When it comes to a thankless and fairly awful job, many food delivery people rank their jobs at the top of the list. Driving through rain, heavy traffic, falling snow, and freezing cold may not be your idea of a fun day, and these food catering delivery people find it much less fun than they had originally imagined. Tipping your Chinese, pizza, Indian, or Thai food delivery guy is important, and there is a certain etiquette that you need to follow when ordering takeout.
Most restaurants will add a takeout fee to your order, usually a few dollars at most. This is because it costs them money to send the food to your home, as the takeout motorcycle needs gas and they have to pay a driver to do the Chinese or Thai food delivery. However, this extra fee goes straight to the restaurant, so your delivery guy doesn't see a cent of it.
On top of that, the delivery guy is usually getting a wage that is fairly close to minimum. Some places, like Domino's pizza, pay a fairly low wage to the drivers, but they earn their money on the tips that you give them. In order to help these people earn enough money to live, it is your civic duty to tip them when they are providing you the service of Italian or Thai food delivery.
The amount of the tip is usually between 10 and 15 percent of your total food consumption, though orders under $20 usually require a tip of $3. Giving a good tip will help you to receive excellent future treatment for your Chinese or Thai food delivery, and tipping poorly will just make you look cheap. Giving less than a $3 tip will just make you look stingy, so don't be afraid to tip extra.
However, if you order food during inclement weather like rain, snow, sleet, or hail, you had better be ready to give extra. If the driver travels more than 5 miles, you should also consider adding a few dollars to your tip. There will also be times, such as during the Super Bowl or Olympics, that the driver will be rushing around town in order to deliver all the orders on time, and this is when you should give an extra tip as well. If you know that your driver gave you the best possible treatment or delivered your food first, giving an extra tip will ensure the same behavior in the future.
Again, keep in mind that tipping is an important part of the driver's wages. In fact, some drivers earn 100 to 150 percent of their actual salary in tips, and most food service personnel depend primarily on good tips to be able to earn a decent wage. If you are a good tipper, you will find that you can make the lives of your delivery personnel much easier. Food catering and delivery is a job that can be a bad one if the recipients tip poorly, so make it easier on the Chinese, Italian, and Thai food delivery guys and tip well.