As a pizza delivery driver, you have no idea what will happen when a customer opens the door. Sure, they might be nice, normal people who leave you a healthy tip... but those customers aren't memorable.
These stories are about customers who created an utterly strange encounter, no matter how you slice it!
(Content has been edited for clarity)
The Experience Was Better Than Getting A Tip
“I once delivered 30 pizzas to an Amish family. It was about a 35-minute drive. The entire family met me outside to grab the first pizza. I took the rest of them in and followed them inside to their dining table. The elder of the family gestured to me to sit down with them, and he pointed to the one open seat. I realized that they had saved me a seat to eat with them.
I didn’t know too much about the Amish back then, and I wasn’t sure how rude it would be to say that I was working and couldn’t/shouldn’t. I was also thinking, on the other hand, that they could be trying to kill me (I was an uneducated 16-year-old). So I sat down and ate two slices of pepperoni pizza with them. I found the girl across the table to be very attractive. They said a prayer of some sort and didn’t talk much after that. They just asked my name and repeated how thankful they were for me to drive all that way.
I finally had to get back to work. They didn’t tip me, which was fine because I enjoyed the time with them.”
He Didn’t Know It, But He Was Sending Her A Message, Too
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“I was delivering a mobile order for Papa John’s, and it was late. I was annoyed because I wanted to take a double shift (to get more tips). When she answered the door, she was incredibly hot and was only wearing panties and a jacket with no zipper (a horrible design flaw in my opinion). She had to hold it closed to not expose herself, and she seemed very confused. I said, ‘Hello Mrs. [name on order]! Sorry about the wait. Here’s your pizza.’ That was when she said, ‘Oh… she’s not supposed to be home for another four hours…’ She could tell that I was wondering why her roommate would order a pizza four hours early, and she said, ‘…my girlfriend…’.
At that point, another incredibly attractive woman (i.e., not her girlfriend) sat up on the couch in the living room, completely naked and stretched.
I put it together that her girlfriend knew she was cheating on her and ordered her (and her mistress) a pizza as a passive-aggressive way to show that she knew. I had to deliver that kind of poison. I had her sign her girlfriend’s credit card receipt so that we could both be rid of that situation (for the time being).”
I Wonder If This Guy Was A Trained Mime
“The guy who answered the door looked like he had just seen a ghost and was a little jittery so I’m pretty sure he was on some kind of substance.
He handed me $10 for a $15 pizza and tried to go back inside quickly. I realized that he didn’t hand me enough money, so I knocked on the door and told the guy he still owed me $5. He started patting his pockets and finally pulled his hand out to as if to give me more money, but had nothing in his hand. He extended his hand to give me this imaginary money and was visually surprised when his trickery didn’t fool me.
The guy did this a few more times before having me call my manager to attempt to use his card to pay, even though I’m sure he knew it wouldn’t work. At this point, he went back inside because he ‘just heard his roommate come in’ and was going to ‘borrow money from him.’ So I wait, and I wait until I knock again. The guy opened the door just a crack, saw it was me, and closed the door again like he was surprised I didn’t go away.
Eventually, after about 10 minutes of annoyance and feeling like I might get stabbed, I told the guy I either needed money or the food, which he reluctantly gave back. All in all a very strange experience.”
There’s Recognition Waiting For You In The Basement
“This was a few years back, but still crazy to me. Pulling up the house was already a bit strange since there were a lot of cars in the yard and neighboring yards, and I was only delivering one pizza. I assumed there was a party and I was delivering to the chaperone or something. I was invited into the foyer by a lady, and I obliged.
The lady asked me if I would take the pizza into the basement. Alarms immediately went off in my head. I politely tried to get out of that request, stating we were busy and made excuses. She persisted, politely, and said she’d tip me better, which just reinforced the alarms. I again politely refuse, and she gets a sad look and says, ‘oh, well, the kids will be disappointed.’ Being the sap that I am, I asked what exactly was going on downstairs. She told me there was a youth group and I was just going to go downstairs to deliver a pizza to the speaker or something. I reluctantly agreed and headed into the basement.
I was expecting maybe a dozen little kids. I got downstairs, and the place was PACKED with teenagers. There were probably 30 kids down there, all chattering and stuff, evidently waiting for me. When they finally noticed me, the room exploded with energy and everyone started chanting ‘Pizza! Pizza!’ Thoroughly confused, I make my way to a guy with a microphone. He asked my name, and I told him, and the crowd started chanting my name. The guy informed me that I had just won the Pizzalympics, hung a medal around my neck (with a pizza picture taped on it) and handed me a volleyball trophy that looked like the person on it was serving a little pizza box. The crowd went bananas again. I was utterly confused and made my way back upstairs as they keep cheering. The lady upstairs thanked me, and I went back to the store, trophy, and medal in hand (I still have the medal, while the trophy got misplaced at the store sadly).
Every time I tell the story, people think I was an absolute fool (I was) because it seemed like an obvious kidnapping trap (it wasn’t, thankfully). Not sure I’ll be able to top that one.”
He Declined Their Invitation
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“I was a delivery boy for an Asian restaurant for a while. I had a delivery down a sketchy, very bumpy road in the back of my small town near all these trailers. When they answered the door, a 50-something lady was standing completely naked in front of me, as well as two men of the same age sitting on the couch with their willies out, again, completely naked.
I got out of there as fast as possible — took her signature and nearly ran away. She yelled at me through the window, ‘Come inside with us!’ And I said ‘no way.’ As I was walking away, and she proceeded to curse at me as I jogged back to my car.
It’s interesting what kind of people you meet.”
Blocked In By A Buggy
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“The delivery itself wasn’t weird, but as I was walking back to my car, I see an old lady in a light blue buggy with a ‘hoola hoop girl’ in the windshield pass by, driving slowly. A few seconds later, she reverses all the way down the road, stops right behind my car, blocking the driveway, and stares at me. After about 30 seconds, she pulls forward and drives away.
Either she thought I was a burglar robbing the house, or she just wanted to establish her dominance over delivery drivers.
Here’s another good one I just remembered. This one guy lived in a trailer, and he was… well-endowed in the gut area. I don’t think he had the energy to move much, as his front door had stacks of garbage piled in front of it and I had to go through the back. The kicker was when he opened the door… the smell hit me in the face like a Jackie Chan flick.
He must not have the energy to go to his toilet, either, because he just had a pile of jars for taking a whizz. At least he tipped well?”
Gangsters Need Pizza, Too
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“I once delivered pizza to what seemed like a gang house. I pulled up, and there are all these intimidating dudes with tattoos and bandanas all wearing the same colored clothes, sitting on the front porch. I felt my whole body shrivel up as I awkwardly shuffled past them with a bunch of pizzas to ring the doorbell. They were all staring me down, and it felt like the longest walk ever.
The person who ordered the pizza must have been the head honcho because he looked like the baddest of the bunch. The total was like $70, and he gave me a $100 bill and told me to keep the change. I bolted out of there and returned to the pizza place on autopilot.”
They Made A Bet
“I was a Chinese food delivery girl back in high school.
A man in his late 50s came to the door in an opened towel robe, wearing Spider-Man undies. He stood there getting out his wallet casually and honestly, so I didn’t think much of his undies.
What was funny was, from the other room I hear what I assumed to be his wife call out, ‘Is that Chinese or Pizza? Did I win?!’
The man saw the white plastic bag and sighed. ‘You won!’
As he was closing the door after giving a generous tip, all I could hear was a celebratory ‘woooh!!’ from the woman.”
I Guess They Were Playing A Mother-Daughter Game Of Truth Or Dare?
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“I rang the doorbell and a woman about my age, 23 at the time, opened the door. We were going through the usual exchange of pizza and money when another woman who appeared to be her mother began walking towards us.
‘Well, if you’re not going to do it, I will,’ she said and began removing her shirt. I was taken aback and must have looked confused while keeping eye contact with the young woman who was visibly embarrassed. ‘Don’t be shy, you can look at them, you know,’ the mother said. I glanced down at her chest, then up to her face and gave a nod of approval. I looked back at the daughter, said thank you and walked back to my car. They tipped well too, so a pretty decent delivery if I’m honest.”
I’m Pretty Sure You Just Walked Into An Episode Of Scooby Doo
“So I delivered five pizzas to this guy once. I had to ring the doorbell several times before he came to the door. When he got there, he didn’t say anything except to come on in real quick. You aren’t supposed to go in people’s houses, but I decided who cares, I could defend myself.
I got inside this guy’s huge house, and it was full of weird crap. There was a full suit of armor right by the door, and somewhere he had this Halloween CD playing creepy, deep-voiced laughs. While he was searching for his wallet, the biggest dog I’ve ever seen walked up to me and fell at my feet, pushing me over. I was sitting next to a suit of armor, petting this colossal dog, waiting for this middle-aged man to pay me.
He gave me a $40 tip.”
It Was Worth It For The Super Bowl
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“I was a pizza delivery driver back in high school. On Super Bowl Sunday during my senior year, one of the houses I delivered at felt bad for me that I had to work. They told me to come in and watch the game, so I stayed there for a while. I watched a full quarter before going back to work. I knew that I was leaving for college soon enough anyway, so the possibility of getting fired didn’t faze me.
Side note: My boss asked me what happened, and I told him the truth, and he kept me around. I continued working there on breaks from college and, 15 years later, I am still friendly with my old boss. He works at the same pizza place, and I go there with my family sometimes.”
He Really Earned That Sushi Order
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“This is one of the most memorable deliveries I had when I worked as a driver for this Japanese restaurant.
I was sent to this house with an order of a steak hibachi and a couple of sushi rolls that added up to something like $19.60. I liked to call before I got to a place, just to give people a bit of a heads up, so by the time I got to the door it was already open. In the doorway stood a kid aged about 9 or 10 years old, who just stared at me innocently.
I tell him the total as I pass off his food. He hands me a $20 bill, and with a straight face he smugly says, ‘Keep the change, pal.’ Immediately after, he closes the door, and I stood there for a second trying to process what just happened. When I got back to my car, I noticed the time and realized it was way too early for that kid to be home from school. I couldn’t help but laugh at the whole situation.
No wonder he sounded a bit cocky when he told me that I could keep the $0.40 in change. This kid probably faked being sick, so he could stay from school, and I bet he was in there watching TV or playing video games while eating sushi and feeling like a big shot. I know I would have at that age.”
Dogs To The Left Of Me, Dogs To The Right
“I delivered pizza in New Jersey. I went on the porch to see a snarling Rottweiler behind the door. This is not a big deal; it happens a lot. I’m a stranger, and the dog was just a dog. The lady pushed him back, we did the pizza transaction, and as I was turning to go the lady said, ‘Oh my god, he’s out…’ The back door was open, and the dog was charging around the house, about to come on the porch.
I quickly opened the door to run inside, but the lady screamed ‘No, the really bad one is inside’ and I saw a bigger Rottie just inside the hall. So I stuck myself between the screen door and the door and was trapped in an angry dog sandwich. The outside dog bit my calf because I could only close the screen door so much, and there was not much damage, but I was bleeding.
Afterward, the manager went to talk with the lady, and the Rotties were penned up out back. As soon as the lady started talking to him, another small mutt dog zipped out the door and bit him on the hand. He made the call on no more pizza for them.”
He Learned His Lesson The Hard Way
“I was delivering pizza once in a pretty sketchy neighborhood, and I came up to a gated apartment complex where I saw a dude waving me down. Sometimes customers in apartment complexes used to meet us outside if they knew their complex was complicated. So I’m thinking, ‘what a nice guy.’ It turned out I was wrong. I let this random person into my car who reeked of drinking and smokes.
I somehow get the words out: ‘Uhhh hey man is this your pizza?’ This dude is barely coherent and responds with: ‘No, I need a ride.’ And I’m just freaking out at this point, wondering when the weapon or threats were going to come out and I nervously respond with: ‘Dude I totally would but I can’t, I got pizzas to deliver. Look, check it out,’ and I motioned to the pizzas in the back. He keeps asking and asking, and I just keep repeating myself saying if I wasn’t working I’d help him out, I’m going to get fired, etc. After about 10 minutes, the dude strumbled out of my car and went on his way.
It was freaky. Lesson learned: double check before letting sauced-up strangers in my car.”
He Could Have Done Some Shopping, Too
“Literally, on my first day of doing deliveries, I punch the address into my phone and arrive as quickly as possible. The neighborhood is a bit shady, but I don’t judge.
The note on the door is in bad handwriting, but it says to knock because the doorbell is broken. Nothing unusual.
A guy opens the door: an old, scruffy, skinny white guy. He says to come to the kitchen, as that’s where his cash is. At that moment I realize I shouldn’t enter a stranger’s house, but I didn’t have an excuse ready (‘Company policy says no,’ or something) so next thing I know I’m in his… living room? That’s what it should be anyways, but it’s full of retail clothing racks full of clothes and a couple of mannequins.
I thought I was going to be murdered, but we get to the dimly lit kitchen where the money and a cat are on the counter. He shuffles through the cash, pays me in exact change, and just takes the pizza to another room.
So I walked through the store to the front door and left.
Now I always have an excuse ready.”
I Guess That Pizza Box Is Haunted Now
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“I knocked on the door, and a couple of voices told me to come inside. When I opened the door, it was dark, and there were weird cameras and lights pointing at a man and me and a woman sitting on a couch across the room. They knew I was nervous and confused and they asked me to bring the pizza over to them. I walked the pizza over, and the woman said, ‘you just walked through a ghost.’
They were amateur ghost hunters looking for ghosts in a trailer.”
Maybe She Was Talking To Someone About Her Phone Problem
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“This was in my first month of delivering pizzas. I pull up to a four-plex (two floors, two apartments per floor) and knock on the correct door. After a minute, an old scruffy Russian-sounding guy answers the door and says, ‘How much?’ I tell him the total, and he walks off to get money.
I look over to my right and can see the top of his wife’s head poking over the back of a recliner. She is gabbing away with a friend on the phone, going on and on. After a minute or two of listening to her wondering what is taking this guy so long, I hear a change jar being emptied on the counter. ‘This guy seriously is about to pay me with all change and doesn’t even have it counted? CRAP.’ I sighed hard but was thankful we were slow at the time, so I wouldn’t miss out on any money waiting for this guy.
So here I am, listening to this old lady blabbing on, not understanding pretty much anything she is saying, while I can hear the old man scooting change around as he counts it. Finally, after a solid five minutes of standing there, the man walks out and says something to his wife in a foreign language. She rotates the chair around so I can see her and there is no phone. I immediately stuck my head inside looking for a phone. I can see the table by the chair is empty, and there is nothing in her hands, on her lap, or on the floor. I looked everywhere for this phone. There wasn’t one. She was talking to herself/the wall.
I started going crazy in my head wondering what was going on. She starts talking to the air again and turns her chair back towards the wall. The guy goes and grabs the money, and hands me a bag. It was filled with nickles and dimes. There was not one quarter, or silver dollar, or anything. I just looked at him, bewildered, then to her, mouth slightly agape wondering what was happening. He motions to the bag: ‘Is 20 cents for you.’
I said nothing. I turned around with my bag of change and walked back to my car. The whole thing took about 15 minutes, most of which was spent with me standing in a wide open door in the middle of summer listening to a crazy old lady talk to the wall. When I got back to the store, I plopped the bag of money down and explained what happened. My manager says, ‘You never know what to expect… heck, a few months ago someone delivered to an adult film shoot and saw all the women walking around naked!’ I never found out if that was true or not… but I’d like to think it is.”
They Really Couldn’t Wait Until After It Was Delivered?
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“I delivered pizza to a house, for which the instructions said to open the gate and go into the backyard and knock on the back door. Now, I was early. I showed up at their door probably about 15 minutes after they had placed the order as it was slow that night.
As I entered the backyard, I heard loud moaning coming from the open window and realized the customers were getting it on. I’m not the one to ruin a good time, so I decided to wait until they finished before knocking on the door. I just stood there in their backyard with a pizza in my hand for a good 10 minutes. One of their neighbors heard what was going on and saw me there, and decided to pop outside and just stand there staring at me the whole time. I think he was making sure that I wasn’t stealing anything? Anyway, it was the most awkward 10 minutes of my life.”
