[loopy]

We had a discussion on tipping a few years back over at nb.  I'm kinda curious how peoples views on it may have changed.

Tonight, we ordered pizza from pizza-hut.  It has a 2.50 delivery charge.  2.50 cents on a 10 dollar pizza.  I told him that was his tip, as I was paying for the delivery he didnt actually do anything "extra".  I know that makes me a jackass and that he is getting screwed in the deal.  That does not change the fact that paying me 25% of the total as a fee is nothing more than them trying to get me to subsidize their lack of paying their employees.

I normally tip ok in a restaurant.  up to 20%, sometimes just a bare min or nothing if the service really really sucks. 

I'm wondering what others think of tipping, especially since we had such a heated debate with passionate viewpoints last time. 

[glitterbug]

Tip the pizza delivery person. If you want to make a statement, vote with your wallet (order from somewhere else) and contact pizzahut management and let them know. All you did was screw the lowest guy on the totem pole. You have a bright future in management 

[weazletoe]

I tip delivery guys 4-5$. When we go out, at least 20%, unless the service really sucked. Even then I still leave something.

[dean]

I've got two daughters that their pay is based on tips so I've heard it all, what most people don't realize is that waiters/waitresses in actual dine-in "restaurants" get paid only about $2.25 per hour and its LEGAL because its expected of customers to give tips.  With inflation, the proper amount today is 15%.  Now... the pizza delivery guy... he's still making at least minimum wage per hour, the tip which many pizza joints automatically attach to any delivered pizza is split between the store and the driver.  So... depends whether I tip the driver extra or not, if he gets there Quick... yeh... if not then No, but I still only give them about 5% now because I hate it when Any store automatically attaches a tip onto my order.  In fact if I know any "restaurant" that does it... I Will Not go there because their waiters or waitresses can be s***ty and they still get their tip.  Nuff said?  Jmo....

Believe it or not one of my daughters comped a family in Ohio over $75 to make their meal more enjoyable because they had two little kids that were crying and disturbing other customers... the people left my daughter Zilch for a tip.  Now tell my daughter or me that a pizza delivery driver needs something extra when they're At Least getting state minimum wage and they deliver within 5 miles average?  Maybe if they drive like Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt... then yeh, otherwise their tip was already calculated in and I paid for it already.

[dean]

Btw.... when I first saw the title of this thread, I thought somebody might be making a joke about cow-tipping.      Seriously.  If you haven't done it you gotta try it!    

[a10t2]

Now tell my daughter or me that a pizza delivery driver needs something extra when they're At Least getting state minimum wage and they deliver within 5 miles average?  Maybe if they drive like Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt... then yeh, otherwise their tip was already calculated in and I paid for it already.

Pizza drivers are not paid minimum wage. They get "minimum wage" in the same sense that a waiter or any other tipped employee gets minimum wage. If their tips don't come up to $7.25 an hour *for an entire pay period*, the employer is required to make up the difference.

None of the national chains actually pay the driver the entire "delivery charge." The driver is getting somewhere in the $0.50-$1.00 range per delivery, to subsidize the costs of operating a vehicle. It costs of minimum of about 30 cents a mile to operate a compact car. For the majority of deliveries, if the customer doesn't tip, the driver is effectively paying money out of pocket.

The odds of a late delivery being the driver's fault are generally pretty low.

I agree with glitterbug: all you did was punish someone who has no input in the process and hates the "delivery charge" more than you do. On top of which, you made yourself memorable - in a bad way - to someone who is alone with your food.

Disclosure: I deliver pizza for a living.

[tygo]

I generally tip 5 - 20% when eating out depending on service.  The 5-10% range is pretty rare and reserved when I've been specifically pissed off about some aspect of the service.

I get pretty annoyed tipping delivery drivers when I get charged a delivery fee, but I recognize that they're not getting it and tip them anyway, my annoyance being more at the restaurant than the driver.  I'm probably at around 10% on deliveries.

[dean]

a10t2, if you told me you homebrewed when you delivered my pizza... I'd tip you extra for sure!    Seriously, I've offered some drivers to stop over for some homebrew, none ever show up though.    But I will say this too.... at least the store makes it up so you get the state minimum wage for pizza drivers,  my daughters don't have get that even.  I'm serious, I've seen their paychecks because they rented from me at times and some weeks they made a little over $80 and they had to drive to work too.

I'm not doubting you, don't get me wrong.... I think Pizza Hut and all these "corporations" have Screwed you and expect us to pick up the tab.  Dude, you have no idea of the "word" I'd like to say in place of #$&% Pappa John's or Pizza Hut, etc.  I don't go to them anymore... I buy from Mom & Pop type pizza shops when I buy and I usually get treated better too.  Large employers want Loyalty but they treat their employees like s*** and they think the average Joe is too stupid to know the difference.

If you can get away for a few days, come up here and drink some beer with me brother, I'll put you up and you'll eat fresh beef too.  

Edited to add: If you look at my past posts you'll see I said 15% is the proper amount... so I've always given drivers at least 5% on top of the 10% fee I was charged.     And if you're Really lucky.... you'll eat high speed government beef.   

[mtbrewer]

Now tell my daughter or me that a pizza delivery driver needs something extra when they're At Least getting state minimum wage and they deliver within 5 miles average?  Maybe if they drive like Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt... then yeh, otherwise their tip was already calculated in and I paid for it already.

Pizza drivers are not paid minimum wage. They get "minimum wage" in the same sense that a waiter or any other tipped employee gets minimum wage. If their tips don't come up to $7.25 an hour *for an entire pay period*, the employer is required to make up the difference.

None of the national chains actually pay the driver the entire "delivery charge." The driver is getting somewhere in the $0.50-$1.00 range per delivery, to subsidize the costs of operating a vehicle. It costs of minimum of about 30 cents a mile to operate a compact car. For the majority of deliveries, if the customer doesn't tip, the driver is effectively paying money out of pocket.

The odds of a late delivery being the driver's fault are generally pretty low.

I agree with glitterbug: all you did was punish someone who has no input in the process and hates the "delivery charge" more than you do. On top of which, you made yourself memorable - in a bad way - to someone who is alone with your food.

Disclosure: I deliver pizza for a living.

+10,000
My kid delivered pizza for a little over a year, not a chain restaurant. The store owner started a delivery fee of 2.50, guess where that went, yup his pocket. A 5 mile trip is actually 10 miles for the driver, the miles add up quick. Think about it you start your car 10-15 times a day what happens? Yes, you burn through starters my boys car it was a $200 part. Lucky for him, i know how to work on cars, so he only had to buy parts. When his clutch went out, that would have $500 parts and labor, instead of $150. You have to take that kind of stuff into consideration. Not to mention what the kid could do to your pizza, next time you get him to deliver. I take very good care of the people handling my food. Basically, if you can't afford a tip cook your own damn food.

[capozzoli]

What did the leper say to the prostitute when he was through?

Hey baby, keep the tip. 

[dean]

Agreed that if you Won't tip.... cook your own damn food for a while.    If you can't tip... thats another story, my kids grew up knowing what that was like and thats why my daughters comp people sometimes, so they can tip or if they can't at least they know somebody cared and paid attention.

If I delivered pizza, I'd drive the oldest, junkiest piece of s*** I could find just to piss the owner off.  

[dean]

What did the leper say to the prostitute when he was through?

Hey baby, keep the tip.  

You left a tip!     Ooops... backwards.    

[a10t2]

But I will say this too.... at least the store makes it up so you get the state minimum wage for pizza drivers,  my daughters don't have get that even.

They should, or their employer is breaking the law. If they make $2.25 an hour, and their tips don't average out to $5.00/hr, the restaurant has to make up the difference. http://www.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm

I get offered beer every once in a while. Of course, it's always BMC. You better believe if someone offered me a homebrew I'd be all over it.

[dean]

I'm gonna check the link you gave, my daughters never got it and I'll send it to them.  Is that the law in every state? 

[a10t2]

That's the federal law. States can set their own minimum wage laws, but they have to be as much or more than the feds.