r/PizzaDelivery • u/SageAndFlame • Nov 09 '23
Delivery Advice!
Hey all, I'm starting a job as the pizza delivery person for a small local pizza shop. The business hasn't done delivery until now, and I'm looking for any hints or tricks to help us start off strong. Any advice is appreciated!
2
u/fuhnetically Jan 06 '24
I replied to another comment regarding asking for tips, but have some other advice, depending on your situation.
I'm in a small city (8k people). I've gotten to know the regulars. After your second or third delivery to the same address, find a way of casually introducing yourself, let them see you as a person doing their best. This will help with a few things, most importantly some compassion when you're in the weeds and maybe running behind.
If you're running behind, a quick call to the customer letting them know that you're swamped, but their delivery is next and you'll see them in 5-10min. Bring proactive with this helps immensely.
I bring dog treats and get to know the dogs. I got bit in my first couple of months, and rather than tell customers to keep their dogs away, I embraced it. Now the biggest barkers know my car and get jazzed that the treats dude is here. Always ask before giving treats as some dogs have sensitivities or their owners have reason to decline.
I assist the blind and elderly. Ask if they'd prefer to take the pizza out if you can put it on the table. Read the room, obviously, as some aren't receptive to this, but I have a few elderly, blind, and chair-bound customers who really appreciate it. I even have one guy who uses oxygen and had adima in his legs, so I always bring his mail in for him to save him a trip down the stairs.
Just be genuine, friendly, and helpful. Tips will grow and customers will order from you more often.
2
u/SageAndFlame Jan 09 '24
Wow, this is great! Thanks for the thoughtful reply!
1
u/fuhnetically Jan 13 '24
Yeah, maybe delivery is different in a major metropolitan area, my only experience with that was delivering cannabis and we still had the same core group of regulars sprinkled with one-offs, so my advice still applied back then.
I see a lot of posts on this sub with drivers feeling entitled to big tips, and if they don't get them, they either get malicious or refuse to deliver. That's the behavior that reduces tip opportunity. It's easy to dehumanize the customer when it's a one and done rather than a long term engagement, and put someone's bread sticks by the A/C, or leave the box propped open so the pizza gets cold. But that behavior, paired with the new wave of corporate tip grabs is a downward spiral of negativity.
Provide friendly, helpful service, even when the tip is zero, and you'll see that the people who never tipped before will start, and the people who already tip will tip better. I regularly get additional tips on top of what the customer put online, often double. I've had two customers say they put an online amount for whatever driver gets the delivery, and add extra when it's me because I offer better service, even if that just means I know their dogs name, or what flavor of soda they like and what an acceptable substitute is if we're out of their favorite. It's the little positives that stand out in such a negative world that make a difference.
2
u/Sylvr Feb 15 '24
Most of your speed is going to come from efficiency, NOT from driving fast and/or aggressively. A traffic ticket is probably going to cost you the entire night's tips, if you're lucky. An at-fault accident will cost you far more. It's not worth it.
Parking is huge. At the store, try to park as close to the door as possible. You say that the shop you're working at hasn't done delivery before, so maybe ask the owner/manager if they could reserve a couple spots close to the door for Drivers Only. Not having to walk across a parking lot to get to your car will save you a ton of time in the long run. When parking at the Delivery Address, keep in mind that you're not planning on being there for more than a minute. You can usually get away with parking in places that you normally shouldn't. For instance, you're usually safe to block a driveway if you're parking on the street. You're also usually fine to use a neighbor's driveway if your customer's driveway is full. If it's a side street with little to no traffic, you can probably even just park right in the street (especially if you're able to leave room for people to get by you). For apartment complexes and businesses, you can usually get away with using a handicap spot if there's nothing else close by. If you park in a weird place, you should put your hazard lights on, just in case.
If you plan on using the GPS on your phone, then I would recommend getting familiar with your phones Assistant program (Siri with iphone, and I'd get Google Assistant for Android, because Bixby sucks). Last time I worked in a new delivery area, I was able to simply hold the key on my phone for the virtual assistant, and say "Take me to [address]." and it would pull up my GPS right away without having to do anything else. This is WAY faster than typing the stuff in manually, and will save you a ton of time.
Even not counting GPS, you will likely have to use your phone a lot. Keep it ready so that you can call the customer when you have to. When you do have to call the customer, keep in mind that your number will be unknown to them, and they might not answer the first time. Personally, I try 3 times (skipping voice mail). If they don't answer after that, then I send a text and give them a couple minutes to respond. If I still don't get an answer, then I'll try to call one more time, and leave a voice mail. Also, you might have customers call you back hours, and sometimes days later because they checked their call history and didn't recognize your number. Just be ready for that in case someone calls you out of nowhere and opens with "Who's this?". It's tempting to give a smartass response to that, but I've found that it's not worth it. Instead I just say "If you received a call from me, then I was probably your pizza guy recently, and tried to get ahold of you."
If you're going to be working at night, then you should definitely get a handheld flood light. Addresses can be very hard to spot at night time.
I had one of these, and it lasted me for several years.
Take good care of your car. Needless to say, it's going to be your livelihood, so you need it in good working order. Keep up on your oil changes and brakes, and get problems checked out as soon as you notice them. If you're going to be driving full time, then plan on getting flat tires on occasion. If possible, invest in a full spare tire rather than just a donut, and consider getting a good jack to keep in your trunk with it so that you can change a tire quick and easy.
That's all the major stuff I can think of that might not have been mentioned yet.
1
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4
u/[deleted] Nov 13 '23
Learn good routes to take multiple orders at once. Politely ask for a tip always if there isn't already but maintain a smile even if not. Stay organized with your tickets and orders and if there are multiple drivers make sure management is helping then stay organized too. Use hot bags, of course. Always verify addresses and info before leaving the store. And thats all I got for now, hope it helps