1. If you have been in the hospitality business for a few years or many such as I, do not think tips work the same way as a bartender or food server..... People use some other kind of algorithm with figuring out how to tip a driver according.
2. Only do such if you have a cheap secondary means of transportation like an old beater... Depending on where you live, this may or may not be something that is needed, but an AWD is useful for crappy weather. Regardless of weather you are still looking for great gas mileage.... If you live in the northern states please look for an older Subaru, CRX, Rav4, etc.... Anything that can do decent gas mileage and be AWD.....
3. For God's sake do not use your primary vehicle. It is even worse if it is new... The mileage alone will devalue your vehicle to the point of insanity, and if you are honest with your insurance company, it will make your insurance insanely expensive.....
4. The worse the weather the better the tip.... This is true on average, but please do not get POed when some butthole decides to tip $1 or $3 for that matter, to come out to the sticks to delivery food they would not get themselves even with their 4X4..... It will happen...... In fact happened to me 3 times tonight..... Jerks.....
5. If this is the business for you, find a pizza delivery service that puts a premium on how far out you travel..... Where I work we have a 8 mile radius.... Personally I would like this smaller, but being I can take up to 4 deliveries at a time, I will not complain. The reason to bring this up is 8 miles could take up to 20 minutes one way depending on traffic and location. 40 minutes kills your tips when it is the only delivery going that direction....
6. Getting paid $5 an hour is actually a luxury where I work, but there is zero payment for gas or mileage, and the rest of your income is made by tips or part of the delivery fee..... With that in mind the more deliveries, the better per run.... If you work at a slow restaurant, unless you are new to this, please find a faster paced location to make your money.....
7. The tip average, at least around the DC area is $5 per delivery. Mind you that is including the $2 delivery charge they do at most places.... $1 is used to pay your hourly which you eventually see when you get paid. The other $1 is given to you at the end of the night per delivery, to help make up for the gas usage or piss poor tipping some do.....Either way, that tip averages out to $5 a delivery with the $1 delivery fee included.....
8. By all means, get the tip average out of your head until the end of the night. Frustration shows, and will eat away at you if you let it..... People read body language and will see you are having a poor night as you do not want their business. This will hurt your tip average even more. Fake that smile and be a cheerleader of sorts for the one minute it takes to be at their door.....
9. Lastly, learn your routes..... While having many drivers kills the idea of cherry picking the good ones, know your clientele. While first come, first serve is the correct idea, if first come is a stiff or leaves a buck while the second delivery is known to give the average or better, look to better take care of those that take care of you.... While this is our main thought as delivery drivers, also remember the more deliveries, the more money. So first look at how many deliveries are in hand for your run, figure the best path to hit them the quickest, then decide if going out of order would benefit you if it happens.... If you can deliver 3 deliveries in 30 minutes but the newest is closest, then the oldest, then the middle one, do so. The extra minute it takes to deliver the newest should not upset the oldest unless it is already getting late as it is..... Remember as a driver the oldest delivery decides the route you are taking, rather North, South, East, or West....
Hope this helps..... Eventually I will start the complaints and grievances portion of this.....
