How Much To Tip Pizza Delivery? (Detailed Answer)
In today’s society, tipping is a necessary part of life. When you go out to eat in a restaurant, the tip allows your waiter or waitress to receive some compensation for their services.
If people don’t leave tips when they go out to eat, then waiters and waitresses will be making less than minimum wage with no benefits whatsoever.
However, tipping can be complicated at times because there are different rules depending on where you are dining and who is delivering your food.
If you’re wondering how much to tip pizza delivery driver when ordering from Domino’s or another pizzeria, then read below! Your questions will be answered by an insider who works for one of these popular pizzerias!
Delivery drivers make a lot of stops and deliveries in a day. They often face inclement weather, traffic, and difficult terrain. Tipping them is the least you can do to show your appreciation for their efforts!
In most cases, tipping pizza delivery driver 5-10% of the total cost is customary. However, if they have done something exceptional for you such as going out of their way or being kinder than average then it’s best to tip 15%.
How much to tip the pizza delivery driver? 4 Cases & 4 Takeaway Advice
So let’s dive right in to answer the question “how much to tip pizza delivery? What percentage of the total cost do you leave behind?”
15% if they have gone out of their way to help, even just a little bit. They get paid very little so anything extra is greatly appreciated! Leaving this type of tip sometimes encourages drivers to go above and beyond for customers in order to earn bigger tips.
This can include things such as washing windows or bringing your food out to your car if it’s raining outside.
Example: If the expected delivery time was 35 minutes and the driver made it there in 20 minutes, then that’s essentially saving you 15 minutes and deserves a bigger tip. 10% (the bare minimum) if the driver has been polite and friendly but has not done anything to deserve a 15% tip.
This is more than enough for them and is the standard tipping percentage in most cases. 5% if the driver has been rude or extremely apathetic while taking your order or delivering your food. They did not go out of their way, so it’s only fair that they get less than 20%.
0% if the pizza delivery driver threatened you with bodily harm and said some very offensive things when you were trying to place an order over phone because you messed up your address or credit card number. You don’t owe this type of person any form of compensation at all!
Key Takeaway: It’s often best to leave 10%, but it’s completely up to you how much money you’re willing to part with!
When people order food from a pizzeria, they often cannot carry it to their destination. In this case, the pizza delivery driver will help carry the food from their car into your home or wherever you plan on dining. If you have ordered a lot of items that require assembly then tipping is very much appreciated!
The average pizza delivery tip in America is 20%. However, there are different types of restaurants and pizzerias so a 20% tip may not always be enough.
Let’s move into case #2 about how much to tip pizza delivery
Case #2
- 20% if your food arrived within 30 minutes which is an incredibly short wait time by any standard.
- 15% for an average wait time of 30 to 45 minutes.
- 10% if you had to wait longer than 45 minutes, but it wasn’t any more than an hour (unless the driver told you upfront that they were on their way and would be at your location within an hour).
- 5% or less if the pizza delivery driver was too impatient and made you wait even longer than 1 hour (especially if you’ve already given them a tip previously).
- 0% (and possibly call the local police) if the driver showed up over 2 hours late or didn’t show up at all! You shouldn’t go out of your way to pay someone who has done nothing for you.
Key takeaway: If your food arrives in under 30 minutes then it’s only fair to give a generous tip. Remember, delivery drivers often get paid less than minimum wage so they appreciate your extra cash!
Case #3
If you order from a pizza restaurant and the driver was nice enough to bring all of your food out at once without asking then tipping is greatly appreciated! It would be rude not to show appreciation for their effort and kindness.
If you’ve ordered an entire customized pizza with 28 different toppings then it’s understandable if they don’t come all at once.
In this case, tipping is very much appreciated but not required because the delivery driver understands that there are some challenges when delivering orders full of fresh ingredients.
Remember, most delivery drivers are teenagers between 14-17 years old. This means that your tip might be their main source of income so it’s best to try and compensate them for anything above what they would normally earn. If you feel like giving a tip because the food was great, then go right ahead!
This is the most case that appear in people asking “how much to tip pizza delivery”
Key takeaway: Always give a generous tip if your delivery driver goes out of his or her way to bring your entire order all at once without asking!
Case #4
For a table fee, a pizza delivery driver will set up everything for you. For example, they may bring plates and containers along with napkins and cutlery just in case you need these items during your meal. Table fees vary from restaurant to restaurant so know before you whether tipping is required or not.
Key takeaway: If you’re not sure if tipping is required then ask the manager of your local pizzeria. They are there to help you so don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Case #5
If you have ordered for takeout then tipping is not required because most people who order food for takeout do this because they don’t want the driver poking around in their home. Some drivers will still give a tip with takeout orders, but it’s not expected so it’s definitely okay to refuse their offer.
On the other hand, if you’ve given a generous tip with your phone or online order then feel free to politely ask them if they wish to cash out on top of what was already given.
This is a good way to say “Thank you very much for my order, but I don’t feel obligated to give any more money. However, if you must then here is the cash amount that I would like for you to take.”
Key takeaway: If your food is ordered for takeout then tipping is not expected and it’s perfectly fine to refuse their offer of cashing out.
Case #6
Large pizza delivery tip can make drivers happy and eager to please next time they’re assigned an order from your local pizzeria. Just by smiling and thanking them most of the time will do wonders in most cases!
Sometimes people tip with gift cards or coupons (which never hurts). It’s possible that giving free gifts such as chocolates and candies will help them remember you more the next time they’re on your side of town.
Key takeaway: If you end up giving a generous tip then offer to give them a free coupon or gift card as well! They may even be willing to extend great prices from coupons from their own restaurant.
In my local city, if I have been an excellent customer with a bill balance at least over $20 then I ask for my pizza delivery driver’s email address so that I can send him/her an email one day with a certificate worth 10% off at any pizzeria in that particular district.
This method works really well because most pizza restaurants sell their food for around $5 bucks per slice! It doesn’t take much to save money in the long run.
Key takeaway: If you have a good rapport with your local pizza delivery driver then ask them about their email address so that you can send them coupons! They may be willing to give some great tips next time they’re on your side of town.
The truth about delivery fees.
When I was a pizza delivery driver, I always wondered why the customer had to pay a fee when they ordered their food on the phone, online or through some third party service like grubhub/Seamless etc…
The restaurant offered them a discount of between $2-3 dollars if they came in and order so why charge an extra fee to those who were doing what the restaurant wanted anyways? Well as a business owner myself now, it finally makes sense. They are renting you from GrubHub/Seamless etc..
It’s not the restaurants fault at all that people used these services. In fact most small businesses owners use them as a way to get their name out there. They are seeing exactly what kind of customers they have and how many people are using the service.
It’s completely fine by me if a customer orders from them because they’re trying to be responsible and not ordering too much food, but I never understood why restaurants were losing money on those transactions.
The real reason is that GrubHub/Seamless etc… charges Restaurants 20%-30% of the total order cost for doing business with them.
In my own restaurant we have been approached twice by Seamless/Grubhub so far and they offered us 25% per transaction which would mean for every $100 dollars in sales we would lose $25 dollars right off the top.
Seamless/Grubhub are the biggest online food ordering business in the world right now. I mean really big, Seamless has raised over $95 million dollars in venture capital money since they started.
They have said that they will become profitable once they hit 10% of all restaurant sales which still seems like a long way off.
This means it’s not just us and you other restaurants out there that get nailed with this hidden charge, everyone does including chipotle who is the king of fast casual restaurants and uses GrubHub for their delivery driver orders.
Why tipping delivery drivers is important?
When asking about “how much to tip pizza delivery”, you need to know the important of this culture.
While you’re chowing down on a hot, fresh pizza in your living room instead of a greasy one in a cardboard box that was brought to you by a snotty high school kid with slicked-back hair and an attitude problem, tip your delivery driver.
Believe it or not, there are people out there who think the only way they should be tipped is if they’re hauling something heavy.
Well, if you’re lucky enough to live in an area where the pizza delivery driver goes out on foot and carries your food to your door, then tipping them isn’t as important because they’re not getting their hands dirty.
How Much Should I Tip?
Delivering pizzas is hard on a person’s feet. Some drivers will put over 1000 miles a week on their vehicle, and that doesn’t include walking up and down stairs with hot pizzas and heavy tips.
So unless you want your pizza delivery driver taking longer than necessary to bring it to your door or dropping it off at another location across town, tip between $2-$4 dollars per order regardless of how much the bill is.
We are giving a standard rule of thumb when talking about “how much to tip pizza delivery”
A good rule of thumb: for every $25 in the total bill, tip $2. For example if your bill is under $20 bucks, it’s not necessary to give a person more than a dollar or two for their service.
Should you tip for food delivery?
Depending on what kind of service you’re getting, if you’re constantly receiving incorrect orders and/or long wait times between when the food is ordered and when it arrives on your doorstep, then you can decide whether or not to tip your driver.
There’s nothing wrong with tossing them a couple extra bucks for their hard work because that’s how they make most of their money: tips. To get an idea on how much pizza delivery drivers make per hour, go here .
Delivering pizzas is hard work and we all know that $2-$4 isn’t nearly enough but even so there are some people who still refuse to leave any more than a dollar tip after spending $15 dollars on a pepperoni pie! Can you believe that?
How to tip if you paid by phone?
With most pizza ordering apps and phone services, you’re usually required to pay a delivery fee even if the driver is coming out of pocket and using his or her own vehicle and this is the case we need to have a pizza delivery tip.
Some pizzerias still make drivers carry around change for every order but don’t forget that it’s more than likely they’re on their way to pick up your food while trying to keep up with traffic AND avoid getting pulled over by police just so they can give you the correct change.
So when paying by phone ask yourself this question: “Would I rather have my food now OR wait until tomorrow for some cash?”
If you feel like waiting another 24 hours before enjoying your pizza, then don’t tip at all because chances are you won’t even see it.
If you want to tip, follow the steps below:
1. Take out cash and find a pen. It’s best to write directly on your receipt. But if you don’t have a receipt, there’s always the option of putting it in the bag or fold of your money so they notice quicker.
2. Write down “Tip $_____” and slide it into the delivery drivers book bag. If you’re too short to reach their pocket, just set it on top of their car and hope that they see it before driving off (luckily pizza drivers know to check inside vehicles).
You can also ask them nicely to grab it for you as soon as they get out of their car but take note that not all pizza places allow drivers to carry loose cash while on duty.
3. That’s it! Just be sure to follow the right procedure so your pizza driver knows you love them BUT if you’d rather use their tip money for something else, simply grab a pen once again and write “I took out $_____ for myself” or leave no tip at all.
It may look funny but who cares? You’re with family and/or friends and they’ll most likely understand that YOU know what’s best for YOU!
Here’s an example:
Tip $2 (people usually tip more…but we don’t want drivers getting too greedy).
“$2 Tip. Thank you, have a wonderful day!” (Slide into their book bag)
The final price was $12.10 so you gave them $2 plus another 10cents in the form of a penny (so they don’t get shorted).
If you paid $15 for your delivery, write “I took out $5” with the small tip of 5cents so they know you still appreciate their services…just not enough to hand over an extra TEN CENTS!
However, if you decided to save up on your pennies and dole out a bigger tip, then leave no additional tips at all. In other words: Don’t make it obvious that someone else helped you pay for your meal by adding an extra dollar or two underneath your name.
NOTE: If there’s no pen readily available upon arrival at your door, you can always use the tip calculator on your phone to calculate a good amount. Your pizza driver may be willing to take it for you and give it back after he or she picks up the cash from their car.
Also: If someone is too busy eating their dinner and doesn’t want to wait around, they can go ahead and punch in $0 as a tip so they don’t have to waste time calculating how much 10% is (10% would be $1).
Don’t forget that if your pizzeria offers multiple payment methods like credit cards or debit cards, there’s no need to tip at all because those drivers aren’t coming out of pocket with their own money!
They’re probably making great commission off your order which is why they try to push the limits by adding additional perks like free soda or desserts.
As for those customers who want better quality pizza, call up your local pizzeria and ask if their drivers are allowed to carry cash then leave $2 with that $14 order you just called in. That way the driver will receive $1 as a tip but also be able to enjoy some of the best-tasting pizza ever made!
That’s really it…just make sure you follow these tips during National Pizza Month (February) so delivering companies know what we’re thinking!
When should you give pizza delivery tip more than 15%?
As the subject of tipping is raised, remember that 15% is just an average.
The following insider information will be useful to all those who want to tip more than 15% for their next pizza delivery experience.
When you use GrubHub or another third party website, unless there are 20 items on your order (like a birthday party), always tip the driver well above 15%.
This practice has been verified by many individuals who have worked for pizza places over the years. It’s not exactly something they advertise, but if you take advantage of it now, you will enjoy all the perks later on.
That means that if you order 3 pizzas and 2 drinks totaling $23 (before tax). You should still give extra cash in the amount of $5. So, if you give the driver a total of $28, that will put you over 15%.
This works only if your order is being delivered by someone employed by the pizza business itself. If it’s one of their employees, they are usually more than happy to receive an extra cash tip. Same goes for Uber drivers, too.
Note: This doesn’t work for Dominos Pizza because they have a complicated tipping system in place. Any other business claiming they have already worked out this system are wrong or trying to scam you!
For example, there was once a fake coupon floating around saying that all pizzas would be given 50% off and then tipped with another 12.5%, which is not true.
How much to tip pizza delivery from Domino’s Pizza?
At first, you need to consider some ingredients:
– Driver’s distance (including gas fee) and waiting time. Add $3 ~ $5 for normal driver and add $3 more for ‘call ahead’ service.
– Courier fee that includes pizza price + delivery charge + tip. You can add up to 10% or even 15% for your favor.
So how much is the final cost on my bill? That depends on you! Since it is a secret tip, don’t forget to pick up a 5 ~10 dollars bill nobly for better taste of Domino’s Pizza!
How much to tip on large pizza delivery orders
For about $10 to $20 per large pizza delivery order, the additional tip is the standard practice. A 10% to 20% tip is expected for $12-to-$15 large pizza orders, but if you really want to show generosity, go with 25%.
It’s not bad for a pizzeria that serves your order quickly and hot. Besides, it’s better than nothing since many drivers now rely on tips to supplement their income (Source: belowthebeltway).
If they do not provide service worth every penny of our money, then what? So why do you need to tip at all? If food is delivered right away and the order is complete as stated in your write-up on the order, then why need to tip?
Perhaps if you have a high order from a corporation or someone with deep pockets, tipping would be appropriate.
But for most of us on a regular income who just go out on Friday or Saturday nights and realize that we don’t have enough cash in our wallet to pay the delivery person while still having enough money for beer and cigarettes, then this becomes a dilemma.
Hence, I agree with all those who say that Pizza Hut needs to cut down their tips, which they already do since by making a $10-$20 large pizza delivery is way too much for one person anymore unless you’re throwing it at them.
FAQs about How Much To Tip Pizza Delivery
How much do you tip for a $20 pizza delivery?
My answer: $3.50!
Why so much? I’ll tell you why – after I graduate college I’ll be making $40k. That’s not including any perks or bonuses.
And, the average delivery driver is paid $7/hr which is nearly minimum wage. They are not getting rich delivering pizzas for your local Dominos.
So, if they make a special trip to deliver your pizza at night while it’s snowing… tip them a little more than you’d pay for take out from a restaurant .
This is what my friend tells me at least and he does deliveries part time when school isn’t busy. He said some weeks he makes more in tips alone then he made on his job last year.
Are you supposed to tip pizza delivery?
My answer: Yes, especially if it’s a special order.
So what’s a special order? A special order is when you call ahead and let them know you need your pizza at a certain time or with certain toppings.
This can often times make the difference between having to wait over an hour for your food (or until they close) versus getting it within 20 minutes.
Many drivers hate doing this because they are required to go out of their way to get your food quickly. So it would be nice if you could tip them extra for making that effort.
Is there any rule of thumb on how much to tip for delivery?
Here’s my answer – $5 per person. That includes any delivery fee they charge you. I know $3-5 sounds like a lot, but it shouldn’t be because…
Looks like this guy is doing OK for himself!
What if it’s cold or raining outside?
My answer: If your food isn’t hot when it gets there (and the driver confirms that) then tip them extra. Around 10% more than normal should cover it.
Otherwise, don’t worry about it because most drivers do not get paid enough to drive in rain/snow/cold unless you live in an area where snow is rare (Florida, Hawaii).
And if you live in an area where snow is common, stick the pizza in the oven when you get it to heat it up. You can’t possibly expect your driver to stand outside in -10 degrees.
What if I don’t tip and they give me bad service?
My answer: What do you care? It’s only $3-5 that could end up getting stolen out of your wallet (like mine did once).
And, how much does it really matter if your pizza is hot or cold/late by 5 minutes when it gets there? They’re making minimum wage either way and will probably still be taking orders till closing time! Isn’t being able to get food right away good enough for being a big tipper?
Can you imagine what would happen if everyone just tipped $2 on every single delivery?
My answer: Delivery drivers would be making $13/hr! And who wouldn’t want that?
This is what I’ve heard though. They might not pay you more than minimum wage but they do get bonuses based on how many deliveries they make in a night (just like servers at restaurants).
So, if they hit their goal of 25 or 50 deliveries in one night, then lunch/dinner is on the house. If they don’t, well… it sucks to be them because you can expect to work for free till next week when the manager comes by again (at least that’s how it goes at my college).
What if your pizza isn’t cooked all the way through?
My answer: That means you should complain and ask for a discount.
Delivery drivers don’t usually cook the pizzas. They just deliver it and if there’s something wrong with it then you should take up your argument with the actual restaurant (or at least that’s what I’ve been told).
I’ve even heard there are stores out there that let their delivery drivers do side work like washing dishes or taking out the trash so they can keep as much as possible of what you give them as tips.
Is $5 a good tip for delivery?
My answer: Yup! I’ve gotten $5 tips before and it’s not that hard to do if you’re nice about things and don’t take forever with your order.
I’ve worked as a pizza delivery driver for three years now and, by the end of each shift, I would easily make over $50 in tips. The best part is you never have to pay taxes on any of it cause its under the table. Just make sure you count up all your change at the end of every day!
How much do you tip for 40 dollar pizza delivery?
My answer: $7 or $8.
About $5, but if they come in like 20 minutes (which is impossible for some people) then I usually try to get more since the driver’s time is valuable too.
Do Domino’s drivers keep tips?
My answer: Nobody knows but they’re not supposed to.
I heard that if you tip the driver and he manages to pocket some cash then there’s a good chance that it could be used against him.
Do delivery drivers know if you tip?
My answer: No.
That’s why it’s done at the end of the night (unless you tip right then and there which is always cool).
What if they don’t give me my pizza until 4 hours later?
My answer: They probably already got your money for food or gas so they might as well make themselves comfortable until you get back home. Maybe try talking to them next time before giving up hope on getting what you paid for. And remember, good customer service starts with being friendly to everyone that walks into a store/restaurant/delivery service!
Final thoughs on How Much To Tip Pizza Delivery
The takeaway is that the general rule of thumb for tipping a pizza delivery driver is to tip 10-15% on top of the price, but there are exceptions. If you know they provided additional services or did something special, then feel free to add more.
And if you’ve been left with an awkward moment because your credit card machine died and nobody has cash, just go ahead and round up! Remember it’s always nice to have a little extra money in our pockets when we’re going out on date night 🙂
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