You’re waiting on a delicious pizza, and you’re standing there holding your phone in one hand and your wallet in the other, thinking how much to tip for pizza delivery. The thing is, no one has any sort of definitive answer. Some people think they can tip two dollars and call it a day, and others think tipping less than 25% is an absolute crime against humanity (if you’ve ever read Reddit threads about tipping etiquette, you know how overzealous some people can get).
But let’s take a step back and approach it like a rational human being. There really is no single number that applies in every situation. There are just a few small criteria that when added together, should help you get to a number that feels…adequate. For you and for your beloved pizza delivery driver.
First: how far did the driver come from?
This one is a bit underrated. No one factors distance into their tipping sizes, but it is important. If you live three blocks from the pizzeria and the driver basically drove downhill for a long time, you could probably tip based on the baseline – anywhere from 10% to 15% of the bill or around somewhere between a flat 3-5 dollars if you’re not calculating percentages. If you lived within easy reach of takeout, then I believe this is an easy situation because, think—you ordered, it arrived, you ate. Not a big deal. But if you are living in the suburbs, or on the side of some rural road that winds through town 20 minutes, that delivery wasn’t a “normal” delivery. More gas, more time, more wrong turns or sketchy weather conditions. At this time, putting a little extra tip is just… “proper” tipping etiquette. Think of it as “taking up the extra inconvenience”.
Okay, but was the service really good?
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