The journey from there to here
Published on February 28, 2007 By Gideon MacLeish In Blogging

Working in my little cubicle, with these days where my schedule consists largely of working, school, eating and sleeping, I eat out far more often than I should. It's usually a pick between "do I want to go out and GET dinner, or can I have it delivered?" Delivery consists of three choices: pizza, pizza and pizza. Three restaurants, basically. Now, technically, there's also a sandwich shop, but unless I can get my coworker to go in with me, that's usually out as they have a minimum order for delivery.

So tonight it was to be Pizza Hut. Cheesy bites pizza. I can hang with that. So I call in and place my order, and am informed it will be a two hour wait.

Excuse me? Two hours? It's a Wednesday night, not known for being busy. Add to that the fact that the LAST time I called them it was also a weeknight and I was also given the two hour estimate.

Now, some of it I understand. Employment is dang near 100% here, despite what a few tweakers might say to the contrary. The employers are practically BEGGING for work (which is why McDonald's remains the mecca for illegal aliens...they're pretty near the only place that pays a flat minimum wage), so yeah, it might be hard to find a driver. But you're in business to do business, and if Domino's can keep enough drivers, you're obviously not doing something right.

Since I was in a particularly crabby mood about having to call Domino's (which I like less than Pizza Hut, which I in turn like less than a lot of pizza chains that don't exist here), I decided to fill out an online complaint form. Granted, it won't get me better service from Pizza Hut, but it does make me feel a little more satisfied.


Comments
on Mar 01, 2007
Two hours?

Surely they couldn't have a genuine excuse as to why it could take that long. What did they say? And how much of it was bull?

Ah, the old days of the "30 minute delivery or it's free". Those were the days. I haven't heard that slogan (outside of Spider-Man 2) in ages.
on Mar 01, 2007
Surely they couldn't have a genuine excuse as to why it could take that long. What did they say? And how much of it was bull?


"we only have two drivers on tonight!"

They offered to let me pick it up, but I don't think they got the point of delivery.

Two hours is, in my opinion, inexcusably slow. If I'm hungry I want to eat NOW, not two hours from now!
on Mar 01, 2007
Ah, the old days of the "30 minute delivery or it's free". Those were the days. I haven't heard that slogan (outside of Spider-Man 2) in ages.


But the ambulance chasers killed that service.

As for the wait, we are in a similar position here Gideon (with the unemployment rate). So I rarely if ever do delivery. But I do have that luxury of going to the place and picking it up.

And I think all the chain Pizza places suck!
on Mar 01, 2007
Make yer own, Gid, it's cheaper, tastier, and far better for ya.
on Mar 01, 2007
We had Cheesy Bites last night, too. The boys ate all the bites and left the pizza.

Hey, Gid, is the coffee shop on Cuyler still open? I miss that place.
on Mar 01, 2007
Make yer own, Gid, it's cheaper, tastier, and far better for ya.


When the boss puts in a full kitchen at work, I might consider it...lol!

on Mar 01, 2007
Hey, Gid, is the coffee shop on Cuyler still open? I miss that place.


Yeah, it's still open. I don't go there much, though, but it's still there.
on Mar 02, 2007
Why not just make a half dozen pizzas on your day off, slice and freeze 'em?

I dunno, Gid, for all your frugality, for all your bean-eatin', tight-fisted food-budgeting ways, this daily fast-food indulgence seems out of character. It's certainly not good for your heart problems, either. Surely you can pack some sort of healthy and inexpensive lunch? Peanut butter, canned tuna, fresh fruit?


It' not a daily indulgence...as to why not make the pizzas on the day, off, there's two reasons. Because I have to spend my day off getting my yard spotless to pass muster. There's just not a lot of time around here. Also, I can't sit it in the truck for 8 hours until I get to work.

Probably in a couple months we can get something like that together. But I can't head home for lunch, we're short on places to store food until I get into work (I keep an ample stock of healthy snack foods in my locker, but you can't LIVE off of that), and there's no time to do prep. I put in 16 hour days Monday through Thursday, a 14 hour day on Friday, and a 10 hour day on Sunday. I am genuinely swamped.

Ultimately, you're right, of course...but there's a temporary shortage of practical solutions.