what's fair

[Full Quiver]

Ok, so I know tipping a waiter or waitress is normally a 15-18% thing more or less based on performance but what about a delivery driver such as a Papa Johns employee?

I ordered lunch for a group of customers yesterday from Jason's Deli. There was a $5-7 delivery fee added to the bill. When the driver arrived with my 2 bags of food, lots of food, he handed me the receipt for me to sign and add the tip. The bill was $216.00 Should I have given him $32- 39 as a tip? My order though expensive was no harder for him to deliver than a $20 order. I gave him $11.

I feel good about that as I am sure he is hourly (note the delivery charge) but surely I am not expected to tip a delivery driver like a waiter/waitress that serves a family for 20-45 minutes at a table.

Any thoughts?

[darylscook]

Ok, so I know tipping a waiter or waitress is normally a 15-18% thing more or less based on performance but what about a delivery driver such as a Papa Johns employee?

I ordered lunch for a group of customers yesterday from Jason's Deli. There was a $5-7 delivery fee added to the bill. When the driver arrived with my 2 bags of food, lots of food, he handed me the receipt for me to sign and add the tip. The bill was $216.00 Should I have given him $32- 39 as a tip? My order though expensive was no harder for him to deliver than a $20 order. I gave him $11.

I feel good about that as I am sure he is hourly (note the delivery charge) but surely I am not expected to tip a delivery driver like a waiter/waitress that serves a family for 20-45 minutes at a table.

Any thoughts?

Delivery drivers do make at least the regular minimum wage (unlike waitresses). I usually tip the driver 2 or 3 bucks when he delivers a couple of pizzas to the house. $11 was an excellent tip and I doubt he expected more; Honestly, that was probably more than he was expecting. For me, $10 bucks would have been appropriate especially if he was courteous and acted like he was pleased to deliver to you guys.

All this is my opinion and mine only. I did deliver pizzas in college.

Daryl

[RamboPreacher]

Delivery drivers do make at least the regular minimum wage (unlike waitresses). ...
Daryl

zactly.
to me a tip is a TIP, based on service.

a waitstaff is paid (salary/paycheck) with these tips in mind. And so I am more likely to tip them more, but not necessarily a certain percentage (based on the place I dine - some places pay at least minimum wage and so i treat them as "delivery", mostly).

As for delivery folk I will tip, but not if a delivery-fee is charged. just me, but the delivery folk are already getting at least an hourly wage and if the place they work for charges trip charge, etc, then I consider that part of their payment.

[dbserv]

Some delivery folks (especially pizza) here in CA, do NOT get minimum wage.

They are paid so much per pizza and have to drive their own vehicle. Without tips, many of them are making less than $4.00 per hour. Because they drive their own vehicle, the chains seem to think that they are "independent contractors" and can be paid by the item.

I don't agree with their interpretation of the IRS code, but I don't currently have any clients in that line of work. If I did, I would be advising them to, once they were hired, point out the illegality of that arrangement and ask for an adjustment to their pay agreement.

In the interim, I try to make sure I tip drivers. Since I am not sitting @ their station and having them wait on me for a period of time, I don't tip my usual 25-30%. However, I normally give them @ least 10% and then 15% if they were exceptionally prompt or courteous.

Just my thoughts, having been a pizza driver before (North Chicago in the 70's in a similar situation).


The worst violators of this are Domino's, Little Ceaser's, and Pizza Hut - @ least in this area.

[oletimer]

Danny, you old tight wad go ahead and tip the whole amount and call it fuel sur-charge.