A Tribute to Food Service
In high school, I worked as a delivery boy for Domino’s Pizza. Because my family lived in a lower-middle-class neighborhood, I faced my share of office hazards, including juvenile pranks, ruthless pets, and even gang intimidation. One apartment building had no parking spaces, so the customer instructed me to circle the block exactly three times after I arrived at the premises. When she finally came out, the transaction took place in a jiffy, providing no time to count her payment. Unsurprisingly, I was snookered. On another occasion, a shady fellow wanted his chicken wings dropped off in a dark alley. He had a shoebox in hand, and when I handed over his meal, he unveiled over $14 worth of pennies — or so he claimed. I never quite figured out whether he had the right amount, but I can say that I learned many lessons at that job.
I bring up these stories because my wife and I ordered Chinese food this evening. While our deliverer may not encounter the same obstacles in upscale sections of Cambridge that I did back home, he’ll surely have his own challenges. According to the Weather Channel, it “feels like 8 degrees” outside. Light snow is falling, but a blizzard — with up to 40 MPH winds — is expected at any moment. Talk about severe circumstances: my experiences pale in comparison.
So here’s an expression of gratitude to my former colleagues. May your customers tip generously.
Apropos this, I’ll mention that nothing puts me off someone quite as quickly as discovering they’re a bad tipper.