Whether it is by phone or through the Internet, most college students have ordered a pizza from the comfort of their dorm room at one point or another, but has anyone ever cared enough to get to know the delivery men themselves?
Hearing your name called from the lobby desk sends students rushing down the stairs to meet the pizza deliverer, throwing an incorrect amount of cash in his relative direction and running back up to the private room they came from.
As a residence assistant in a freshman dorm, I often get the opportunity to watch these little exchanges happen.
One evening, an elderly man dressed in his usual delivery attire walked up to the desk and asked me to call down the young gentleman who had ordered the pizza. He was cut off when he heard the sound of a female voice coming from the lobby area.
“Back when I was a student here,” Eddie the pizza man said, as he looked my way, “women weren’t allowed in the dorm lobby.”
There are a variety of men and women of all different ages at pizzerias in Searcy. Some, like sophomore Joe Chavez and junior Kevin Bolivar, are Harding students working on the side. Others have more complex stories.
Bob Edle is the manager of The Print Shop on Race Street in Searcy. He works part time as a pizza delivery driver at Pizza Hut to earn a little extra money on the side.
“It can be hard to have a steady flow of clients in the printing industry,” Edle said. “You can always count on kids to be ordering pizza, though.”
Being a pizza delivery driver isn’t always easy. Students and others in the Searcy area will find ways to try the patience of hardworking delivery folk.
“The worst thing that can happen on the job is when students don’t have the right amount of money,” Edle said. “We have to wait for the correct amount of money to be given to us, or we can’t leave. It’s so frustrating.”
Pizza delivery drivers work hard to bring us the hot and ready order we pay for. Although the aroma of pizza may be intoxicating, starting a nice conversation with a delivery driver might not be a bad idea. Always remember to tip well and say “please” and “thank you.”
