Dominos is one of the most popular pizza joints in the US with 6,185 stores countrywide.
Last year the franchise company made a huge $4.36 billion and employed over 15,000 people.
If you’ve ordered food from your local Dominos, you might be wondering whether you need to dig into your pocket to provide a tip.
Getting your tipping game on point can make the difference between a well and poorly managed budget.
If you tip too much you’ll find yourself leaking cash. Tip too little, or not at all, and you might not be keeping within custom.
To help you decide whether to tip Dominos and how much, we’ve looked at the data and presented it below. This article will cover the customary practice for tipping pizza guys, how much you should tip (if anything), and other key factors like salaries and the cost of food.
Keep reading to find out more…
Do You Tip Dominos? The Short Answer
It is customary within the industry to tip the delivery driver from Dominos. The normal rate in the US is 10-20% of the total cost of your order. Dominos delivery drivers also earn less than the average US salary meaning tipping is certainly warranted.
How Much Do Dominos Delivery Drivers Earn?
Most people are aware that in certain industries tips are required because the workers in that industry receive such measly wages.
But what about Dominos delivery drivers?
We’ve looked at the numbers and according to Dominos job adverts on its website delivery drivers can earn between $12 – $20 per hour plus.
As a mid-point that equates to about $16 per hour which is roughly in keeping with the earnings data from Indeed.
If we apply that hourly rate to a 35-hour working week then Dominos employees are likely earning around $2,240 a month or $26,880 per year.
Given the average yearly salary in the US according to Mint.Inuit is $56,310, it’s clear to see that Dominos delivery drivers earn well below this.
This probably won’t come as a surprise to you as most people are aware that pizza delivery guys earn low wages.
Accordingly, it’s not at all surprising that Dominos drivers should usually be tipped. They rely on tips to supplement and boost their poor wages.
This is similar to what we found when we looked at whether to tip at hairdressers and whether to tip at buffets.
How Much Does Food Cost at Dominos?
Working out how much you’re likely to spend at Dominos is another key factor when it comes to tipping.
Most people base their tips on a percentage of the sale price of the goods or service – usually 10-20% in the US.
Having looked at the menu, you’ll have to part with your case as follows:
| Pizza | Cost |
| Small cheese | $7.99 |
| Medium cheese | $9.99 |
| Large cheese | $11.00 |
| Small unlimited toppings | $12.49 |
| Medium unlimited toppings | $15.49 |
| Large unlimited toppings | $18.49 |
They also sell a whole host of other goodies such as sandwiches at around $7.99 and pasta at $9.99.
How Much to Tip the Dominos Delivery Driver?
As above, most people in the US tend to tip around 10-20% of the total cost of the goods purchased.
We usually spend around $30 when we order from Dominos, in which case we’d tip around $3 – 6.
Clearly, the tip will depend on the size of your order if you use the 10-20% percentage method to tip.
However, some people prefer to tip per pizza they order and others just hand over a fixed sum without doing any math.
Saying that, we wouldn’t tip too low, and tipping $2 is probably about the minimum we’d go to.
The bottom line is that as long as you tip something, it’s unlikely you’re going to turn any noses up but we think less than $2 does look rather tight-fisted.
Tipping can sometimes be done in other ways such as leaving a Google review or with food or drink etc… but we’d advise against this when it comes to Dominos delivery drivers.
They earn fairly meager salaries and rely on monetary tips to subsidize their income.
Can You Tip On the Dominos App?
Yes, you can tip using the app if you’d prefer to do that and this is often the easiest way, especially if you’re paying by card.
In the app, when you’ve selected the card you’ll be using there is an option to tip.
The tip will then be added to your credit/debit card payment.
However, we don’t recommend tipping this way.
There is a risk if you tip like this that the driver won’t actually see the tip and so it’s always best to tip in cash in our view when the driver arrives at your property.
We’ve heard of way too many stories where the worker simply doesn’t get the tip when it’s paid by card and the tip ends up topping up the company’s coffers instead.
When to Tip and Not to?
The general rule is that you should usually tip a Dominos driver but there may be rare occasions when you don’t such as:
- If the driver is very late and your food is cold;
- If the driver delivers to the wrong address;
- If the order is drastically incorrect;
- If the driver is rude or unprofessional.
Alternatively, you may decide to tip more if it’s the holidays, in bad weather like snow or if you feel like the driver has gone beyond the call of duty.
We spoke to a Dominos driver who works for the company and he said:
We rely on tips to make the job worthwhile. I usually pick up around $30 in tips on a good night. Not everyone tips but many people do. It’s usually a few bucks per order but around Christmas I’ve had up to $20 from one delivery.
Michael Craigston, Dominos driver
The Bottom Line
In summary, if you can afford it then you should really be tipping Dominos delivery drivers.
They earn pitiful wages compared to the national average and rely on tips to boost their earnings to a more reasonable level.
If you do tip then 10-20% of the bill is the correct amount which should set you back probably around $3 – $6 for a normal-sized order.
We wouldn’t advise tipping less than a few bucks as the tip begins to become rather meaningless the lower you go.
There will be some situations where you might want to withhold a tip but this should be on rare occasions and we encourage you to tip more if possible given Dominos’ drivers’ low salary.
