How Much to Tip For Pizza Delivery?

Tipping has become a customary part of North American society. Usually when someone performs a service for us we leave a gratuity. Most people are aware when to tip but how much to tip is always a difficult subject.
The amount you should tip varies from person to person, job to job, city to city and state to state. However, there are some general guidelines that work in most situations.

When it comes to the pizza delivery driver how much to tip is determined by a number of different factors. The absolute golden rule to remember though is that you should always tip the pizza delivery driver. They are providing you an invaluable service and deserve to be remunerated accordingly.

Why Tip The Driver?

Pizza delivery drivers have a demanding job. Not only do they have to locate homes all over the city, usually at night, but do so in a timely fashion.

They deal with winter driving conditions, pouring rain, traffic and a list of other in-store duties. They use their own vehicles (not company cars as a lot of people assume) and have to pay for maintenance and commercial insurance.

In the course of a regular delivery they expend a lot of energy and time finding your house or apartment. Many houses do not have visible numbers, especially at night, and in a lot of cities parking is non-existent forcing the driver to walk with your order no matter what the weather conditions. Apartment buildings can be a maze and sometimes pets are a hazard to unsuspecting delivery drivers.

While you only see the driver for a few minutes at your door they have spent a significant amount of time and energy to deliver your pizza to you.

On top of this pizza delivery drivers are in danger of being robbed every time they leave the store. In the U.S. in particular, the government considers pizza delivery a hazardous occupation. This is due to statistics that show pizza delivery drivers are third on the list for being murdered at work after police officers and taxi drivers.

For all this work the companies that employ drivers pay most minimum wage. Drivers, just like restaurant servers, rely on tips to earn a decent living.

How Much To Tip?

Tipping amounts vary slightly depending on the region. For a place like Ajax, Toronto you would expect to tip approximately the same as for restaurant servers:

• 12-15% is the general rule.

• 20% or more should be given for extraordinary service.

• 10% or less for poor quality service.

• No tip for rude behavior or extremely bad service.

• For orders less than $20 a $3 minimum tip should apply.

• For orders more than $50 a 10% minimum should apply.

• During foul or extreme weather it is considerate to tip a little more. You don’t want to go outside so think about how the driver feels. They have to deal with excessive heat, snow, freezing rain, windstorms etc.

• If you live a long way from the store you should also tip a little more. One or two dollars extra being the average. This is the polite thing to do when you know it will take the driver at least 20-30 minutes to reach your home.

In the end please remember that delivery drivers work hard to provide you with an invaluable service. Most of us order pizza when the weather is bad, usually at night and on the weekend. It is a great convenience and a service we would not have if it weren’t for the delivery drivers.