What we endure Driver improvement Here are some creative ways for drivers to increase their tips and perform the job even better. We know that most drivers use some of these ideas already. This page is mostly a collection from visitors. If you have an idea you want displayed, please us and it might make it here. Increasing tips Other helpful hints Increasing tips Always be polite about everything at the door. Bad attitudes get bad tips. Talk professionally and be sensitive. If you mention any of the following things to a customer, do it politely and with a smile. Don't snarl that they're too stupid to put an address on their house. Ask where the house numbers are. If you missed it, fess up. If they don't have any numbers, apologize that their pizza is a little late as you had a hard time finding their house because it did not have any numbers. If someone has no (or bad) house numbers, live with it. If you could figure it out (you're looking for 2612 and you could see 2610 and 2614) then it's part of your job. If the house is in the middle of nowhere, mention it. It is for their safety (for an ambulance) and their pizza. Don't make it their fault. If there's a problem with the order, act like you are on their side wanting to get it solved. Apologize for the store but be careful not to apologize for yourself, as this only enhances the stereotype that everything was the driver's fault, unless it really was something you did wrong like forgetting a 2-liter. Say, "I'm sorry they messed up." Dress nicely. Have a clean shirt, not ripped, and have decent looking pants and shoes. Your uniform may be more dirty than you realize from doing dishes, prep, or folding boxes. Inspect it before you leave on a delivery. Don't let two days go by without washing your uniform. Tips are better in this situation, especially if you are nice. Take a shower or bath. This is not intended to be an insult. When at work, one tends to perspire more often and you may not realize it, especially in the hot summer. Be shaved before going to work and brush your teeth. Bad smells may cause bad tips. If the change is five dollars, don't return a five-dollar bill. Give back five ones. This allows the customer to tip you with some of the dollar bills you returned. You will rarely get a $5 tip and returning a $5 bill will turn off tippers. In general, it's good to return all ones if the change is $8 or less. You want the customer to have at least three ones so they can give it back as the tip. return to top Always have a pen with you for credit card orders. Sometimes for checks. Many customers fail to notice the tip and total lines on a credit card receipt. You should make it more noticeable by writing an X in front of all three lines. Other ways to draw attention: circle, underline, arrow, or highlight. Be sure to draw attention to all three lines. The tip line by itself is tacky. Carry lots of pennies for those exact change people, and count slowly. If given two orders to deliver, always deliver to the well known tipper first, no matter who's order is supposed to arrive first. Good tippers or even consistent tippers get better service. Take a dollar bill and make it look as nasty as possible. Tear it, rub it in the dirt, and really abuse the dollar. Give this dollar to a customer that regularly does not tip. Chance are they will not want to keep that dollar and will give it back as a tip. Take out a good dollar and pass that one along to the next person. This works 80% of the time. When counting back change in ones, lick your thumb before counting them. Ninety percent of the time, you will get back at least the top dollar. If you have a delivery that is late, call before leaving the store and make an excuse. Say something like, "Mrs. Customer, this is Darin from Random Pizza. I just wanted to let you know that your order will be leaving the store shortly. I apologize for the delay but we have a new pizza maker and your pie did not pass our quality standards, so we remade your pizza and it will arrive soon. Once again, I'm sorry for the delay." This does two things. It gives the customer a chance to cool off before you arrive at the door, and, for the most part, makes them happy that they will only receive quality food. Bottom line: how can they fuss at you because YOU are on their side now. return to top Sometimes when I'm late, I run to the door and act out of breath and my excuse is, "I'm sorry I'm getting slammed with deliveries tonight and our other driver called out," while somewhat breathing heavy. They usually don't mind the lateness and tip well. Then I say, "Thank you. Have a great night!" and run to my car, even when I have all the time to get back. Works especially for repeat customers. It shows you do everything you can to be on time. Call the customer by name. When they open the door, know who is on the other side. DON'T have to look at the box to know the name and total. Say, "How are you tonight, Mr. Customer. Your total is $21.20." This brings it to a personal level and makes them wonder if they know you. They will be less likely to stiff someone that they know or might know. (Don't do this if the name is badly misspelled or if there is more than one name on the receipt. You can at least say, "Hi. How are you doing," and quote the total without looking at the receipt.) Prep the customer for next time. Before leaving, say something like, "Thank you for choosing Random Pizza. Have a good day." Repeat customers tip better. Also, carry coupons and give them to the customer and tell them maybe they can use it in the future. Take extras. I wear a fanny pack with packs of cheese and peppers. I offer these before they pay. Most customers like that special touch and reward for the service. People who I know don't tip don't get any. A loud stereo in your car is a big turn-off. If you like it loud, mute or power off when you enter the customer's block. It's rude to the customer to force them to hear loud music. This also presents a bad image for pizza delivery drivers in general. Drunk people and high people tip well, but don't piss off the drunk ones. People love their pets, so give some attention to their pets. Make a passing reference to their dog or cat. Learn your customers who have dogs and carry milk bones for them. I've been doing this for 5 years and it really works. If the dog is not the friendly type, give the bone to the customer. return to top Other helpful hints Don't speed excessively. Tickets cost more than lost deliveries and so do accidents, especially if not insured properly. You really don't gain that much time by speeding. Rather, good routing is the best time saver. Plan your route with as many right turns as possible. Right turns usually take less time to complete than left turns. Don't backtrack to reach the first customer first. Your productivity is better spent completing all the deliveries in the shortest time. Side roads are faster than main roads. Get a cell phone and keep it with you. It will save a lot of time when the store gives you the wrong address. This way, you can call the customer immediately instead of making a return trip to the store. A cell is also good for calling 911. Don't release the pizza until you are paid. Ever. Even if it's some nice old lady who just has to go look for her checkbook and wants to help you with your load . Assure her you'll keep it hot for her in the insulated bag. Once you release the pizza, you release control. As long as you're holding the pizza, you can give up on them and leave. Carry police-strength pepper spray, one on your belt and one in your car. You may get attacked by a dog or jumped by a mugger. Be prepared. If you feel uneasy about pepper spraying a dog, buy a cheap dog whistle. If you leave your car running while you deliver, lock the doors. Have a keyless remote or a spare key with you. This keeps you from getting locked out. Also keeps you from losing your car. Learn what splits your city N, E, S, and W before you ever hit the road. Know the difference between 500 East Maple and 500 West Maple. Learn the pattern for even/odd sides of the street. Even numbers might be on the west side of north-south streets. Odd numbers might be on the north side of east-west streets. I know there are exceptions to the general rule but they are few. If you have to call for directions to someone's house with a pay phone or a cell phone, and getting lost was their fault (wrong address, wrong directions, wrong numerical, whatever) and they stiff you on arrival, ask for 50 cents for the phone call. I've had people give me a dollar for calling them. I've had people turn me down. I told them I'd blacklist them. I did. They don't eat pizza anymore. Last updated: December 8, 2013 return to top