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Well as a former pizza man I can say that the hourly pay was a whooping 2 bucks an hour. Granted that was in the 90's but still well below minimum wage.

wow, i have not thought of all american in a long time. that brings me back to my years growing up in masapequa. and those prices have not changed in at least 10 years!

mint and lime, mojitos!!!

smokinghotsausage.com

I second or is it third the Union Square Greenmarket. I'd go on friday before wednesday, but saturday would be best. Also would check out Chelsea market on 15th and 9th ave. Then there is Essex St market at essex and delancy downtown, great for a mix of everything from latin american staples to artisanal cheeses. Have lunch at Shopsin's for a true New york experience. Murray's, bleeker between 6th and 7th, is also a fantastic spot for both cheese and dried meat. Don't forget to explore the area on bleeker, there's a great pork store, fish store, and amy's bread all on that strip. Also Porto Rico coffee on the other side of 6th.

You are correct. First, if a state's minimum wage is higher than the feds, the state wins. Second, there are different standards for tipped employees. In NJ for example, the minimum wage is $7.15/hour (higher than the federal requirement of $6.55/hour). However, the minimum tipped wage is $2.13/hour (which matches the federal standards). The feds require that total wages paid to tipped employees + total claimed tips/tipped hours worked is greater than or equal to state minimum wage.

These calculations of hourly earnings + claimed tips vs. minimum wage are usually done on a quarterly basis and based on totals for all employees. Therefore it is possible for some employees to make below the minimum wage and others to make over it, but the IRS doesn't require calculations on an employee by employee basis.

However, I can almost guarantee that per hour, these drivers are making above the minimum wage. Even if they made $2.13/hour base, they would only need to make $4.42/hour in tips. This is probably 2 deliveries per hour. Also - if they are not reimbursed directly by their employers for mileage (which currently runs at $0.505 per mile for 2008, sure to rise for next year), they can be claiming this on their own return as a legitimate business expense. If I were their employer I would be taking the mileage expense on my own p&l just for the writeoff, and consider it a cost of doing business.

I always handled it as follows, because you just never know...

20% for usual, solo delivery (usually around $2).
30% if it's nasty weather or someone I know (around $3 - $3.50).
10% if the place calls me an hour after the order to tell me they don't know where the driver is at all.
NADA if the driver shows up two hours later (30 minutes after the place closes, mind you) with the entirely wrong order and an air of "who cares?"

The last one is usually followed up with a talk to the manager when they open the next day. ;)

The problem I have with that theory is that you are perpetuating the system. If pizza delivery guys aren't breaking even, they aren't going to do the job. No matter how much someone needs a job, they aren't going to pay to go into work. Employers should appropriately compensate their employees, and if they have no choice they will do just that. We are not actually helping by keeping them going at a marginal subsidence existence.

This is exactly the kind of article that I treasure AHT for. I will be checking out All American the next time I am in that area.

I love a skewer full of cherries & pineapple