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So a while back I got a lot of emails from Doordash about whether or not I owned a pizza bag. In fact, I got them almost everyday for a period of time and it felt like spam mail.
I didn't have one at the time because the Doordash pizza bags were $26! I was kind of cheap and didn't have a lot of money back then. I figured why bother? I don't need to deal with a boss or anything.
I still kept getting these emails and it was so frustrating that I turned off notifications to my email account.
I kept ignoring them, until one day I ended up losing my Red Card and I had to replace it, and gone to the Doordash office to get a new one at the time.
So while I was flirting with the ladies in that office (I am not ashamed), I decided to just ask about it and I ended up finding out some solid information that isn't online anywhere and what felt like Top Secret Doordash information.
I immediately got the Pizza bag in excitement because I wanted the benefits that came with it, and I will say to this day about a year later that I made a great financial decision that day. Maybe the best $26 I spent on Doordash.
So in an attempt to enlighten you on whether or not it makes sense to purchase so you can also gain the benefits of having your own pizza bag, I am going over the secret benefits of owning a pizza bag as a Doordash driver.
Before that though, My name is Joseph Mandracchia, I have been making money using driving apps on a full-time basis since mid-late 2018 and have completed over 7700 deliveries.
It is my hope to impart some of my knowledge to you to help you succeed in the gig economy!
What is a Pizza Bag as Opposed to a Normal Hot Bag?
A pizza bag is a type of hot bag to maintain the heat and the condition of the steaming hot pizza itself. The main benefit of this bag is that you can lay the box flat in the bag while still holding the bag like you normally would.
Catering bags or normal hot bags are not made for large flat boxes, they are made for smaller bags, or catering trays. Therefore was never a good fit.
Now some may argue that you don't really need a bag at all, especially since it even says on their website and equipment store that you are not required to have them.
However there lies a secret benefit that I have found that is not so easy to find on the internet. In fact, it doesn't have it on the Doordash site, I found out by asking people at my local Doordash Office specifically.
What is the Secret Benefit?
Not only is it good to have on hand, those who responded yes on the Doordash Equipment survey on the Doordash Equipment survey are now eligible to receive large Pizza delivery orders.
I found this out when I lost my red card and went to the local Doordash office by me where they do orientations for new dashers to pick up a new one. While I flirted with the girl who worked there (still not ashamed) I asked her about it.
She said that they don't send big pizza orders to all dashers because pizzerias are actually concerned about giving those types of order to just any dasher because of the potential of it not arriving hot.
So Doordash put that in place so that any Dasher can accept an order ONLY if they own a pizza bag. They also made pizza bags available on their website for people to buy them if they don't already have, however I picked mine up at my local Doordash office.
Why is that a Big Deal?
For me, it is always important to be open to as many opportunities as possible, especially if it means more money and large pizza orders are the epitome of that.
When most people order a lot of pizzas in my experience, they tend to tip really well. As someone who is very picky about the orders he will do, pizza deliveries make up a significant portion of the money I make from Doordash.
Knowing that types of orders give you the most money is an important part of making sure you make the most amount of money in the least amount of time, which ultimately is the goal with these driving apps.
Are there Disadvantages to Having a Pizza Bag?
There are no real downsides to having a pizza bag, outside of storage in your vehicle. Keeping it in good condition and in your vehicle can be challenging but not enough for you to not get one.
If you know how to take care of your pizza bag, you should not have any problems at all. If you don't then maybe we need to talk about you getting some new ones, or learning how to take care of one.
That being said, the average lifespan of a Pizza Bag without this care is roughly 18-24 months so eventually you would have to replace these anyway. In my opinion, it is not that big a deal and is 100% worth it for the amount you make.
Do I Need a Pizza Bag from Doordash Specifically?
So if you didn't know this already, you probably don't have one and you are thinking about getting one from the store on the Doordash website. Which makes sense because why wouldn't you want to get started with that right away.
Before you purchase one however, let me be clear, you do not need a Pizza Bag from Doordash specifically. In fact, I recommend getting a Pizza bag from a higher quality place.
Doordash, while I do appreciate their higher compensation than that of other platforms, they are really only able to accomplish that by being frugal in other areas of their business.
Be it that of their Dasher Support staff being based in the Philippines, their software being one that crashes every now and then becoming more frequent at busier times, or their store just being lower cost and overall lower quality.
So personally, I would look for another one that is a soft velcro model not a zipper model. The one that I got from Doordash was a zipper model and I found it hard to put the pizza boxes in the bag.
Final Remarks
Now this is not to say you have to do this, like I said it is absolutely not required to have a pizza bag, although I do recommend it.
Also, while this may have helped me and other people make more money. This may not help you the way it did me. I hope it does, and I do recommend it if you know your area does well for pizza tips in general, but that isn't every area.
The areas I worked in primarily was various locations in Nassau County/ Suffolk County, NY as well as various parts of South Florida, so there is a wide range there, though you would need to do some research in your area.
Please do your research and due diligence on whether or not it makes sense in your area to even do so, because the last thing you want to get excited to get large pizza delivery orders and never see them.
Though there is a truth to Pizza being one of those foods that everyone loves regardless of the quality... unless you have been to New York and you have been enlightened.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this article! I hope you found some value and that you can apply and help you succeed in this gig economy!