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Today's Poll: How much do you typically tip your pizza delivery driver?

By Howard B. Owens
Jeff Allen

Dwight Schrute: "Why tip someone for a job I’m capable of doing myself? I can deliver food. I can drive a taxi. I can, and do, cut my own hair. I did however, tip my urologist, because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones." Truth be told, I have never had a pizza delivered.

May 2, 2014, 8:44am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

I have a rule for myself about tipping. Even if I just go out for breakfast to a diner and the bill is only $6 or $8, I don't leave less than a $5 tip. I think a 20% tip on a $10 bill is an insult to a waitress.

Think about what a pizza delivery person has to do and then think about how inexpensive a minimum $5 tip really is. If I had a party and ordered $100 worth of pizzas, that delivery driver would get a $20 tip (20%).

May 2, 2014, 8:45am Permalink
Beth Kinsley

OK Jeff. Just checking. Off topic - you should all be very grateful that you have so many good pizza places to choose from. I have yet to find a good pizza in Michigan and I'm not even going to start on the total lack of chicken wings. And no one delivers outside a very small radius. The only pizza I can get delivered is Jet's Pizza which is pretty crappy. What I wouldn't give for Main Street tonight for dinner.

May 2, 2014, 10:11am Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Hi, Beth!

"What I wouldn't give for Main Street tonight for dinner."

Geez, you sure make it tough for us 'out-of-towners'!

Now, if you had said 'tomorrow night', I might've tried. :)

Story of my life - "Dollar short and 1700 miles away!"

May 2, 2014, 10:34am Permalink
tom hunt

Every time the subject of tipping comes up it brings to mind the famous restaurant scene from the Quentin Tarantino movie: " Reservoir Dogs" with Steve Buscemi's rant on tipping. Howard I know you know how to insert this into this comment section.

May 3, 2014, 7:22am Permalink
jeff saquella

as a long time pizza delivery guy in Batavia.....can I have the addresses of the 61 people who voted that they don't tip.....I will make sure their order gets there in no less than 3 hours.....and by the way....in most pizza shops....the 2.00 dollar delivery charge goes to the business not the driver....so if you want to burn your own gas then pick your order up

May 2, 2014, 5:09pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

Long ago it was decided that food service employees would have a separate and subordinate wage scale augmented by the capricious generosity of customers. It remains that way as a holdover from an era when women's professional careers were regarded as aberrations. Waitressing, typing/coffee-making and bedpan emptying were deemed "women's work" because such positions were the least intrusive into the male domain of work. ...And since employed women were only working a) for needle and pin money, b) until they settled down or c) because of character defects; fair compensation would only encourage them. Apparently labor boards agreed. One can't ignore: low pay fosters opportunities to sexually exploit employees. Discussion of restaurant wages has reached an all-time zenith, because lack of job growth in other areas has forced a wider demographic of employment seekers to take food service jobs. The a, b and c rules are chafing.

May 2, 2014, 5:33pm Permalink
Jason Post

While I really hate being on the record as saying anything in favor of a minimum wage, I am increasingly of the opinion that there should be exactly 1 minimum. Scrap the two-level system, make all minimum wages the same. The price of restaurant food will go up, but then we can all, as a society stop trying to figure out what is a 'decent' tip and know that the server is going to be paid without us helping.

May 2, 2014, 6:58pm Permalink
alvin tufts

Why are Mark's pizza drivers never ticketed for illegal parking while they pick up or wait for orders? They park in the driving lanes rather than 10 feet further away in an empty spot. The parking layout was approved by code enforcement for a reason. Does Mark's donate pizza's to Batavia P.D.?

May 2, 2014, 7:16pm Permalink
Lincoln DeCoursey

$3 is currently an appropriate tip for pizza delivery and should have been one of the choices. A bit more is perhaps called for if ordering for a large party or if other circumstances seem to warrant, but a delivery tip is basically just whatever seems reasonable, not any set percentage. Not so long ago a delivery tip was a dollar or two.

I agree with others regarding restaurant service. Especially at a diner, oftentimes a standard percent-based tip feels inadequate. A minimum dollar amount does seem right, but in my opinion $5 is not that minimum figure. In some circumstances (e.g. a $5-8 ticket at a breakfast counter), something more like $3 would be a perfectly good tip.

Tipping a couple extra dollars beyond what's required is a nice gesture when able.

May 2, 2014, 9:17pm Permalink
bud prevost

How would Mark's Pizzeria, located on Lewiston Rd in the TOWN of Batavia, benefit from any Batavia PD activity? Or inactivity? The Batavia CITY police would be out of their jurisdiction if they dealt with this scenario. Just an observation. No harm intended. Your remark should have been pointed to the GC Sheriff, or the NYS troopers.

May 3, 2014, 12:11am Permalink
alvin tufts

The zoning maps show that parking lot including the Downs as part of the city map. Kmart and the Down's parking lot are part of the Town of Batavia. Park Road is the boundary.

May 3, 2014, 6:51am Permalink

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