Home Delivery - what do you tip$? (moved from Ontario board)

[dinin and dishin]

As someone who used to work in the restaurant biz, I tend to be a generous tipper. But I always struggle with what to give the guy at the door. Especially since I don't find out that the order is screwed up until after I open the box.

I'd love to hear what other's CHers in Toronto feel is appropriate or what guiding principles you use if any.

[bamagirl30]

I tip 5 bucks every time. Usually there is a delivery fee added (almost always since gas went up a few years ago), so I consider it good.

[Harters]

This is one of those cultural questions where the answer will differ depending where in the world the respondent lives (and, unlike the OP, I'm not in Ontario).

For me, a delivery tip may be nothing or, at most, only a "keep the change".

[DuaneL]

To me, a "keep the change", is an insult - I would rather NOT keep the change - don't want the money if it is not a thoughtful response for my hard work. Also, I use my own car (-$) to make the delivery, which saves the customer time and money by not having to go pick up the pizza themselves. However, I do realize that some people think the delivery fee goes to the driver, when in reality it does not - just saying - in Tennessee. Thanks for the feedback.

[chartreauxx]

i do often say "keep the change", but it's never a casual thing - that just means i figured the tip into the amount of cash i handed over in the first place, and i was probably doing that on purpose to save you the hassle of futzing with making change. sorry if that's rude.

[DuaneL]

Thanks for the feedback - i probably should have been clearer - what i meant was that if an order comes to $22.75 and the customer hands me $23.00 and tells me to "keep the change". I think "wow" a whole 25 cents? - to save them from going to pick the order up themselves - what a waste of my time and gas. However, if the customer hands me $25.00 and tells me to "keep the change = $2.25", I am okay with that - at least they aren't stiffing (insulting) me. But when the customer stiffs me, I do keep my head and act professional about it and walk away without mentioning it.

[MonMauler]

DuaneL, I believe Harters lives in England, where the tipping customs for delivery are different, as implied in his discussion about culture differing depending on wheere in the world the respondent lives. If I understand correctly, what we in the US understand the tip to be is already factored into the cost of the food, and there is no need for the customer to help supplement the delivery person's income.

[DuaneL]

Hi MonMauler,
In Tennessee, where I deliver pizza, the delivery fee goes directly to the company I work for - I do not receive that. The tip is not factored into the cost of the food. I rely heavily on tips to pay for gas, maintenance on the car and insurance. Also, I pay rent, pay bills, etc. like everybody else.

[MonMauler]

Sorry, DuaneL. In re-reading my post, I was unclear. I meant that, "If I understand the the situation in England correctly, what we in the US..."

I totally understand that in the US the company you work for gets the delivery fee and that the tip is not factored into the cost of the food.

I was responding to you to point out that Harters was talking about a different culture than what we have in the US and trying to point out the difference. Sorry for the confusion!

[Harters]

We do indeed have a very different culture related to tipping. No-one is going to feel insulted, demeaned or whatever, if I don't tip at all. And fewer of us are tipping at all in all apsects where, a few years ago, tipping was commonplace. My brother in law is a taxi driver. When he started, he would expect several tips in a working shift. Now, shifts will go by without any tips.

[1stLink]

And that is how it should be. tips should not be counted as part of the wage, it should be above and beyond that, which is why the amount shouldn't matter, but that's not what's happening.

[chartreauxx]

i always tip a minimum of 15%. i also try to remember when the delivery is late, many restaurants will take any comp given to the consumer out of the driver's pay - even if the delay was for reasons beyond his/her control (like a slow kitchen, or horrible traffic), so unless the delivery guy is overtly rude or offensive or nasty somehow, i would never ding the driver on a tip for a late delivery. it probably wasn't his/her fault. after all, drivers make their living on making more deliveries, so it would never be in their interest to deliver your order anything less than as fast as possible. furthermore, it is a brutal tough job, and not without risks to personal safety (would you really want your teenage son/daughter driving in all kinds of weather and traffic at 10pm to go ring a total stranger's doorbell in the dark, alone?).

just my $00.02 on this

[DuaneL]

Thank you for the feedback - most times when a delivery is late - it is beyond the driver's control - sometimes due to a pizza needing to be remade because the wrong toppings were placed on it - or because their are not enough drivers scheduled to deliver the pizzas promptly.
Also, when the drivers are in-store, we help with production. It is a cool job, but I do worry about safety

[FrankJBN]

So folks that are tipping 20% see the delivery boy's job as on a par with restaurant servers?

Actually it strikes me as a far less skilled position indeed deserving lesser wages.

[1stLink]

But you don't mind paying Swiss Chalet in this case for nothing?!

HALF CHICKEN DINNER
Take-Out 11.99 - Delivery 13.79 ($1.80)
FAMILY PAK
One whole Ro sserie Chicken, 4 rolls, Chalet dipping
sauce and your choice of 4 single side orders.
Take-Out 25.99 - Delivery 29.99 ($4)

Remember this is delivery charge only. Everything is the same as take out exept the delivery part.
Also remember that driver makes a flat charge on each delivery, regardless of order size or distance.

[DuaneL]

I am a pizza delivery driver at night and I make less than minimum wage and rely heavily on tips. The company I work for keeps that delivery fee and gives us only $1.25 per each delivery and $4.25 per hour - but I pay for all the gasoline, which you know is expensive. My guesstimate would be $2 to $3 for the first box and $1 each additional box. You might say it is a less skilled position - but don't forget we have to pay for gasoline, the maintenance of our vehicles and also insurance costs.

[MonMauler]

My typical order is in the $20 range, so I will generally leave $4 or $5, which is totally dependent on how long it takes my food to reach me.

[1stLink]

Around $3-$4 so maybe 10%, but you know that Swiss Chalet charges $10+ for delivery but the driver doesn't get that money, so I only pick up. After all, how much more gas does it take to deliver a family pack($4) than a 1/2 chicken ($2), specially when the driver pays for the gas?!

[MRS]

I always try the fact that in my area, most of the delivery is brought by young guys/kids. They're working hard, and bringing me my food when I am too lazy/tired/cold to shlep out for it. When it is especially crappy weather, I really feel for these guys. I make sure to make it worth their while.

[duck833]

$5.00 for pizza delivery

[dinin and dishin]

duck, your flat fee approach is interesting. It made me wonder what places that don't offer free delivery charge for it. I don't believe they charge based on the size of the bill, so that would make a flat fee approach quite comparable for tipping. Unless of course you are having a party and ordering 10 pizzas or so. I am so used to gauging it against the cost, but I think I may go with a flat fee approach now...a generous flat fee for sure.

[Caroline1]

Since this originated on the Ontario board, I'm wondering just how many of you live far far away from the restaurants you order from? I always know the driving distance from the restaurant to my house. I tip a standard $3.00 or $4.00, no matter how large the order is. It's not as if I'm dining in and a wait person has to make multiple trips with food, drink, water, starters, dessert. It's one trip, probably other deliveries along the way, and the driver has to ring the doorbell.

I was concerned maybe I was cheap. My son is now 40 and an electrical contractor, but when he was in school, he worked as a pizza deliverer, a wait person, and a bar tender. His family eats a LOT of pizza. <sigh> I asked him how much he tips, and he said a flat $3.00, regarless of food price. I asked him about the standard 20% tip and he laughed and said, "When they come in the house and serve the pizza, then clear the table!"

For what it's worth, today Dominoes initiates its "track your pizza" service on its websites. They say it's pretty accurate. Haven't tried it yet. It's supposed to be available throughout the U.S. very soon.

[pescatarian]

No, they didn't come to my house and serve the pizza and clear the table, however, they did get in a car, incur gas charges and wear and tear on their car, dodge traffic, perhaps in bad weather, and arrived at my door with a smile and hot food so I don't have to go out. For all of that, I am happy to give them 20%. Sometimes, $3.00 is 20%. It's never $2.00 though. I don't think $2 is enough no matter what.

[Caroline1]

But it's not like there is a conscription program for pizza delivery drivers. When my son didn't like the wear and tear, he got a job as a waiter. Then he realized he would make more money as a bar tender, Life is a learning experience!

[pescatarian]

No it's not a conscription program, but it's not always easy to move around from job to job (and maybe it's a second job for all I know). Regardless, I'm comfortable with paying 20% for what I perceive to be a crappy job and one that is providing me with a useful service. I would rather pay them 20% then get in my car, fight traffic, incur the wear and tear, miss part of the program I'm watching, etc.

[jgg13]

Indeed. I never buy the "its a crappy job" argument as part of why we're supposed to dole out so many greenbacks.

If it is so crappy, they don't have to have that job - they should go get one they like better.

[pescatarian]

That's not the only criteria. I guess it depends how much you value a service. I value the delivery to my door service enough to give them 20%.

[missfunkysoul]

I usually give a flat $5. Maybe a dollar less or more if I order only a few things or more than usual. I don't order in so much that it will break the budget - plus, the guy had to schlep to my house, etc.

[jgg13]

Usually try to get it to be somewhere between 15-20% of the either the pre-tax or post-tax total (usually I do pre-tax if they have a delivery fee, I know that's not the driver's fault, but if they don't like it, they can find a new job). Almost everywhere I order from is within 2 miles of my apartment and has a $15 minimum order so I don't really belong in the class of "I drove 10 miles to deliver your $10 pizza and you gave me only a buck!".

[rpewter55]

Also realize that the delivery driver is someone who is all alone in their car with your food. Most big places keep your tipping info on computer file when you call and how you tip could affect your food and what happens with it

[soupkitten]

$4 minimum (us not canada). the dude who knows dh's name and races to the house w piping hot food (less than 10 mins from wok to door) gets around $6. this job is hard on people's cars & they generally have other glamorous jobs around the establishment: like snapping green beans or folding pizza boxes. btw our food hasn't been screwed up in over 6 years.

agree that $2 borders on. . . i better not say. . .
i'd encourage anyone who is waiting 45 mins for delivery(?!?) to consider tipping their delivery drivers better. . .

[pinstripeprincess]

as far as i can tell, 45 minutes is the average period in this city.

even if i'm ordering from a new place and ask for how long i should expect it, 45 minutes is the standard answer.

[soupkitten]

45 mins from when you place the order, or 45 mins from when the order is cooked? stone-cold food that has sat in someone's car for 45 mins is not high quality food imo, that's why establishments have limited delivery areas that allow for prompt delivery of hot food.

[james]

We order thai from Thai on Danforth (east end, just east of Coxwell) and it's amazingly fast. Seems I just put the phone down & it's at the door.
Always hot and really great thai food! We always tip 20% of the bill - it's not very expensive and I'm just glad I didn't have to go out for it. The driver is always very nice and appreciative of the gratuity. Maybe that's why it's so fast...

[ccbweb]

how long it takes is clearly going to vary with the cuisine, how far away the restaurant is, how busy the place is, etc etc.

[pinstripeprincess]

this has all been rather enlightening as I have to admit I'm usually on the lower scale of the tipping compared to you all. i will definitely have to rethink my strategy.

but, several of you have mentioned the time and distance element. most, if not all, of the places that i order from in toronto will offer me a 45min-1hr delivery time.. how would you calculate the "fast" element into this? there has been on one occassion where i received something surprisingly and insanely quick (20 minutes) but for the most part everyone is down to the last second. the food is usually hot, though.. no issues with that.

for the most part, these places are at most a 10 minute drive away from me. and that's inclusive of potential traffic.

[ccbweb]

I actually determine "fast" based on the temperature of the food. I presume that the driver has nothing to do with how quickly the food is prepared in the restaurant, so I don't really worry about that when it comes to the delivery portion of the service. (If it takes an inordinately long amount of time, then I have issues with the overall delivery of the restaurant and let them know that.) But if the food shows up lukewarm or cold (when it should be hot) then I presume that it sat for a long time after it was boxed up or whatever to be delivered. If the food is hot, then no matter how long it took for the restaurant to get it ready to go, the driver got it me quickly.

[swsidejim]

typically 20% of total bill.

if the driver is quick they get more.

[ccbweb]

Not in Toronto, but I tip between 15 and 20% of the pre-tax total.

One unique tipping situation I have in my life with unfortunate frequency is ordering delivery while I'm a patient in the hospital. There, the amount I tip has a much wider possible swing. Before 8pm when visiting hours end, the delivery drivers can, if they choose, come all the way up to my room and some of them, after knocking, will bring the food all the way into the room....they get huge tips. On the order of $10-$20 more than I was planning on tipping anyhow depending on how much food they had to haul around (sometimes we collect a fair number of people in my room for dinner). The other side of that is delivery drivers who choose not to come up to the room (which is OK in my book, no requirement to wander around in hospitals) so I have to go down to the lobby to meet them. I've had a few who pulled up in their cars and literally didn't get out...even after they'd rolled down the window and knew I was the person they had food for, they sat and waited while I rolled my IV poll out the door and into the traffic circle, in a robe and slippers. Not a lot of a tip in those cases.

[Miss Needle]

Minimum of three dollars -- amount I tip depends on lots of factors -- how far is the restaurant from me, what the weather is like, how much I order.

[babaoriley7]

I agree that there should be many factors that go into the delivery tip. Generally I'd say $3 for an easy short drive and then up to $5 for a more "difficult" drive

About 5 years ago, I worked in a somewhat rural town and I would end up with about a $2 or $3 average (plus 65 cents from the proprietor) per run and it ended up being anywhere from $12-18/hour. It was good for being a high schooler and only working part time. I can't imagine working there 40 hours a week and a couple extra dollars per run would really make a difference.

[KariAnneATL]

I'm not from Toronto, but I know that in many metropolitan areas in the US, these drivers are paid more than you think. They are paid minimum wage or more, so at least $5.15 but usually around $7-$8 an hour. They also can claim gas and mileage on their car, and trust me, the ones who do take advantage of it by claiming a greatly inflated number. If you add in average tips, they usually come out making $15-$25, and more on weekends. One time we were in Florida and my friends offered someone from Atlanta a $500 tip to bring us some subs from "our place", but they didn't take it!

Don't get me wrong, a good tip is always appreciated. But if you only tip $2 or $3 on a small order you shouldn't feel like a horrible person, that's really about average. I always have small orders, less than $15, and my house is centrally located, so I usually tip $3-$5. I knew drivers in college that would only get a $2 average tip but could make it to so many places they would come out with hundreds of dollars a night. Dorms and college campuses are close together, plus all of the fraternity houses - these drivers have it the easiest.

[Miss Needle]

I think that varies from place to place. I was working in a place where all the waitstaff did not get paid a salary and solely survived on tips.

[KariAnneATL]

Waitstaff is different, with a different minimum wage. By US law, drivers aren't considered waitstaff and are paid a higher minimum, like hosts. If a business is paying their delivery drivers the waitstaff minimum, they should be reported.

[Miss Needle]

While it's true that they have different minimum wage depending on where you live, I think having a zero wage is a totally different issue.

I'm not sure what it's like in Atlanta, but in NY, there are a lot of establishments that don't play by the rules. Running a restaurant is a cut-throat business and there are a lot of immigrants that are taken advantage of.

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.co...

[KariAnneATL]

I'm sure that there are plenty of places everywhere that don't play by the rules, but it is then up to the worker to either report it or to find a new job. I served at a "new, upscale" restaurant in a small town. After 2 months the novelty wore off and no one walked out of there on a Friday with more than $100 in tips because the community simply couldn't afford it. I gave it a couple of months more and left along with almost all of the waitstaff. It was my responsibility to find myself a new job.

As for immigrants, if they are illegal, they aren't intitled to a driver's liscence. It's different in NY because you have bikers, but immigrants are more likely to be working construction jobs than delivery, and that is an entirely different issue.

Check out some of the posts on this webste of delivery drivers if you like. They are all recent and you will see that they recommend 15% or $2 as the bare minimum tip. The times they get upset are when they get less than $1 or aren't compensated for snow, 45 minute drives, etc.
http://tipthepizzaguy.com/discussion/

[DGresh]

I'm a more generous tipper, but I'll qualify that by saying I live in a semi-rural area where the guy is likely driving *only* to my house for a given run, and he's driving about 3 miles each way.

[PDeveaux]

We tip 20% to our pizza delivery guy.

[Rick]

$2 and the driver likely breaks even or loses money on the delivery factoring in gas, insurance, wear and tear etc. In the US the IRS mileage rate is $0.505 per mile.

[Pincus]

I give between $2-3 normally, up to $5 if the weather is horrible.

[Markaroni]

It's nice to see there are generous people out there that take time to think of other people's lives and the impact of small kindnesses.

It's even better to see others that hadn't thought of a delivery guy in that way, decide to change their tune.

Blessings and kudos to both the preachers and the converted. It's decent, thoughtful folks like you that keep me coming back to this board. :)

[DGresh]

We hardly ever order for delivery, but like others have said, these people aren't paid much, and have brought me my food-- I compute 20% then add on a couple dollars. So on a $20 order I'd probably give $6. Why not make the guy's day?

[duckdown]

Definitely more than $2, thats all I can say

$2 is brutal

[burlgurl]

I agree that I wonder about the extra delivery charge...i wonder about whether I shouldn't tip as much if this is included?

[jen2202]

What gets me is that some restaurants charge for delivery, and that charge doesn't go to the driver. I understand the concept of paying for extra service but nowadays it just doesn't seem right. With the amount of competition out there I think this should be a service at no extra charge(within the area), especially because drivers don't receive the money and they get paid like dirt. It's like asking for an extra charge because gas prices are going up and it costs more to get ingredients in the restaurant. If anything, I think delivery should be built into the cost just like the cook, ingredients, dishwasher etc. Sorry, a little off topic..

[cchrish]

Delivery people are usually new to the city, often from far off lands. I'll bet that many of them are highly educated and far more qualified to teach me a thing or two, rather than add extra poundage to my lazy butt. The restaurant industry works on extremely tight margins and, thus, often cannot pay drivers what they are worth (there is a loaded statement...) so, I feel that if a driver arrives to my house with warm food and isn't homicidal, I should tip them well. I hate driving in the city, so I ask them to do it for me. I pay the restaurant for the food they prepare, because I am too lazy to do so for myself (my mental health is worth a lot to me, as you can tell from my highly developed theories on delivery....) I expect to pay for my food to be delivered, hence, I tip 20% (or so, but my math skills are also weak...) Final word: tip the amount that it's worth to you to have your meals prepared and delivered to your doorstep. If that's not worth anything to you... well... we'll probably not see eye to eye on a number of matters, but take care of yourself and be happy anyway.

[dinin and dishin]

OMG you made me laugh with "isn't homicidal". I figured this might be a hotly debated topic. And a few resonders have mentioned Bona, which is my most recent 2 -3 delivery experiences. And yes, they are delightfully friendly...and usually very fast.
Even though I live in the centre of the city, I've had major problems with delivery...until I very recently discovered Bona, I had stopped ordering out with any kind of regularity. My pre-bona experiences were so bad, that I was the homicidal one.

I think you really had me at "I hate driving in the city, so I ask them to do it for me. I pay the restaurant for the food they prepare, because I am too lazy to do so for myself (my mental health is worth a lot to me, as you can tell from my highly developed theories on delivery....)

And thus, you are absolutely right. I can do the driving, parking, dressing up in ironed clothes etc. and go to a fine establishment where I might just be treated like crap by some pretentious jerk, get poor food and feel totally abused and I will still probably tip %15 on upwards of 100 so I can earn the privilege to walk back in the door again...like an idiot obviously.

Thanks for the "adjustment." Next time someone actually finds my place within an hour or so I'll not hesitate to pull out an extra five (or more in a snow storm) for a warm pizza that hasn't been flipped on it's end. It's not much more than what some pay for their daily fix at StarBs....complete with long line and nausiatingly obtuse terminology.

thank you cchrish for the reality check....

[Full tummy]

I always give the tip in cash, too, rather than adding it to the credit card receipt. I don't trust the restaurant to give the driver his/her tip. What does everyone else do?

[JamieK]

ALWAYS cash. Even in a restaurant I tip in cash. I always write "cash" in the space marked for tip on the credit card slip so it's clear the tip was made.

[justagthing]

oh, i so like the idea of writing 'cash' on the receipt, what a novel idea...i will just have to borrow that from you. thanks

[pescatarian]

Generally 20%. It's a crappy job with crappy pay and I don't have to leave my house to get dinner. If it's really late and the driver is not polite, I might give a tiny bit less. If it's bad weather or a holiday, I tip more.

[JamieK]

I round up, add $4, then round up or down to even it out so the guy is not taking time struggling at the door to give me change. The driver is not well paid, depends on tips, gets abuse from customers, copes with traffic, weather, etc. He's usually in a hurry to get the rest of the deliveries made in time. And he's got nothing to do with what's in the box.

And as, Markaroni points out, he has just brought me a steaming hot tasty pizza from Bona TO MY HOME when I'm on the outer fringe of their delivery area.

Depending on who's home, our pizza delivery varies from $26 to $32 and the driver gets about $4.25 more or less, which is roughly about 10 to 12%, possibly even 15% depending on my math and how many glasses of wine I've had while waiting for said pizza.

[pearlD]

Maybe I should have been drinking while waiting!

[JamieK]

well, it certainly makes the waiting more pleasant! ;->

Bona drivers are always pleasant, polite and friendly so they deserve good tips but they're usually pretty fast too, considering, so there's not usually enough time for the wine factor to take effect.

[chouchou]

I don't think that the one who delivers pizza or so knows about the quality of what he is delivering. Even if he does, his taste might differ from mine! IMO what counts is timely delivery, hot pizza or whatever, and a smile. Then he deserves a good tip (15% at least).

[Apple]

We've tended to be "fair" tippers. Like other posters we recognize these guys don't make a ton of money and if we can afford to order in, we can afford to add an extra couple bucks to someone's paycheque. We do at least 15 - 20%.

[cocolou]

IMO the driver delivers the stuff and he does not have anything to do with what he is delivering. For a $20 pizza, I feel that $2 is a minimum, before opening the box. If you don't like what is in the box, then you can call the store and complain, don't you think?

[Markaroni]

Wow... Two Dollars.

Sure you're not getting the white linen service of being in the actual Chinese restaurant or the Swiss Chalet. But some guy has brought food *to your house*. With his gas. In his own car. Maybe on a cold/rainy/snowy night. He's getting minimum wage. If that.

15 percent seems pretty fair to me.

[pearlD]

Oh damn! Now I really feel badly...Two dollars is what my husband thinks is fair and I guess I have always gone along with it..poor judgement on my part..will remedy for sure....I think 15 % is a better idea...........thanks.

[detritus]

I tend to tip about $2.50 - $3.00 (I don't really know, but I probably base that amount subconsciously based on 15% of a pizza) for a delivery. I'm not sure why one would tip a percentage of the price, given that it's no more difficult to deliver a $15 pizza than $100 of chinese food (for example).

-Josh

[pearlD]

We generally order in from Swiss Chalet, China House and a Pizza place(can't remember who but it doesn't matter..it's a chain ) The Drivers all get the same, generally 2 dollars..if it's a 'bad' night of driving I would increase the Tip.

[cocolou]

I agree.

[justagthing]

Wow, gotta say that is relatively low, unless you ordered something that only cost you $10. Most take out orders tend to be near the $20-40 range and therefore the tip of only $2 would be ever so low.

[chouchou]

$20-$40 delivery from Swiss Chalet ? What do you order, if I may ask?

[justagthing]

don't know what swiss chalet is, i was just saying when i order in, it is usually b/c there are other over and the bill tends to be more.

[Full tummy]

Have you ordered from Swiss Chalet recently? Even a quarter chicken dinner for delivery is $10.00. With a salad or soup, some drinks, and a dessert or two, the bill can climb to upwards of $30.00 plus tax for two people! Prices are cheaper in the restaurant.

[Kasia]

it's also no more difficult to bring a $30 entree than a $15 one to a table in a sit-down restaurant, yet we tip based on overall cost of the meal. not sure why tipping delivery people would require a different logic.

[detritus]

My understanding is that in a great many restaurants, the tips are shared with the kitchen/bar staff, etc. I don't imagine a delivery person does the same.

-Josh

[chouchou]

Josh, I don't think so either. Kitchen, waiters etc. have their own share of stress but they stay dry and warm. They don't have to drive by all kinds of weather, double park, run up the stairs or the elevators to face a hungry customer in a bad mood! They deserve a good tip.

[smarsh]

Its also no more difficult for the server to bring me a $10 chicken sandwich than a $40 NY strip in a sit down restaurant, but those tips are based on percentage. Why shouldn't delivery follow the same rules?

Edited: D'oh! I guess I should have kept reading. It seems that Kasia and I are sharing the same brain tonight...

[Jay98]

My DH is a cab owner and a good tipper. He knows what it's like to not receive a tip, even for extra services rendered.

Usually, he tips the delivery person 15% or 20% depending on how fast we received our food.

[Full tummy]

To be honest, I don't know how much the driver has to do with whether the right stuff was put in the bag... I tip just because it's convention, and because I know the person's probably not making very much money. Is that wrong?

[bnemes3343]

Not wrong to me. I really don't know much about Toronto, but I have to assume that (like the wait staff in a restaurant), these people are paid very little and are expected to make their money from tips. And as you say, they probably have nothing to do with the quality of what is in the box or how long it took someone to get it ready for them to deliver.

[chouchou]

I agree with bnemes. The delivery boy has nothing to do with what is in the box. But his good manners and his promptness have an influence on my generosity!