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Rising Gas Prices Slice into Pizza Delivery Drivers' Take

Posted on: Wednesday, 21 September 2005, 18:00 CDT

Sep. 21--High gas prices are pinching local pizzerias and forcing some to rethink that sacred American tradition: pizza delivery.

At The Pizza Palace, owner Dave Whitman has cut back the territory where the company makes free deliveries.

At The Pizza Market on Rosedale Highway, owner John Houchin raised the minimum order size for deliveries from $10 to $50 in early September.

At Rusty's Pizza Parlors, managers raised the delivery fee in Bakersfield in early August to $1.50, said Lori Massie, an owner of four Rusty's stores.

"We passed that along to the driver," Massie said Tuesday. "It was because of the gas prices."

At Sharkey's Pizza on Stockdale Highway, the company hasn't made any changes to its delivery practices yet.

"But if it keeps going up we might have to do it," said Mike D'Amato, partner at Sharkey's.

Pizza delivery owners are not the only ones watching prices. In a statement on its decision to raise interest rates Tuesday, the Federal Reserve mentioned the effect of Hurricane Katrina, saying it could raise inflationary pressures but not enough to seriously impact the growth of the economy.

Pizza delivery usually works like this: Drivers are paid a base wage, a per-delivery gas subsidy from the owner and tips.

But if drivers have to travel too far to deliver, the costs of gas start outpace their help from the boss.

Josh Aguirre has seen the gas price run-up. For the last year or so the 19-year-old has been delivering pies for Papa O's Pizzeria on Auburn Street.

He drives around east Bakersfield delivering in his black, 1976 Datsun 280Z. He says the car gets good gas mileage, but he's seen the prices he pays go up.

"And people still think a dollar a tip is standard procedure," Aguirre said.

But he still thinks delivering pizza is a good deal. "I'm still making more in tips than I put in in gas," he said.

At The Pizza Palace, Dave Whitman decided to pull back the area where the parlor delivers for free. Outside that area, he instituted a delivery charge. That charge goes to the drivers, he said.

But Whitman stressed that there is only so much he can give to drivers.

"We can't pay for it, either. We're already taking our hit on the product side," Whitman said.

He hopes that consumers might keep gas prices in mind when they get deliveries of pizzas or any products.

"Think about all those guys that are delivering it and help them out all you can," Whitman said.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Bakersfield Californian

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Source: The Bakersfield Californian

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