/r/TalesFromThePizzaGuy
Hi!
We welcome you with pizza in our arms; please fill out the receipt completely.
NEW TO DELIVERY AND WANT TIPS? (We have this question asked a lot)
You've found the subreddit where we post our amazing Tales From The Pizza Guy, including any and all stories from the heroes of food delivery!
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Rules*
1.) Don't be a dick.
2.) Low-effort question posts such as "What's it like to drive for X company?" or "How much money do you make?" will be removed. These questions get asked quite a bit, so please use the search bar before submitting a question. Validity of a question-based post will be left up to the mods' discretion.
3.) Please refer to stickied discussion posts if you have general questions about food delivery or other food industry related questions. If you have a different question that you want to post, please make sure that it is a story-leading question.
4.) Absolutely no posting of personal information of co-workers, or customers. Not only is this against reddit's site-wide rules, it is incredibly unprofessional and handing out customer info will usually result in immediate job termination. Feel free to talk about yourself, your store, and general location, but leave specifics out. If a redditor can find out who you are by looking through your post history, then so can your employer.
5.) Don't start arguments about tipping, tipping culture, labor, or wages. If you want to have a civil discussion about it, that is fine, but if the discussion breaks Rule 1, we will remove it. This is not the sub for arguments.
6.) Obvious trolling will result in an instant, permanent ban.
7.) Any variation of “kill yourself” or other similar insults will result in an instant ban as well.
8.) No copypasta, obviously fake stories, or pun posts. Refer to Rule 2.
9.) If you don't believe a story, keep it to yourself. This isn't /r/thathappened and "Reddit Truth Police" will be banned immediately. We don't care about your opinions on validity.
10.) No linking to non-reddit forums and no advertising.
11.) No raiding of other forums or subs or ganging up on certain members. Also, try to keep the circle-jerking to a minimum. The downvote button isn't a 'disagree' button. If someone has an unpopular opinion, try to hear them out.
*Rules can change at any time as the moderators deem necessary. Definitions of 'being a dick' are up to the mods' discretion. Racism, general trolling, and verbal abuse are included in that definition.
Breaking of the rules can can have consequences up to and including:
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If you have any problems please message the moderators!
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Cool new sub:
/r/GhostKitchens:
Ghost Kitchens function as production facilities for delivery only restaurants. These Virtual restaurants provide no dine-in service. The food can only be ordered online via apps, hence the term cloud or ghost kitchen.
Check out our sister subreddits!
Love pizza?
/r/Dominos NEW
/r/PizzaHut NEW
Want to share pizza?
Credits:
Header Pizza-guy-Alien/snoo by:/u/KristofferRafn
/r/TalesFromThePizzaGuy
I normally don't work on Fridays, but was going on a vacation next week so I worked Friday so I could have Sunday off. It was a pretty terrible Friday night for money, but it seems like it's always like that when you want to go somewhere.
Around 11, just as I think I'm going to be able to leave we get a little rush, so I take one more run. First stop is to a dorm, so we have to call them to come downstairs. I get no answer to the call, so I send them a text, and if I get no answer I'll just drive by to make sure they aren't out front. About 1/2 way there I get a text that the customer is 'almost dying' from having drank too much that evening. They claim a friend will come out to get the order.
Just as I pull up to the dorm, 2 police cars also pull up, one in front of me, and one behind. I immediately think they're here for my customer. I wait a couple of minutes, and then see an ambulance pulling up in front of the dorm. Now I'm almost 100% that it's for my customer. I pull out of the way so the ambulance can get in, and leave for my final 2 deliveries.
When I get back to the store I regale them with this story, and since they haven't called back and I need to check out we void the order.
I wake up today and there is an text from the customer. The ambulance was indeed for him, and he got hauled to the hospital. He politely asked for a refund, and I told him we did it last night.
Hello all I’ve been a delivery driver for a little bit of time about a year or so on and off and just recently started at papa John’s. Well on 10/15/2024 at 10:30 at night I was on my last delivery of the night and I pulled into the customers drive way and i was out of the road completely. Well after handing them their pizza I was walking back to my truck when I saw headlights rounding this curve at a good speed and then it hit a ditch next to the driveway and flew into the side of my truck as it all was happening I turned and ran from it so I didn’t get hurt but my truck was completely caved in where the suicide door meets the bed. I got his information through the crash report but cannot find any way to call his insurance provider it’s like it doesn’t exist it’s called “peak property and casualty”. And my insurance won’t cover anything because I have minimum coverage and it wasn’t my fault. Also it turns out the whole time I’ve been delivering I haven’t had commercial insurance so now I don’t think the person who hit me has to pay but I’m so confused about all of this and don’t really know what to do any guidance would be helpful as at the moment I’m getting nothing for it lol.
We have a regular who would order just a pizza and wings for delivery. He lived very close. The drivers would argue over going there because "His name sounds black. Black people don't tip." They'd flip a coin over who had to take it. I and some of the non-shitty drivers knew this guy always tipped $20+ for such an easy delivery. This was in 2009. We never said anything because they don't deserve it. Dumbasses.
Edit: we did say something about how fucked up they are, but we never told them how great he tips.
So many customers try to scam for free food.
When I worked at a pizza place we had this lady who would order every week for delivery. When the driver would get there she would look out the window but not come to the door. After a little while she would call the store and say she never got her food. We would deliver her food again and she would say it was cold. When we would offer to bring her another one she would say she didn't want to wait and just compensate her by bringing her the remade pizza for free next week.
She knew this is how we handled situations and would do this every week without fail so she would forever get a free pizza.
I called her out next time she ordered. I told her she has 3 minutes to get to the door or we are leaving and we will not be returning and she will not be getting a free one next week. She was warned if she does it again I will flag her account as banned.
So of course she pulls the whole, "this isn't how you treat customers!" I reminded her that customers pay for things. She is not a customer, she is a scam artist. She costs us money so we would benefit from banning her. She relented and continued to order weekly and behaved, thankfully.
I’ve been working as a delivery driver for about 2 or 3 months now for Pizza Hut, had a few interesting interactions and sketchy situations but never like this. To preface this there is a rule that if you ever are sketched out or uncomfortable with your delivery, you can turn around and not deliver the pizza and get no reproductions. I works nights because as a college student it works better with my schedule, and you get better tips at night because it’s busier. My town has its bad areas, but there’s only one place I’ve made a point to not deliver too and that’s one of the ran down hotels because of the crimes that happen there.
Moving on, I had a delivery come out for an area downtown not too far from where I grew up. I’ve also delivered on this street two other times, it’s not a great area but I wasn’t worried about it because I’m familiar with the area and it was only 9pm. I get the delivery all bagged up and get in my car so I can leave. I’m usually on the phone with my best friend when I’m delivering, she keeps me entertained and I also prefer to have someone otp with me because I’m a young female and this world can be scary. I drive downtown and am needing to turn left, but the car behind me is riding my bumper so I wait to turn at the next street. I’m turning and I start hearing gunshots, so I take my earbud out and put my friend on my car speaker so I can hear clearer. I thought it was just somebody messing around shooting bc people do that all the time, so I just kept going abt my business and drove back to the street I was supposed to turn to originally when I missed my turn. I got to the stop sign and saw a man walk in front of my car and cross the road, and when looking to see if the road was clear so I could turn I saw a body laying in the middle of the street. The man had been shot several times. I’m processing what I’m seeing out loud to my friend and she was like well maybe he’s just laying low and ducking bc he heard gunshots. Either way I didn’t want to stick around so I hurry and speed the other way and I see the guy I saw walk in front of my car and he turns his head and looks back at the scene then at me and starts walking faster. I hurry and drive past him and tell my friend I’ll call her back, and call 911. I decide I’m not taking the delivery because it’s a street over from the guy who was just shot and I’m not risking my safety for a pizza. So I dial 911 and start driving back to the store. I give the dispatcher my info and everything I saw and she sends the cops to where I told her. She hangs up with me, and I call my boyfriend and my mom to tell them what just happened.
I used to do stuff with the fire department so I’ve seen dead bodies before and different things of that nature, but it’s different when you see a call on a screen and know what to expect versus it happening right there by you out of no where. I was shaking so bad when I got back to the store. I told my manager and she cancelled the order and my coworkers were laughing about it. What shook me up the most about the whole thing is the fact I was about to turn down the street where the guy was about to be shot, but the person behind me was riding my bumper so I couldn’t turn and had to wait. But what if that car wasn’t riding my bumper and I did turn down that street? I could’ve been in the middle of all that happening. I’m okay, and I’m glad I am but it’s just crazy how fast things happen. The guy didn’t make it, but they have a description of the suspect so hopefully they catch him..
This was from about 2 years ago, before the chain I worked for at the time had fully switched to doordash (or at least before my store got and utilized the upgrade.) A couple things to note at the time we had a way to change the promise time, but we were anticipating a system change so it would not automatically change the promise time when we got more or less orders than we could manage, if I needed to change the delivery or pickup time I'd have to do it manually as needed. We were extremely short staffed, I never had a cook, and at the time except for on the weekend, I only had one driver as a closing manager.
For whatever reason we just get unbearably busy one night. I get 5 orders and I go ahead and switch the promise time to an hour. 10 orders an hour and a half. This keeps going, and people keep ordering. Eventually, my promise time is 4 hours for delivery, and an hour and a half for pick up. This wasn't me trying to get people to quit ordering this was me being honest with people. Our store had quadrants on a delivery map that was about 6 miles across from its furthest points. I was giving my driver 5 at a time disregarding doubles, singles, triples whatever. I gave him the next five that needed to go out, I pre planned his route that would take the quickest and I wouldn't see him for another 30-45 minutes.
Meanwhile in store, I would make 6-7 orders at a time before I had to run to the other end of the store to catch them coming out. I barely had any time to help the customer, but I always made sure that if I stepped away nothing would burn. Obviously the phones were going off the hook, but I couldn't answer them, even if me answering would mean my situation would have gotten easier because of people canceling, there was just too many orders.
And occasionally I would have people coming in 2 hours after they had ordered confused as to why their order hadn't even been started yet, with them I just prioritized their order just to get them out of the store but often only had to skip one or two orders to get theirs out.
And that's what happened when a man walks in very obviously upset. And he starts going into me how he's been waiting 2 hours and he checked his promise time and how is it four hours and this is ridiculous and how we didnt even answer the phone necause he wanted to cancel. I'm the kind of guy where I match energies. And I just went off on the guy.i showed him my delivery screen how there were like 3 deliveries that were showing ready to deliver but had already left the store as i was ghosting doubles (officially we could not send triples), 1 or 2 that were in the oven and then the sea of orders that I had not been even touched (I think at my peak it was something like 25 orders). That I couldn't just stop making orders to answer the phone, that I wasn't answering any of the people calling that evening. And that it was just me and one driver and we'd either get it out when we got it out or I could make it right then and there.
10 minutes later he received his food and he left, and I would have thought nothing more of it had 2 hours later when it had started to die down and the guy returns with a card where he apologized, inside the card was a $50 gift card to carrabas (it was like 4 different resteraunts that's just where me and my family used it at).
Labor was like 4% iirc.
I took a delivery tonight where the customer mixed up two addresses. The order was placed online and the customer was ordering for her daughter at dance practice. The delivery was for their apartment’s address but put the dance studio’s suite number.
After not answering the door or their phone, I decided to leave the order at their door of the apartment. Told my boss and when the customer called to ask where the food was, all parties realized the mistake.
This happened at a pizza place for a carryout. We received a paid carryout order under the name "Sex Addict Pussydick." It would've immediately flagged as a prank if it hadn't already been paid for. So, while we giggled at the name, we waited to see who would come to pick it up. I was expecting a coworker or someone messing around.
It didn’t take long before a young, college-aged girl came in, clearly embarrassed. We could tell something was off because she paced in front of the door a few times before coming in. I asked, "Pickup or ordering?"
She said she was there to pick up and pulled out her phone to show me the order number. It was that one. I knew at that moment I had to play along.
I said, "I’m going to need a name. We have a lot of carryouts, so can I get the name?" She started laughing, putting her face in her hands.
"I lost a bet," she said.
I didn’t relent.
"Sorry, but I need a name. Company policy." At this point, my coworkers were in on it too. The customer was laughing so hard she could barely speak. Finally, through a fit of giggles, she choked out, "Sex Addict."
I handed her the pizza, and that was that. Luckily there wasn't any other customer, otherwise I wouldn't have played along.
I'm applying for a part time job as a delivery driver with Domino's to supplement my income in addition to my office job. How much per hour should I ask for? As base pay, not counting tips or anything like that.
Is anyone else not able to get their tips on their Instant card? I always have to get paid in cash because the money want transfer to my card and my managers don't know why.
I'm curious
Wut?
.....and telling you stupid jokes like "Oh is that pizza mine?!?" or "We'll take it from you!" or "Give me that pizza!"
Nowadays, I just say something slick to get them to stfu.
I will preface this by saying I work for a locally owned non-chain store.
Specifically for delivery, if a customer asks for a refund, do you take the whole order back in exchange? In general we will either remake the order and keep the payment, or refund the payment and take the order back. If it is a repeat customer in good standing then we will generally just process the refund and let them keep it.
We had a customer who ordered two pizzas and a 2-liter, extra crispy. So we make it extra crispy. But it is always difficult to know how much extra crispy, or extra cheese, etc. Well I make the delivery and all is well. But apparently he called back and the owner answered and was being a dick. He said one of the pizzas was fine, but the other wasnt crispy enough. Said either we bring him back his cash, or he will come down to get it.
So I head back out there and he brings out the pizza they did not like. And honestly, not as crispy as the other. So I tell him he needs to bring out the other pizza and the 2-liter. We ended up bargaining and I gave him the the refund for the one pizza.
Do your stores have similar policies?
I consider my time working in pizza to be some of the best and worst times of my life, but eating Domino's is still nostalgic for me.
I worked for Domino's around the time the Marble Cookie Brownie came out and I still remember prepping those damn things 12 at a time in the back. Like rocks lmao. And yet I order Domino's usually when I want my pizza fix.
Is eating at the chain / place you used to work for traumatic for you or nostalgic?
The most unusual one that I saw was an online article from the early 2000s. Some kid working at a Domino's in Oregon was making deliveries in a 1971 Ford Galaxie 500 four-door- a hulking Detroit land yacht weighing over 2 tons and powered by a 400 cubic inch engine. I can't even imagine how much of his salary and tips went towards fuel costs on that beast.
Is it possible to keep pizzas warm let alone drive
When the insiders are getting pounded with orders, it’s like 90° in there, kitchen’s a mess, customers waiting for their food, etc, it’s so nice being able to walk right out the door and leave it all behind while you get to drive around delivering pizzas.
Delivered in high school and college 2016-2019 for dominos and papa johns
Let me paint a quick picture for you: you’re in a suburb on a cool fall night delivering some pizzas. As you pull into the house you see all the halloween and fall decorations up. You ring, the mom answers the door and the kids scream THE PIZZA MAN THE PIZZA MAN! She gives you a $10 tip on a $30 order and head back to the store feeling amazing.
I miss when times were simpler man, delivering pizzas really was the best job.
For context, At times I take deliveries if we're slammed. I don't like to but tonight was interesting and a bit different. I WALKED to this delivery.
I went outside to hear the full conversation of a person ordering delivery over the phone to Domino's to a place across the street where a group was setting up shop to watch and do fireworks. Part of the conversation was "Do you have a minimum delivery range?" I immediately knew of course they wanted this pizza to be delivered. Allrrriiiiggghhhtttyyy then.
I went inside to assist with the cut table after taking out trash and washing my hands. My co worker rolled their eyes and went "Can you take this delivery? It's literally across the street. you can walk.. I mean.. I can SEE them!"
I gladly took the delivery across the street. I literally walked. Wasn't going to waste my gas.
Just to clarify... Yes.. the customer paid the delivery fee for me to WALK ACROSS THE STREET.... No tip. Presumably why the driver chose not to do the delivery, I'm normally an insider so I don't get loads of tips. I came back and said yeah they didn't give a tip and she rolled her eyes and went "Assholes.."
I felt like I was losing my mind
I used to drive for a little chain that made their own dough in house. My car was involved in an accident and they let me come in as a cook instead. I'd already made pizzas for a year at that point at another place, so it wasn't anything difficult, and they constantly praised how the pizzas I made looked.
One day a higher up decided to come by, I don't remember why. I was in the process of stretching dough onto the pans, and there he was breathing down my neck, telling me I was doing it wrong and demanding I redo it.
So I stepped back, and said, "you do it."
Intending on showing me up, I imagine, the guy grabbed some dough and tried to stretch it. It turned out bad, so he tossed it in the trash and grabbed another.
This man did this NINE times. He wasted over half a tray of dough before he was satisfied.
Its been years and honestly I don't remember much of that place, but I think about that sometimes.
To All:
I would like to provide my sincere thank-you for your work. I order delivery frequently from pizza places. Regardless of the weather, the time, traffic, etc., y'all always come through! I myself worked as a delivery driver for a couple years, and I know that it's a wild, unpredictable, and difficult job. Rest assured that your work is appreciated! Tip every time!
I'm having a rough time applying to jobs right now and am looking into doing pizza delivery again, only problem is my car is kinda a beater and I don't think it could handle the stress of doing deliveries. I know dominos provides a car to do deliveries in, but are there any other chains I should look into that also provide a car too?