ready, it is placed in the oven.

On average, a pizza is 20 seconds old when it goes into the oven.

Myth
Pizzas are made ahead of time and left to sit on the rack until it's ordered.

Fact
Pizzas don't lend themselves to the same methods that other fast food restaurants use. As a pizza ages, the curst hardens, the cheese thickens, and the overall quality is lowered. If you are unsure about the age of your pizza, feel the outer crust. If it's soft, then you can rest assured that it is less than 30 minutes old

Myth
When a pizza arrives 45 minutes after it is ordered, that means it is 45 minutes old.

Fact
Due to the sheer volume of orders, it's not possible for the crew to make each pizza immediately after a call is received. Depending on how many orders are ahead of yours, it may be 20 minutes before the crew even starts on your pizza.

Myth
If my order is wrong, the delivery driver is at fault.

Fact
With few exceptions, drivers only walk in, grab the boxes, and walk out. Drivers are not generally licensed to handle the raw food, so they have to trust the make line and oven crew to ensure that the order is correct as it goes out the door.

Myth
If my delivery arrives late, the driver is at fault.

Fact
There are many circumstances that can contribute to a driver arriving later than expected. The most common reason is a backup within the store.

Other factors that determine the timely arrival of your order include traffic, properly marked roads, and properly marked house numbers.

Myth
If the delivery driver calls me, he is lost.

Fact
Many drivers will call ahead of time to ensure the customer will be home at the scheduled delivery time. Occasionally a road name or address will be mislabeled, and the driver will have to call in order to get the correct address.

Myth
If I refuse the order, the driver has to pay for it.

Fact
If an order is refused for any reason, whether it's not satisfactory, a prank, or any other reason, the driver is not at all responsible for the cost.

Myth
My local pizza shop charges extra for delivery, so I can tip less or not at all.

Fact
The delivery charge rarely goes to the driver. The delivery charge normally covers the extra cost that the store has to pay, such as insurance, hot bags and car toppers, and the driver's hourly wage.

Myth
The store pays good enough that no tip is expected.

Fact
Very few stores pay delivery drivers anything above minimum wage. They are allowed to do this through the "tip allowance", which means the store can force the driver to make up the difference in the wage through tips.

Despite the fact that most stores advertize $12-$20 per hour, that figure includes tips. Without tips, the average delivery driver makes $6 per hour, and a small per-delivery reimbursement for gasoline.

Myth
Letting the driver keep the $1 change out of a $20 bill is an acceptable tip.

Fact
The recommended tip is 15%, just like any dine-in restaurant. It may be appropriate to increase the tip for exceptional service or bad weather, or decrease it for bad service. However, it is appropriate to tip at least enough to cover the gas used no matter what the circumstances are.

Myth
Delivery drivers treat good tippers good and bad tippers bad.

Fact
Drivers will talk to each other about who tips well and who does not. Some even carry a log of addresses where they have gotten exceptionally high or low tips, and will adjust their service accordingly.

If an order comes up for someone who tips well, that order is always delivered before the others, regardless of the quoted delivery time.

Myth
The driver didn't give me coin change, so I don't have to tip next time.

Fact
Drivers rarely carry coin change. With the number of orders they take each day, it would only slow them down if they had to count out coins for each and every delivery.

If you insist on paying with exact change, please either have exact change ready, or pay via another method accepted by the store, such as a credit card or personal check.

Myth
If I don't have any cash, I can't tip the driver.

Fact
It is possible to tip with just about any method of payment. If paying by check, simply fill out the total including the order cost, and your intended tip. If paying via a credit card, the slip will include a line on which to write the tip and updated total amounts.

Tune in next week for my article entitled How to Receive Better Service on Your Next Pizza Delivery.