Recognition - Culinary Blog

Woo hoo!  We are listed at #6 in the Top 24 Pizza Blogs on the Culinary Arts College blog!  This was posted a few weeks ago and we definitely saw a spike in traffic.  I've been too busy to check it out until today.

That is a great blog!  So many links to other blogs about food.  There's Mexican cooking, baking, food & travel, and even a list of restaurant recipes to make at home!  I'm sure we will try the recipe for Wendy's frostee, and the cheddar bay biscuits from Red Lobster!

Paying With Change and the Backdoor Rule

I had a customer tonight that met me at the door with the words, "You'll have to take dimes tonight.  I thought I had more cash but I didn't.  But at least you'll get a good tip."  She then handed me a $20 and 2 rolls of dimes ($5 each) to pay her $23.50 order.  Giving me a $6.50 tip.

Now that is the way to pay with change:

• roll the change, don't just pass it over loose or in a plastic bag
• tip the driver well

If you follow those 2 rules, the driver won't feel like he has to stand on your porch and count the coins before handing over the pizza.

Now to the other rule, the "Backdoor Rule".  Our pizza shop has a side door (main entrance) and a back door.  Customers come through the side door.  The back door has a keypad lock and is for employees only.

Someone has decided that the back of the store is unsafe and we need to not use the back door after dark.  This is kind of a pain, because now I have to carry my hot-bags through the kitchen, past the oven, and past the front counter to get out the side door.  But at least I can park my car by the side door.  I don't like this rule but I do follow it.

The rule that doesn't make sense is that we also have to take the garbage out the side door.  The dumpster is in the back!  So we have to go outside, around the store, right past the "unsafe" back door, and to the dumpster.

I counted the steps today.  It is 21 steps out the back door to the dumpster, compared to 73 steps out the side door to the dumpster.  It is over 3 times as far!

So I usually go out the back door with the garbage.  Of course the door is locked and I can't come back in, but at least the trip when I'm carrying the heavy trash bags or bulky empty boxes is shorter.

Well, tonight, manager Krystle saw me.  Instead of saying anything, she told T-White, the high-school aged cook, to make a sign to put on the back door.  "Do not use back door after dark."  So I took the next load of trash out the side door.  Ridiculous!

I worked 3.12 hours (I was a little late due to the RTA Train running late).  I took 7 deliveries, drove just 15 miles (2 triples), and made $17 in tips.  We were super-busy for about an hour and a half, then suddenly things slowed down drastically and we had time to catch up with the dishes and cleaning.

The Night I Delivered Pizza In A Ferrari

Ever since my post a few weeks ago about the Domino’s store in Europe that used a Ferrari 360 Spider as part of their pizza delivery service during their grand opening, I’ve been wondering what it would be like to deliver pizzas in one of these for a night!


Now, just to be able to drive this machine would be an incredible experience, I’m sure, but what if I actually had to use it to do my job?

First off, the Ferrari 360 is a 2-seater. So that would limit the number of orders I could take at one time. I can usually stack 3 hot-bags beside me on the passenger seat. On my Monday shifts, I rarely take even that many orders at a time, but on a busy Friday night, being limited to 3 orders per trip might hold me back.

Also, where in the car would I keep all my stuff? I have a clipboard, pens, maps, flashlight, and credit-card machine that I use regularly while I am delivering. Also I wonder if there is a plug for my phone charger? I’m sure there is.

What if I got hungry? Would I eat in a car this nice? For fear of getting pizza sauce on the seat and toppings all over the floor, I probably would not eat while driving.  Not to mention, my wife doesn't even like the smell of my car after it's been hauling pizzas for 6-8 hours.

The actual driving would be a dream. Especially in the summer with the Spider’s top down.

The Ferrari 360 Spider accelerates from 0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds so I would never get left at a stoplight. The V8 engine provides a top speed is 186 mph, but I would never be able to get anywhere near even half of that. My average round trip delivery is 4 miles and almost all of my driving is on city streets.

How would people react? The other drivers would be jealous for sure! All the in-store co-workers would want me to take them for rides. Of course they would have to hold the pizza in their lap since there is no back seat and I wouldn’t want to be driving around empty when I could be making tips.

Speaking of tips, that is one of my biggest curiosities. How would customers tip the pizza guy who pulls in driving a sportscar like a Ferrari? Would they tip less, thinking if I can afford that car, I don’t need their money? Probably. A few car enthusiasts might give a higher tip, especially if I let them peek under the hood!

Would I be safe? I wonder how this car would handle in the ice and snow of Ohio winters. Would I be super-cautious when parking in apartment or hotel lots, parking far away from other cars to make sure I don’t get any door dings?

If I was in a hurry and pushed a few miles over the limit, or cruised through a stoplight as it changed from yellow to red, I’m pretty certain the police would notice.

And at the end of the night, when I pull in to Speedway to refuel, what would it cost? I like to drive a car that gets over 30 MPG. The Ferrari 360 is rated at 11 MPG in the city and 16 MPG on the highway.

The more I think about it, the more likely I would just stick to my current vehicle for deliveries. I would save the Ferrari for a nice Sunday drive!

Wrong Neighborhood

Tonight was a long night.  I was sore from running a double-marathon yesterday (yes, 52.4 miles).  We were kind of busy, as well as behind on dishes and frozen dough prep.

I took 10 deliveries, drove 28 miles, and made $15.50 in tips, all in 4.8 hours.

However, my deliveries can be broken into 2 sets.  Five to the "Number Streets" between East and West, and five to other places.  I made just $5.50 in the "Number Streets" area, and $10 on the other 5 (which included one tip of $0 because it was a rerun).

One Run

On Saturday evening, I was picking up Chinese food for my family right across from the pizzeria where I work.  I saw our general manager out back so I stopped in to say hi.  I don't usually see her since I only work Mondays and she doesn't.

The store was celebrating Halloween.  Manager Mike was dressed as a Papa John's manager.  Our restaurant is part of another franchise!  Very funny!

Anyhow I visited for a few minutes and saw the deliveries stacking up on top of the oven.  That always makes me a little antsy, as each order is a chance to get tipped!

After chatting for several minutes and seeing no drivers return, I sprung into action.  I checked the tickets and found an order that was going to the apartments right in front of my house.  I offered to take this delivery, that way the drivers would have less to do.  This neighborhood is a fair trip but is several miles away with a minimum of 4 stoplights round-trip.

I only made $2 (and I'm not sure when I'll get it, as it was a credit card tip so the manager would pay me after the delivery, and I didn't go back).  But still it was kind of fun!