Where does my Pizza "Delivery Fee" go?

I'm digging on Mellow Mushroom Pizza since moving south. Seems to be a regional chain. Crust is awesome, and they have some great specialty pizzas. Not as good as some mom and pop places I've had over the years, but kicks the shit out of the national chains. It's pretty pricey though.
 
I know this will kind of be off-topic but still pizza related. I really like the Walmart/Sams Club "Take-n-bake" pizzas. I also like getting Sams Club for lunch if I am by one when I am on the road, its like $3.00 for a big slice a 44 oz. soda and a soft pretzel.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Sure, but the poster I was responding to specifically said "some people can't afford delivery, some can." and that's what I was responding to.

Not making any kind of generalization beyond that. If someone truly can't afford $5, they probably shouldn't be eating out (or carryout/delivery) period as it's cheaper to make your own food (and healthier).

And you must be getting some hellacious coupons to get pizza from the chains for $5-6. I hardly ever get any for anything other than cheese or 1 topping for $10 or so around here.

And I seldom use them as I don't really care for the chain places, so I'm usually getting $15-25 specialty pizzas from local chains/restaurants.

As for the time to drive to the store for frozen pizza--it's something you just buy when doing grocery shopping and have in the freezer for whenever you want it. If you don't have one and want a pizza, then yeah, delivery or pick up is just as easy.[/QUOTE]

I hope you realize that you sound ignorant by stating " If someone truly can't afford $5, they probably shouldn't be eating out". On another note, Domino's in my area are ran by corporate but are Franchise owned and some don't offer the same deals (or accept the same coupons) that others do and also take this into consideration..the fact that food doesn't cost the same everywhere. It varies just like gas prices and other such things. I get "hellacious" coupons and deals because I shop smart and don't just buy the first thing I see. Not everyone goes grocery shopping or even pays attention to the idea of 'hey lets get a frozen pizza' and even then, why would you spend $5-6 when you could get a fresh baked pizza within minutes for the same price at any time you'd like? You're still not convincing me and it's about convenience I suppose.
 
Dominos does have to pay for the liability of having drivers out on the road... which makes the dollar delivery charge a moot point in my opinion.
 
[quote name='intoxicated662']I hope you realize that you sound ignorant by stating " If someone truly can't afford $5, they probably shouldn't be eating out".
[/QUOTE]

It's not ignorant. It's just fiscal sense. If someone is truly broke that they can't afford $5 to tip/delivery, eating out/picking up carry out probably isn't something they should be spending money on

I had hardly any money through most of college and part of grad school--I seldom ate out or picked up carry out. It's a luxury. If I'm struggling to pay bills and living paycheck to paycheck, I not going to be eating out, spending money on carry out etc. I bought the cheapest stuff I could get at the grocery store to make ends meet.

Eating out, picking up carry out etc. should be one of the first things that gets cut if one is on a super tight budget. Saying that isn't ignorant, it's just good fiscal sense. If money's tight, you do without luxurys like eating out/take out, cable, internet at home, buying beer or soft drinks (stick with water) etc. So yeah, if that other poster truly can't afford $5 for delivery, he probably shouldn't be spending the $5-10 or whatever on getting carryout pizza either as you can get much cheaper (and even healthier) meals to make yourself. Stuff like pasta is dirty cheap and goes a long way when money is tight. Add some cheap frozen veggies etc.


As for the other part, yeah if you can get carry out pizza for $5-6 then there's no point in buying a frozen pizza at the grocery store. I've seldom found carryout places that had pizza that was better than the DiGiorno's etc. for that price outside of some big coupons every once in a great while, so consider yourself lucky on that front. Even having plenty of money, I still grab frozen pizzas once a month or so, and don't get delivery or carry out much. Just more convenient to have the pizza to throw in the oven whenever vs. having to pick up or wait for delivery. And I still like to save money! :D
 
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I stopped tipping when they added a delivery charge. They also added the delivery charge about a week after our local Vocelli's closed. Now that I'm in a different area, and about a mile from the Dominos, I just do pickup anyways.
 
I am surprised how many other people are charged a delivery fee. There is only one place i order from that does delivery charge, all the other places its free.
 
[quote name='Ikohn4ever']I am surprised how many other people are charged a delivery fee. There is only one place i order from that does delivery charge, all the other places its free.[/QUOTE]

It's seems most of the chain places do it around here. I know Papa Johns and Pizza Hut do, haven't ordered Dominoes in a long time.

The more local/regional joints don't see to.
 
again, I can afford to pay the $5 but refuse to. I'd rather cut back on going out to a movie, not buying candy or other things like that. Yes, it is a luxury I suppose to eat out but it depends on which person it is. Some people are in school and don't know how to cook much so they just eat out and some of them don't even bother grocery shopping. So to them, it's a must have to eat out in which you consider it a luxury. The way you make it seem is that people should pay $5 regardless and not complain in which someone can say to not use cag for deals and just pay regular price for a game, movie, etc. I mean c'mon, it's cag and there are all sorts of people on here. Not everyone can or wants to pay $5 for tipping I sure as hell don't. Why would you pay someone $5 as a tip when they are doing their job? It's not like they are getting the pizza delivered to you in 15 minutes or less with a guarantee, not like you are getting anything extra out of it or anything. It's all about choice and if you keep that up, pretty soon all the drivers will expect you to pay $5 tip extra and see what else they can get away with. Oh and by the way, digiorno's ain't bad really because it saves you time and all because it takes 15-30 minutes to cook so that is about the same time as delivery would take except u are making it yourself and it is already paid for. But again, not everyone goes grocery shopping and takes that route so it all varies.
 
I know Domino's and Papa John's charge it here for sure (I think it's $1.50 for Domino's, $1.75 for Papa John's), the Pizza Hut isn't close enough to deliver to me. There are also other non-pizza places around that I know have delivery charge as well (and others that don't).

intox - if you're in school you're supposed to be eating ramen noodles.
 
says who? it's like saying if you're an adult you shouldn't be going to toys r us or doing other things that younger people do. not everyone is broke or well off remember, I said it varies.
 
I noticed there's some places around me called $5 pizza. I've never tried them, but I bet when you walk in the door, $5 pizza is for a kids sized cheese.

I haven't had little sleazers in years. Aren't they in Kmarts?

I can't even remember the last time I ordered pizza. I usually make frozen ones.
 
yes some kmarts still have little caesars and I forgot to mention that Hungry Howie's has a deal every monday from 5pm-7pm where you can get a large 1 topping for the price of the time you call. so example, if you call at 5:05pm that will be your price for the lg 1 topping pizza.
 
[quote name='intoxicated662']again, I can afford to pay the $5 but refuse to. I'd rather cut back on going out to a movie, not buying candy or other things like that.
[/QUOTE]

Again, my comment wasn't directed at you, but specifically at the person who said they could not afford the $5, not that they choose not to pay it.

There's nothing wrong with not doing delivery out of principal of not wanting to pay the tip and/or delivery fee and then picking up a pizza yourself instead. That's what one should do instead of stiffing the driver and not tipping.

The only people who should skip the pizza are the one's who truly can't afford the $5. If money's so tight one can't afford $5 at a certain time, then time to cut all luxuries including pizza until the money situation is resolved.
 
As the OP, I just wanted to say thanks for the lively response - and especially the informed commentary frmo those who work/have worked at Dominos. A couple of comments:

Little Ceasars - I LOVED them as a kid, and have a real nostalgic fondness for that place. That being said, as a grown-up who is a little more discerning on taste, I have to admit you get what you pay for when you buy cheap there.

Domino's/Papa Johns/Etc - I'm really surprised that here at CAG, the outrage seems to be a debate between whether or not someone should tip ON TOP OF the delivery fee. You guys don't find it shockingly devious to charge a "delivery fee" that supposedly is to cover driver costs, but often more than half of it is just padding their profit margin? AND...regardless of where you fall on the should/shouldn't you tip at the same rate as before, it is clear that this extra profit padding is at the expense of driver tips, as there are at least SOME who don't tip and/or tip at a lower rate.

Based on other threads and commentary from CAG's I was kind of surprised to see how quickly the store's opportunistic "delivery fee" seems to be a non-issue and the only concern is whether or not one should still tip the driver.

One thing is certain - the drivers are the ones who are getting screwed the worst by that fee.
 
I dunno the exact reason for the delivery fee. The thing is at some pizza places (even as far back as when my dad did some delivering for Domino's like 20 years ago) they guarantee a certain wage above the standard pay, so if you don't get to that with tips then they make up the difference. So maybe it's just profit padding, but I can't help but think that it's partially there because of people who don't tip - thus leading to the store having to pay more. Of course the fee leads more people to not tip, but hey, it doesn't have to make perfect sense to exist.

And btw the delivery fee from the Domino's here is $2.50, not $1.50. That's pretty fucked up. I prefer the Papa John's anyway...
 
[quote name='chosen1s']
Based on other threads and commentary from CAG's I was kind of surprised to see how quickly the store's opportunistic "delivery fee" seems to be a non-issue and the only concern is whether or not one should still tip the driver.

One thing is certain - the drivers are the ones who are getting screwed the worst by that fee.[/QUOTE]


The second sentence there is why there was that view for most here on CAG.

The delivery fee sucks, but not tipping the driver (or not tipping the regular amount you do) because of the fee isn't the way to go.

It's not the drivers fault. The moral options are to just not order from that place and only order delivery from places without fees. Or deal with it and still give the driver their tip so they're not getting screwed because their business decided to tack on a delivery fee since most place they aren't getting it (as they were already getting paid for gas).
 
If you don't like a delivery fee, don't order for delivery. If you are ok with a delivery fee, don't use it as an excuse not to tip.

One of my biggest pet peeves are cheap people who find any and every reason not to tip a person. If you aren't a tipper then by all means be that way....however I hate it when people try to cover it up with BS excuses. "Delivery fee, they don't need tip" "They didnt make my drink strong enough" "They only refilled my water once"

Example from pizza joint near me:
I had just moved into a new town, found the number to a local pizza joint and ordered. Mind you I live down a path off of the street which is annoying.
1st time I ordered Peoples Choice the guy was in my kitchen with the Pizza(bottom residents let him in). I was extremely impressed.
Last time I ordered peoples choice the guy called me and waited at the street. I had to get in my car drive down the path and get OUT of my car to get the pizza. Yes the asshole stayed in his car and passed me my pizza out of the window. This was also in the middle of winter!!

I still tipped the asshole who did nothing, but never ordered delivery from there again. The first guy though got the better tip.
 
I work about 20 hours a week for a small pizza chain and our fee is $2.50 (drivers get $1). I'm not your typical pizza guy as I'm a 37 year old man that does this at night and takes care of my kids during the day while my wife works a "real" job.

One night, after consistently getting stiffed because of the delivery fee, I asked the manager about it. The drivers get $1 per delivery, and naturally, the rest goes into the owners coffers to pay insurance and the majority of the driver's wage.

Greedy? In my opinion, yes. It hurts the driver and only benefits the company. Unfortunately, everyone around here now has a delivery fee.

All that aside, should you still tip the driver? That depends, really. If your driver is a slob, 30 minutes late, you can hear their car stereo, and is rude (any or all of the stated) then by all means, a tip should NOT be given.

If you've ordered before, I also know if you tip or not, or if you're rude. I won't hold a no-tip against you if your food was late, I understand that. If you consistently don't tip or are a jackass though, nothing will ever happen to your food, you're just not my first priority. I'll certainly take 2-3 other orders from the same time-frame before yours.

I can't tell you how many times I've had to stand in the pouring rain, in the dark, waiting for someone to FINALLY come to the door, then wait while someone writes a check for the exact amount or writes a huge ZERO on the tip line of a credit card slip.
 
1 thing I haven't seen mentioned so far about the corporate chains. Everybody loves to complain about the delivery fee but nobody has mentioned that it cost the company some form of coin, maybe not alot to maintain the site. Where is that revenue supposed to come from when you are adding another expense onto making the pizza and charging the same price.

You do not want to pay for delivery, go pick it up. Most mom and pop pizza places advertise on their take out menus that they have free delivery or free delivery on certain orders. Get pizza from there. Nobody really mentions how cheap the chain pizza is. I can get two extra large pizzas with 3 toppings for 16 bucks or so from Papa Johns. The local pizza places and that is going to be 40 dollars easy for the same amount of pizza but better quality.

Digiornos has some pretty good pizza which is cheap. Their large pies are usually on sale for 6 bucks or so. Go pick some up at your local food store.
 
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[quote name='wildcpac']Nobody really mentions how cheap the chain pizza is. I can get two extra large pizzas with 3 toppings for 16 bucks or so from Papa Johns. The local pizza places and that is going to be 40 dollars easy for the same amount but not the same quality.
[/QUOTE]

You think the chains are better than the local joints? Even the pricier local joints?

I find the chains better than most of the cheap local joints, but find pizza is like most things (especially food)--you get what you pay for. I'd rather pay $20 for a good, gourmet pizza from a local joint than 16 for a couple crappy chain pizzas any day personally.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']You think the chains are better than the local joints? Even the pricier local joints?

I find the chains better than most of the cheap local joints, but find pizza is like most things (especially food)--you get what you pay for. I'd rather pay $20 for a good, gourmet pizza from a local joint than 16 for a couple crappy chain pizzas any day personally.[/QUOTE]

I meant the local places quality were better. Chain pizza is half the price but half the quality. You get what you pay for.
 
[quote name='wildcpac']I meant the local places quality were better. Chain pizza is half the price but half the quality. You get what you pay for.[/QUOTE]

Ah, got you. The original wording made it sound like you were saying you paid more for less at local places, your edit makes it clear. :D
 
I like when i go pay for my food and use my debit card and the guy working the register asks if i want to leave a tip like he's doing something special by ringing me up. Granted i know the machine probably asks him to input a tip, but still.
 
Lots of places had delivery charges around me in the old college days, but we mostly resolved that through being Cheapasses, as per usual:

(1) Favorite chain has a delivery fee? Find out if there's any other ones in the area and if their delivery area overlaps. There are odd (usually rare) occasions where one store might have a delivery charge while the other does not. Go for the latter and win.

(2) In the case that doesn't work, find another pizzeria nearby that you enjoy that has comparable prices and no delivery fee. A lot of local places tend to have either no delivery fee or a minimum charge for free delivery. This usually makes them cheaper than the large chains and brings in better business (esp. when coupons are also involved).

(3) Failing that, find a friend and pick it up if possible. No delivery fee, no need for a tip. Usually the savings there more than makes up for the cost of fuel so long as the pizzeria is nearby.


Yeah, the extra delivery charges suck, but we should be using coupons and specials anyway to at least save that much on pizza orders whenever possible.
 
I always tip for delivery as long as its relatively on time, generally $5 or 20%.
I almost always tip for dining unless I'm unsatisfied with the service which would also cause me not to eat at that location any longer, also 20%-25%, I've also gotten into arguments with a friend over this because when I'm mistreated at a restaurant, I won't give anything whereas he will tip regardless.
I also tip to-go if I'm treated nicely while placing my order, that goes for coffee/juice shops too, $1-$2+change.
I'm not made of money, but I think that you should tip if its deserved, if a service is rendered or if the person dealing with you makes your day better.
At least for restaurants or juice/coffee shops, if you're opposed, you don't need to eat there anymore. I couldn't imagine not tipping a pizza delivery guy or any take out because they work hard and gotta drive around on a time limit to get you a pizza or your chinese food, etc. Not to mention that if you don't treat them with respect and you're just being cheap, the next time, you'll probably get more toppings on your pizza than you ordered or special sauce for your egg rolls. If you got the money to order out, you better make sure that you have money to tip the driver. Beware if you're that cheap.
 
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