Pizza delivery

Pizza delivery is a service in which a pizzeria or pizza chain delivers a pizza to a customer. An order is typically made either by telephone or over the internet, in which the customer can request pizza type and size, and other items to be delivered with it, commonly including soft drinks. Pizzas may be delivered in cardboard pizza boxes or delivery bags, and deliveries are made with either an automobile, motorized scooter or bicycle. Customers can, depending on the provider, choose to pay online, or in person, with cash, credit card, debit card or other means. A delivery fee is sometimes charged, although free delivery is also common.

Ordering

Ordering pizza for delivery usually involves contacting a local pizza restaurant or chain by telephone or online. Online ordering is available in many countries, where some pizza chains offer online menus and ordering.[1]

The pizza delivery industry has kept pace with technological developments since the 1980s beginning with the rise of the personal computer. Specialized computer software for the pizza delivery business helps determine the most efficient routes for carriers, track exact order and delivery times, manage calls and orders with PoS software, and other functions. Since 2008, GPS tracking technology has been used for real-time monitoring of delivery vehicles by customers over the Internet.[2]

Some pizzerias, such as the Ontario-based Canadian chain Pizza Pizza, will incorporate a guarantee to deliver within a predetermined period of time.[3] For example,

Charge

For decades, "free delivery" was a popular slogan for almost all pizza stores.[7] In Australia, a portion of the delivery charge is given to the driver as the store is required to reimburse the driver for the use of a personal vehicle.[8]

Domino's Pizza is credited with popularizing free pizza delivery in the United States.[9] Pizza Hut began experimenting in 1999 with a 50-cent delivery charge in ten stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.[10] By mid-2001 it was implemented in 95% of its 1,749 company-owned restaurants in the U.S., and in a smaller number of its 5,250 franchisee-owned restaurants.[11] By 2002, a small percentage of stores owned or franchised by U.S. pizza companies Domino's and Papa John's

Delivery technology

Hazards

Pizza delivery, by its nature, can pose risks for those engaged in it, as they are required to go to the homes of strangers, in unfamiliar neighborhoods.

In 2004, Pizza Hut fired a delivery driver who shot and killed a robber while on the job, citing its company policy against employees carrying weapons.[24] Other national chains such as Domino's and Papa John's also prohibit carrying weapons, although many independent pizzerias allow delivery persons to carry weapons in a legal manner.[25]

Pizza delivery drivers have been subjected to assault, kidnappings, and robbery, and have sometimes been raped or killed while on the job.[26][27] Fake orders are sometimes used to lure robbery victims or kidnappings, and delivery people have been injured and killed in robberies and kidnappings.[28][29]

Prank order

Pizza places may be subject to prank orders for numerous pizzas or to random houses or a target house. A prank order may cost businesses money and aggravation, resulting in the restaurant throwing away the unpaid pizzas. For example, in November 2010 in Amherst, Massachusetts, a man claiming to be part of Bob Dylan's crew placed an order for 148 pizzas which cost nearly $4,000.[30] Prank callers have been fined in Singapore for placing false orders.[31]

See also

• List of pizza chains
• California Pizza Kitchen
• Godfather's Pizza
• Marco's Pizza
• Mellow Mushroom
• MOD Pizza
• Papa John's
• Papa Murphy's
• Sbarro

External links

• How Big Pizza And Big Tech Made Hot Delivery Possible - Dish City podcast and multimedia