Crazy Customers

I live and deliver in Austin so without a doubt, I have some nut jobs who will always find a problem wrong with my service. 

I delivered to this one customer who had the most cluttered front porch I have ever seen. I knocked at the door and put my game face on. The door opened with the chain-lock still in place and see an old ladies eyeball looking at me. She then closed the door, unlocked it, and jumped out at me yelling; asking if I had brought napkins. I looked into her house and she was A HOARDER!!!
During lunch rush I have little to no phone contact with the customer. I rely on the ticket to tell me all the special requests. The lady said she had requested napkins, but I know my co workers strive for accuracy. I realized then that she was probably trying to get free food off a hostile reaction so I played it cool and sucked up. I ended up getting tipped... by her throwing a few dimes at me.

 Only in Austin

How to Get More Tips, or... Tip Tips

You know that rage you feel when someone doesn't tip you?

Don't get me wrong, you can't completely eliminate stiffers, but there are some things you can do to get more people to apply gratuity...

1.Hygiene!!

This is the most important advice. Every day before work, brush your teeth, comb your hair, and take a shower. Remember, you are handling people's food. Don't be a slob.

2.Treat the Customer like a Homie

Make conversation. Say the person's name (if it's on the ticket) as if you have met them before. This is especially effective with regulars. It makes people feel important when people know their name. Maybe even add a suffix when you say their name if they are the suit and tie kind of guy.

3. Mark up the CC slip

Circle the tip, total and signature lines and put a smiley face, or a heart if you are a girl or an effeminate guy. This adds a bit of friendliness to the whole process and has proven very useful for me.

4. Don't let the Neighborhood Hear your Music

This goes over some people's head and is actually a delivery guy stereotype. Turn your music down and power off your amp if you have one. Let the block eat dinner in peace.

5. Bring Extra Condiments Just in Case

I had this old lady yell at me once for not bringing her napkins. She was a crazy old hag and assumed we HAD to bring napkins. When I told her I followed any special requests and she had not asked for them, she signed a 0 on the tip section of the CC slip and threw a couple of dimes at me. Ever since then I carry napkins and condiments in my car.

6. Go to the Customer

Try your hardest to cut down the amount of energy the customer has to use to get their food. If they are in an office building I always try to  get it to their desk. Impresses the fuck out of people.

 

Delivery

Depending on who you are, this can be the best or worst job. If you like a certain amount of alone time and freedom and have that hustle (you know what im talking about if you got it) this is a great job. If you don't know your car well, can't handle rude people or think slowly, don't do it. I have a couple of years experience in delivering pizzas and sandwiches and this blog is dedicated to helping drivers deal with stiffers, get higher tips and most importantly, keep their cool when people are dicks. My way of coping with the latter is like most delivery guys... dank. If you really wanna grind just go without it for a day. You will be surprised how much more you make, stealing other peoples orders. On the CC slip, if your employer allows it, circle the tip line, total, and signature (as to not seem so pushy) and put a smiley face with the word "thanks." Some people who didn't even know about tips started tipping me 5 dollars each time after this trick. Also try to always smile, it helps more than anything.