If you want a real answer: the cost of a pizza is the cost of ingredients plus the cost of labor to build the pizza (and cost of facility etc). The delivery fee is to cover the cost of hiring additional laborers who only deliver pizzas; the delivery fee covers their wages. When I worked at Domino's, drivers got their standard hourly wage, a percentage of the dollar value they'd delivered during their shift (I was told this was to cover gas/vehicle maintenance), and whatever tips they collected during the shift.

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 30 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

Yep, if this is in the US I think they also have some crazy rule about tipped workers getting a much lower minimum wage, $2 per hour or some shit like that. I'd tip them if I could afford it.

[–] john_brown@hexbear.net 28 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I delivered pizzas for a while and never let them "train" me to take up slack on the line. All the other drivers would do it but I refused because we weren't paid the same hourly wage as the line workers so why should I do their work?

[–] JDvecna@hexbear.net 17 points 15 hours ago (4 children)

At my Domino's, delivery drivers were petit bourgeoisie compared to the "insiders" who actually did all the work for less pay. We all made minimum wage, but drivers earned commission and tips and didn't have to take orders on the phone, didn't have to do dishes, and didn't have to help make product. The only thing they did was eat and drive

[–] Demifriend@hexbear.net 6 points 9 hours ago

Being a delivery driver is also a way more dangerous job. Sounds like your place's work balance was fucked though, where I was drivers had to do dishes, prep ingredients, work the oven, and help take phone orders, plus do most opening and closing tasks since insiders were basically only around for rush. Basically the only thing you were exempt from was working the make line. I've done both and still think being a driver was better overall, though. It's a lot easier to sneak away for a break when I was getting stressed and the pay was definitely better even with the cost of car maintenance.

[–] Omegamint@hexbear.net 3 points 9 hours ago

When I worked at a pizza place as a driver I was expected to help with whatever needed help the most, which was what they cited as me not doing right when they shitcanned me (I’m sure it had nothing to do with needing to give hours to an old driver who had been on leave and me not wanting to hang out with the sexual harasser older manager at their work parties). They also didn’t cover any sort of commercial insurance for us which meant we were likely fucked in case of an accident.

I definitely made a bit more money and I enjoyed driving but it wasn’t amazing

[–] john_brown@hexbear.net 23 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Eat, drive, burn fuel, tires, wear out the car, maintain what amounts to company transportation on your own dime, etc.

The only drivers that had it figured out at my Papa Johns' were the 3-4 "old" dudes (my age now) who had shitheap beaters they bought for a thousand bucks or less and would put zero maintenance into. They'd buy an old honda, suzuki, toyota, etc, and just do the bare minimum to keep them on the road until something broke badly enough to keep them off the road, then they'd scrap it and buy another shitheap. They were all salesmen at their day jobs and did delivery in the evenings in their beaters. Us young idiots had our cherished used cars we loved, modified, and drove delivery with. We were fools.

[–] stink@lemmygrad.ml 11 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Was an insider as well. Making $7.25 while drivers made $20-$60/hr depending on the night. Drivers really only washed dishes / took stuff out of the oven whenever they were in store. They still made $7.25 whenever they were in store, but it was like $2/hour when they were ok the road, subsidized by tips.

[–] john_brown@hexbear.net 8 points 13 hours ago

PJ was definitely not clocking any different pay for us whether in store or on delivery back then, maybe they do now. I got paid the flat tipped rate no matter what I was doing. Car maintenance costs eat away at the tips real quick.

[–] JDvecna@hexbear.net 9 points 15 hours ago

Depends on the state; when I was delivering during covid, I made the state mw ($14/hr) plus tips, which was about $5/hr, so the money wasn't bad for a second job. Working closing shift meant I didn't actually get a lot of deliveries but washed a lot of dishes

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