Tip etiquette What the tip is not The tip is not any of the following. 1. One dollar. This is a popular mistake. It has caused some customers to tip $1 no matter how much work was involved. It could be a bigger order, the weather might be bad, or it could be a longer drive. In the 1980's, one dollar was an acceptable tip. Inflation and gas prices have drastically changed the cost of living in the last 30 years. Today's $3 minimum is polite. The tip is 15% if the order is more than $20. A $1 "tip" is perceived as an insult if the order is $20 or more. For example, on a $21.19 order, one dollar is less than 5%. 2. Change from the next dollar. Suppose the total was $14.83. The customer gave the driver $15 and said, "Keep the change." That's only 17 cents for the tip. Anything under $1 is considered garbage. This is considered an insult to the driver. It is a very tiny fraction of the tip amount. Now, if you want to tip a few bucks and add the leftover coins to it, that's no problem at all. 3. Saying how much you appreciate the driver, the pizza, and not tip. This is called a verbal "tip." It's the same as no tip, except the customer notices you should be tipped and does not. This is perceived as hypocritical and cruel treatment. Please don't ever do this. 4. Included in the bill. Some customers don't tip because they assume it was included in the bill. Unlike a dine-in restaurant, pizza delivery does not have automatic gratuity for large orders. We're sorry to say the store does not have class. The tip is not included even on huge orders. If the order is gigantic, say $500, the store did not include the tip. The store can't add the tip to the bill without your permission. Some stores let you add the tip to a credit card payment in advance when you place the order. The computers in most stores are not designed to let you tip in advance. Please be mindful of this. You will need to add the tip when you pay. Or you can tip separately. 5. Included in the delivery charge. Pizzas stores do not give the delivery charge to the driver in the form of a tip. The fee goes to the store. Even small independent stores do not distribute the delivery charge in the form of a gratuity. The national and regional chains might give a small part of the delivery charge to the driver for gas reimbursement. This is not the tip. It compensates the driver for travel expenses so they can be brought back to minimum wage or sub-minimum wage. Sadly, most stores pay less than a third of the IRS mileage rate. The drivers are not truly compensated. Even if they received a full reimbursement, no driver could expend their personal car for only minimum wage or sub-minimum wage. Tips are the only thing that makes the job economically worthwhile. When gas prices rose to over $3 a gallon, pizza stores increased driver mileage by 5 to 20 cents after raising the delivery charge by 50 cents to $1. The intent was profit for the store with only pennies for gas. As gas prices fell to under $2 a gallon, delivery charges have stayed the same and have not lowered to match while the store lowered driver mileage. This proves the fee profits the store. Small, independent stores might use the delivery charge to pay the driver's hourly wage. They might pay nothing an hour or $2 an hour, and use the fee to bring the driver to minimum wage. For more information, please click here. 6. Included in free delivery. Free delivery was the norm for decades until stores started the delivery fee in 2001. By 2002, very few stores continued to offer free delivery. The term "free delivery" can mislead customers into not tipping. In stores that have free delivery today, the drivers depend on tips as always. "Free delivery" is an oxymoron. Pizza companies should not mislead the public like this. It means the store does not charge a mandatory fee for delivery. "Free" refers to what the store charges. It has nothing to do with the drivers. They are tipped employees. The tip is not a mere perk or bonus. As opposed to a small importance, tips are the majority of the driver's income. The tip is the driver's primary wage. Tips are appreciated. Thank you for tipping the pizza guy. Last updated: December 18, 2015 return to top