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Free pizza delivery is practically as American as apple pie and SUVs with heated leather seats.
But unfortunately for the nation's couch potatoes, free delivery is under threat. Domino's Pizza and Papa John's, two of the largest national chains, have quietly started testing delivery fees of up to $1 in some stores in the past year. They are following in the footsteps of Pizza Hut, the biggest U.S. pizza-restaurant chain, which already charges 50 cents for delivery at its 1,700 company-owned U.S. stores. Many of its 4,900 franchisees are giving it a try, too. The objective: Cut costs by persuading customers to pick up pizzas in person. Getting people to come to the pie, instead of vice versa, drastically lowers their costs.
Despite the risk that extra fees will alienate customers, the industry is scrambling to bolster its bottom line as sales fall and customer-service problems persist because of high employee turnover. Order accuracy at most large chains is below average when compared with other fast-food restaurants, according to Sandelman & Associates, a customer-service tracking firm. Customers' biggest complaints: botched orders, bad phone etiquette and, of course, cold pizza.
Pizza sales have flattened the past three years, hurt by the emergence of decent-tasting frozen and take-and-bake pizzas, says Technomic, a food-service consulting firm. Meantime, price competition among the large chains has squeezed profit margins so tightly -- the average profit on a $9 pizza is only about $2 -- that shops are adding menu items like chicken strips and ice cream to boost per-order revenue.
To see how pizza joints are faring amid rising competitive pressure, we bellied up to the phone and ordered 10 pies from five pizzerias, ranging from a Pizza Hut in Van Nuys, Calif., to Joe's Pizza & Restaurant, a mom-and-pop place in Mamaroneck, N.Y. We also tested a big West Coast chain, Round Table Pizza, in Van Nuys, Calif.; Domino's in New Rochelle, N.Y.; and Papa John's International in Princeton, N.J.
We wanted timely delivery of steaming hot pies at a good price. To see if we could talk down the price, we asked for special deals. We also requested extras like parmesan and napkins. While we hoped for tasty pies (of course), our primary focus was on service, since that's "the only true thing that differentiates [the chains] right now," says Steve Coomes of Pizzamarketplace.com (www.pizzamarketplace.com), a trade publication. "The product is fairly similar."
Service varied widely -- and we learned that you should always ask for a discount. Four of the five chains gave us better prices just for asking. And delivery times were all over the map: One guy got so lost, he asked us to come find him.
The pizzas themselves ended up being similar in style and taste. Three of the five shops even put almost precisely the same number of pepperoni slices on their large pizzas -- about 40 at Domino's, Yum Brands' Pizza Hut, and the mom-and pop joint. Papa John's pepperoni pie landed with a respectable 50. The big winner: Round Table with a gut-busting 76.
Round Table also had some of the best phone manners of the five we tried. The rep offered us not one but three different kinds of salads when we asked for healthy options, and asked us if we wanted napkins, peppers, or parmesan cheese -- and we weren't charged extra. The downside: The food was pricier than the other places we tried (including a $1 delivery charge) and Round Table was less willing to bargain than some others.
Papa John's gave us an estimated delivery of 35 minutes, and made it, but forgot to include the napkins and plates we wanted. The pie arrived warm, but not hot. But as for price, we got a good deal: Two one-topping pies for $14.99 -- or $6.45 off the regular price. We also talked $2.50 off an order of chicken strips.
At the pizzerias we visited, in cases where we experienced service lapses, company representatives apologized. Several chains also outlined their efforts to improve customer service.
To cut down on mistakes, Domino's recently began testing high-tech robotic order-takers at a few stores, mostly on the West Coast. Pizza Hut and Papa John's are experimenting with online ordering.
Domino's took an hour to deliver after promising we'd have our pizza in 30 to 40 minutes, and forgot the napkins. It also charged us a buck extra for two small cups of blue cheese, and had no parmesan or hot peppers. Despite the lateness, the pizza was one of the hottest of the bunch due to Domino's delivery-bag technology: Its bags now have heating elements in them.
Pizza Hut gave us two large one-topping pizzas and 10 chicken wings for $19.99 ($18.67 off of the regular price) and delivered as promised in about 35 minutes. When we asked for something healthy, the phone rep suggested a salad but didn't mention the veggie thin-crust pizza, which is a recommended food in Weight Watchers Dining Out Companion, which we found out about later. And no plates or hot peppers: The driver said the store had run out of both.
Joe's Pizza called twice to get directions to our suburban home in Larchmont, N.Y., and actually wanted us to go meet the driver at the nearest intersection, several blocks away. The pizza came a half-hour late, and the driver forgot the free blue cheese. Joe's did bring napkins and plates, but charged us $1.50 for parmesan. One of the best parts about Joe's was that it used real sliced sausage, not the little nuggets that often show up on delivered pizzas.
--Danielle Smith, Justin Stein and Tara Parker-Pope contributed to this article.
COMPANY BEST FEATURE DELIVERY TIME SNAFU COMMENT
Domino's Pizza
New Rochelle, N.Y. Heated delivery-bag technology made its pies some of the hottest we received. An hour, which was 20 minutes later than the 30- to 40-minute estimate we got on the phone. Order-taker made us feel rushed, and sighed when we asked about healthy options like salads. Largest delivery chain, but has a limited menu: Pizza, wings, drinks and not much more.
Papa John's
Princeton, N.J. Willing to wheel and deal (we knocked $6.45 off the price just by asking). Our two pies arrived in 35 minutes, on time. The pizza wasn't cold ... but it wasn't piping hot, either. Top-notch customer service -- the order-taker spent considerable time on the phone looking for the best deal.
Pizza Hut
Van Nuys, Calif. Phone rep cut us a $19.99 deal -- nearly 50% off the list price -- for two one-topping pies and some wings. 35 minutes, as promised. Forgot our hot peppers and plates, and charged 50 cents for delivery. A sit-down chain, so it offers a more expansive delivery menu than some others.
Round Table Pizza
Van Nuys, Calif. Order-taker offered a bunch of freebies, like parmesan, that others make you pay for. An hour, but the shop warned us up-front it would take that long. Generally more expensive than the other chains we tried. Good service, good menu, good pie -- but you pay for it.
Joe's Pizza & Restaurant
Mamaroneck, N.Y. All-encompassing menu has everything from an antipasti assortment, to spaghetti and meatballs. An hour -- about 35 minutes longer than estimated. Driver got lost, asked if we could come out and find him a few blocks away. Not willing to deal on price at all. But the pizza had that home-cooked feeling others lacked.
But unfortunately for the nation's couch potatoes, free delivery is under threat. Domino's Pizza and Papa John's, two of the largest national chains, have quietly started testing delivery fees of up to $1 in some stores in the past year. They are following in the footsteps of Pizza Hut, the biggest U.S. pizza-restaurant chain, which already charges 50 cents for delivery at its 1,700 company-owned U.S. stores. Many of its 4,900 franchisees are giving it a try, too. The objective: Cut costs by persuading customers to pick up pizzas in person. Getting people to come to the pie, instead of vice versa, drastically lowers their costs.
Despite the risk that extra fees will alienate customers, the industry is scrambling to bolster its bottom line as sales fall and customer-service problems persist because of high employee turnover. Order accuracy at most large chains is below average when compared with other fast-food restaurants, according to Sandelman & Associates, a customer-service tracking firm. Customers' biggest complaints: botched orders, bad phone etiquette and, of course, cold pizza.
Pizza sales have flattened the past three years, hurt by the emergence of decent-tasting frozen and take-and-bake pizzas, says Technomic, a food-service consulting firm. Meantime, price competition among the large chains has squeezed profit margins so tightly -- the average profit on a $9 pizza is only about $2 -- that shops are adding menu items like chicken strips and ice cream to boost per-order revenue.
To see how pizza joints are faring amid rising competitive pressure, we bellied up to the phone and ordered 10 pies from five pizzerias, ranging from a Pizza Hut in Van Nuys, Calif., to Joe's Pizza & Restaurant, a mom-and-pop place in Mamaroneck, N.Y. We also tested a big West Coast chain, Round Table Pizza, in Van Nuys, Calif.; Domino's in New Rochelle, N.Y.; and Papa John's International in Princeton, N.J.
We wanted timely delivery of steaming hot pies at a good price. To see if we could talk down the price, we asked for special deals. We also requested extras like parmesan and napkins. While we hoped for tasty pies (of course), our primary focus was on service, since that's "the only true thing that differentiates [the chains] right now," says Steve Coomes of Pizzamarketplace.com (www.pizzamarketplace.com), a trade publication. "The product is fairly similar."
Service varied widely -- and we learned that you should always ask for a discount. Four of the five chains gave us better prices just for asking. And delivery times were all over the map: One guy got so lost, he asked us to come find him.
The pizzas themselves ended up being similar in style and taste. Three of the five shops even put almost precisely the same number of pepperoni slices on their large pizzas -- about 40 at Domino's, Yum Brands' Pizza Hut, and the mom-and pop joint. Papa John's pepperoni pie landed with a respectable 50. The big winner: Round Table with a gut-busting 76.
Round Table also had some of the best phone manners of the five we tried. The rep offered us not one but three different kinds of salads when we asked for healthy options, and asked us if we wanted napkins, peppers, or parmesan cheese -- and we weren't charged extra. The downside: The food was pricier than the other places we tried (including a $1 delivery charge) and Round Table was less willing to bargain than some others.
Papa John's gave us an estimated delivery of 35 minutes, and made it, but forgot to include the napkins and plates we wanted. The pie arrived warm, but not hot. But as for price, we got a good deal: Two one-topping pies for $14.99 -- or $6.45 off the regular price. We also talked $2.50 off an order of chicken strips.
At the pizzerias we visited, in cases where we experienced service lapses, company representatives apologized. Several chains also outlined their efforts to improve customer service.
To cut down on mistakes, Domino's recently began testing high-tech robotic order-takers at a few stores, mostly on the West Coast. Pizza Hut and Papa John's are experimenting with online ordering.
Domino's took an hour to deliver after promising we'd have our pizza in 30 to 40 minutes, and forgot the napkins. It also charged us a buck extra for two small cups of blue cheese, and had no parmesan or hot peppers. Despite the lateness, the pizza was one of the hottest of the bunch due to Domino's delivery-bag technology: Its bags now have heating elements in them.
Pizza Hut gave us two large one-topping pizzas and 10 chicken wings for $19.99 ($18.67 off of the regular price) and delivered as promised in about 35 minutes. When we asked for something healthy, the phone rep suggested a salad but didn't mention the veggie thin-crust pizza, which is a recommended food in Weight Watchers Dining Out Companion, which we found out about later. And no plates or hot peppers: The driver said the store had run out of both.
Joe's Pizza called twice to get directions to our suburban home in Larchmont, N.Y., and actually wanted us to go meet the driver at the nearest intersection, several blocks away. The pizza came a half-hour late, and the driver forgot the free blue cheese. Joe's did bring napkins and plates, but charged us $1.50 for parmesan. One of the best parts about Joe's was that it used real sliced sausage, not the little nuggets that often show up on delivered pizzas.
--Danielle Smith, Justin Stein and Tara Parker-Pope contributed to this article.
COMPANY BEST FEATURE DELIVERY TIME SNAFU COMMENT
Domino's Pizza
New Rochelle, N.Y. Heated delivery-bag technology made its pies some of the hottest we received. An hour, which was 20 minutes later than the 30- to 40-minute estimate we got on the phone. Order-taker made us feel rushed, and sighed when we asked about healthy options like salads. Largest delivery chain, but has a limited menu: Pizza, wings, drinks and not much more.
Papa John's
Princeton, N.J. Willing to wheel and deal (we knocked $6.45 off the price just by asking). Our two pies arrived in 35 minutes, on time. The pizza wasn't cold ... but it wasn't piping hot, either. Top-notch customer service -- the order-taker spent considerable time on the phone looking for the best deal.
Pizza Hut
Van Nuys, Calif. Phone rep cut us a $19.99 deal -- nearly 50% off the list price -- for two one-topping pies and some wings. 35 minutes, as promised. Forgot our hot peppers and plates, and charged 50 cents for delivery. A sit-down chain, so it offers a more expansive delivery menu than some others.
Round Table Pizza
Van Nuys, Calif. Order-taker offered a bunch of freebies, like parmesan, that others make you pay for. An hour, but the shop warned us up-front it would take that long. Generally more expensive than the other chains we tried. Good service, good menu, good pie -- but you pay for it.
Joe's Pizza & Restaurant
Mamaroneck, N.Y. All-encompassing menu has everything from an antipasti assortment, to spaghetti and meatballs. An hour -- about 35 minutes longer than estimated. Driver got lost, asked if we could come out and find him a few blocks away. Not willing to deal on price at all. But the pizza had that home-cooked feeling others lacked.
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