Dogs and Sierra Mist

But not together.

First delivery, a girl had 2 tiny dogs. One ran out the door and wouldn't come in. After I completed the sale, it tried to follow me to the car. I tried to lead it back in and another ran out. The girl and her brother came out to gather the dogs, so I left.

Next delivery the woman wanted change for a $50. I didn't have it and nobody told me. Luckily she was able to find 2 $20's. (Her check was $23.72).

Third was a family just moving in from Illinois (guessing by their license plates). They tipped $5! I will remember!

Fourth was a guy who opened the door right before I knocked and was very amused with himself. Perhaps he was celebrating the 420 holiday?

Fifth was my only stiff of the night and my only 2-liter of Sierra Mist. Coincidence? I think not.

Sixth, the girl answerred the door holding back a reddish doberman. She held the dog and held the door open for a couple minutes while the man of the house brought the money.

Seventh was unremarkable, but another $5 tip.

I ate and drank nothing.

Total for 5 hours driving was 7 deliveries, 39 miles, and $21 in tips.

Don't Eat The Messed Up Pizzas!

There are handwritten signs all around the shop tonight, warning that employees are not to eat any food that we do not pay for. We are not to drink drinks. (I didn't ask if this included water, I just got myself a glass). We are not to eat mistake pizzas. Our food costs are "out of control" and if they are not corrected "we will not have jobs."

Talk about a morale booster!

I arrived at my first run tonight and the person who ordered (and planned to pay for) the food was not home. They had been quoted 50 minutes, and I arrived with the food in less than 30. I have no idea why they were quoted that long, but it cost me a tip as the person who paid had to call in for a credit-card payment and the normal method of signing and adding a tip was not apparent.

Next was a double, I got my best tip of the night ($6) on a nearby order then took 2 separate orders (one paid by credit and one added on later and paid by cash) to the 3M plant outside our delivery area.

Next should have been another double, but the first guy tried to pay by check which we do not accept. He had added on a $3.75 tip. The other house tipped $2 on their $17.99 order.

Then came a series of 4 consecutive apartment deliveries that tipped $9 all together. Then my final order of the night was to the local Holiday Inn. A little small-talk led me to learn that the room was occupied by theater actors who had been in a show and were travelling next to Maryland. I'm not sure what show though.

Totals for the night were 10 deliveries, 5 hours, $24 in tips, and 39 miles.

Called Off

I was scheduled to work 6-close tonight. Manager Mike already told me last night that he would probably send me home early, around 10 PM, tonight.

Well Nick called around 5, saying not to come in until 7, as they currently had 5 drivers and only 1 delivery. I talked with Nick and we decided I would call him later. Well when I called, a little after 7, there were 6 drivers and 2 deliveries.

So I got the night off.

Good Friday - Not Quite Grant

I drove tonight from 6-close, 7 hours on the road. This is the longest shift I've worked in a few months! It started off pretty slow, of my first 8 deliveries I only had 1 tip of $3 or more.

But then overe the final 9 deliveries, I had 5 tips of $4 or more! And it was raining more during the first half of the night!

My only stiff of the night was on a delivery to the McDonald's restaurant right across the street!

All together I took 17 deliveries, drove just 51 miles (most of the time listening to the Indians rain delay), and made $48 in tips. I was really hoping to get to $50 (Ulysses S Grant) but I didn't quite make it.

Maybe tomorrow. (Yes, I close again on Saturday night).

Pizza In The News

I found a few pizza articles in the news lately and have a few minutes to write about them.

First, a post on Yahoo!'s Slice America blog about the Best Delivery Pizza. This post compares the "Big 3" of Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, & Dominos. I'll let you read it for yourself, but the knock on Pizza Hut is "slow delivery". Hello? They obviously did not have had me as a driver!

Next, on the same blog, The Commandments of Perfect Pizza. This describes what goes into the "perfect pizza", including the various ingredients and cooking styles.

Third, a news article about Dominos giving away 11,000 free pizzas. Apparently they were preparing for an internet deal based on the word "bailout". Their computer programmers set up the deal in the system, and activated it. Somebody figured it out and then it spread by word-of-mouth for a few days until they figured it out.

Now speaking of the perfect pizza, when you have a family the size of mine, there is 1 word to describe the perfect pizza. FREE! Even these days when I'm only working 1-2 nights each week, I look forward to the mess-ups and crew pies that I munch on throughout the night while I am working.

Well, in May I'm planning to start the P90X Nutrition Plan. As well as the workouts. And I don't think I'll find pizza in the recommended dietary options. In fact, I'm sure of it. During the first phase I will be allowed 1 serving of carbs per day. During phase 2 and phase 3, I will be allowed 3 and 4 carb servings, but that still doesn't leave much room for pizza crust or breadsticks.

Situations Where A Customer Might Tip Extra

Customers should consider tipping a little more than usual when the weather is bad, when they live far away, or when they place a large order.

My first customer tonight was a $54 order, 5 items in 2 hot-bags. They live 6 miles away, almost to the next town. My average trip is 2 miles each way. And it was cold and snowing (in April!)

The woman answerred the door and remarked, "It's pretty nasty outside isn't it?" She gave me 3 $20's, thought a minute, and asked me for $4 back in change. Leaving me with a $2 tip.

I had 2 customers take advantage of a $10 sale on our extra-large sheet pizza. The first one stiffed me. The second one was on the 4th floor of a hotel just outside our delivery area. He tipped $1.50. Both were pretty discouraging.

All in all I drove 4 hours, took 8 deliveries, drove 35 miles, and made $14 in tips.

Pizza For My Sister-In-Law

My sister-in-law Dawn won the NCAA contest, basically by just picking all the favorites. I had a chance to win until Villanova lost to NC on Saturday night. I've known that Dawn won for about a day and a half but couldn't bring myself to admit it.

Anyhow, congratulations and we will work out the details.

Black Market Pizza - Diary of a pizza start-up

I just read the blog for Black Market Pizza. If you don't remember, I mentioned this place a few weeks back when it was on CNN. Well they have been open for a month now and 1 of the owners is posting a weekly (so far) blog, detailing the trials and tribulations of opening a new pizza shop.

I recommend the blog, and I wish them luck!