pizza delivery fee

[Quantum Buckyball]

why is this even legal?? especially when the driver is using his/her own car and paying the gas out of their pocket...? 

Edited September 13, 2014 by Quantum Buckyball

[GeoDUDE!]

Why wouldn't it be legal? 

[lyrehc]

A lot of these fees are used to reimburse the driver for mileage.  Why wouldn't you want to do that?

[Academicat]

why is this even legal?? especially when the driver is using his/her own car and paying the gas out of their pocket...? 

 

When I delivered pizza, I kept the delivery fee and the tips.

[Munashi]

If I thought the driver saw any of the delivery fee, I wouldn't mind paying it.  But a lot of these places put disclaimers like "hey, the driver doesn't get any of this and still uses their own car, so please tip too".

If it DOES help reimburse the driver (as other suggested above), then I don't mind.  But I see quite a few places claiming it isn't used for that, so make sure you still give a tip.. which always makes me wonder what the hell the fee is for.

[lyrehc]

The disclaimers I have seen are that the fee is not a gratuity.  It reimburses wear and tear, but if you want to actually provide a tip it is additional.

[victorydance]

You are asking for a service that delivers food right to your door. I really don't see the big deal of paying a premium for that service.

[Munashi]

The disclaimers I have seen are that the fee is not a gratuity.  It reimburses wear and tear, but if you want to actually provide a tip it is additional.

 

I see.  I actually wasn't aware.  I typically never order delivery, but it's good to know that the delivery person does see some of that fee.

[shadowclaw]

I delivered pizzas for a few months this past summer for pizza hut. The delivery charge was $2.25, and I got $1.15 or something close to that for every delivery to cover gas. The tips were actually quite good, too! I waited tables for 6 years, and I rarely made the same amount of money as a good night of deliveries, plus I only got $3 an hour as a waitress. I made $8 as a delivery driver.

But back to the subject at hand, about half of that delivery charge went to me. Don't know where the other half went!

[Vene]

But back to the subject at hand, about half of that delivery charge went to me. Don't know where the other half went!

Could be for any insurance they need to have, it at least wouldn't surprise me if they had to have additional insurance for delivery drivers on top of the insurance the employee has on their car.

[geographyrocks]

I delivered pizzas for a few months this past summer for pizza hut. The delivery charge was $2.25, and I got $1.15 or something close to that for every delivery to cover gas. The tips were actually quite good, too! I waited tables for 6 years, and I rarely made the same amount of money as a good night of deliveries, plus I only got $3 an hour as a waitress. I made $8 as a delivery driver.

But back to the subject at hand, about half of that delivery charge went to me. Don't know where the other half went!

I was under the impression that none of the delivery fee went to the driver.  Maybe it depends on the company?

It does make me feel better to know that some of the fee is given to the driver. 

[nugget]

The fee is used to pay for the salary of the driver. Drivers are paid by the hour, plus they receive tips. If you did not pay for delivery then all of the menu items would probably be more expensive for everyone to cover extra staffing costs, even customers who pick up their meals and take them to go.

Edited September 15, 2014 by jenste

[shadowclaw]

Could be for any insurance they need to have, it at least wouldn't surprise me if they had to have additional insurance for delivery drivers on top of the insurance the employee has on their car.

That's definitely a possibility! Although the assistant manager told me that if I got into an accident while on delivery, that I should hide the delivery bags and pretend I was just driving somewhere, because most regular car insurance policies don't cover you if you are driving your car for a job like that (and thus I would get no money from my own insurance). From this, I also took it to mean that either the company's insurance wasn't good enough to cover things like collision, or they didn't want their rates to go up. Or they didn't have insurance.

I was under the impression that none of the delivery fee went to the driver.  Maybe it depends on the company?

It does make me feel better to know that some of the fee is given to the driver.

  

My friend's brother works at a local non-chain pizza place doing deliveries, and I know he doesn't get any gas money from them. So it could be on a company by company basis.

The fee is used to pay for the salary of the driver. Drivers are paid by the hour, plus they receive tips. If you did not pay for delivery then all of the menu items would probably be more expensive for everyone to cover extra staffing costs, even customers who pick up their meals and take them to go.

This is a good point! At pizza hut, drivers didn't do much else unless it was really slow, so having a delivery charge does help pay the wages for employees that otherwise wouldn't be needed.

[bakalamba]

I wrote a note to my friend, but decided I want to send it instead of driving to his house and handing it to him personally. I can't believe there's a fee for that! How is that even legal?

 

Now, being able to subtract tips from one's salary, even below the minimum wage (legal in CA), that's completely crazy...