Lawrence Margolin: What’s the best way to deal with drivers who forget certain items to be delivered and have to return for them and go back again to the same customer? Should they have to punch out to deliver the missed items? I want to stress to the drivers the importance of being responsible—it helps them get better tips and keeps customers happy.

 

URNUTS: You can’t make them work off the clock. This happened to us from time to time. If another driver had to correct the mistake, I would usually give them a few bucks out of my pocket. If it happens often enough with a specific person, that’s an issue.

Steve L: You will either need to set up and enforce a policy that requires checking off all of the printed items on the order slip before leaving the shop or, if this is only happening with one particular driver, maybe you should start looking for a new one.

RobT: They should either have to check every order before they leave, or you could hire a delivery dispatcher who cross-checks everything. I penalize the driver. They have to go back to the customer’s house and fix it, meaning no more deliveries for that driver until they correct the problem. They will learn fast.

pizzapiratespp: Just give your drivers a reminder to check the orders more carefully in the future. Things happen, people make mistakes. Speak your piece and move on.

bodegahwy: You’re focusing on the wrong thing. The priority is to get the right food, fresh and hot, to the customer who ordered it as promptly as possible. Also, do you need to do anything for the customer to make up for the inconvenience? Beyond that, I agree with some of the other comments. These things happen. Move on. If the same driver has the same problem over and over, give him a written warning that future service failures will result in him being fired. Over time, everyone will mess up, and everyone will pick up the slack to cover someone else’s mistake. As long as it’s spread around pretty evenly, everyone should be fine with it.