at the home I grew up in, they were never able to find me by then. So I almost always got free pizza.
I feel sorry for those teenagers and young adults that lost their jobs over the manager and the maps being stupid. I lived in one of the oldest sections of town, but for some reason none of the maps that pizza place had were up to date on that area.
Imagine missing your turn in the route you memorized and having to pull over for 10 minutes to try to find the way back- or I assume that’s what happened, when I was a kid my mom just went to the library to print Google maps directions. And they were almost always wrong
Definitely an extremely drunk group of college girls who seemed to be doing some hazing ritual which involved molesting the pizza boy. I’m not 100% sure exactly what was going on, but the person who answered the door had her tits out and woman behind her was on all fours spreading her cheeks (just wearing underwear), slurring something about giving her the tip. I was solicited to pick which one I preferred.
It didn’t actually go anywhere. Once I cast my vote their attention moved on to something else and they offered me a shot and a beer (which I took, because college, poor decisions, etc) and they said I could hang out but it was all a bit too sloppy drunk for my taste so I just left mildly confused and slightly horny.
They still do that here. Not every Dönerladen has an app, only chains have dedicated apps. Some shops have websites with an online order possibility, but it’s mostly calling.
The thing to keep in mind here is that each such pizzeria had a specific territory it staked out. There was an effective radius from every location, and the drivers were often very experienced with that chunk of town. I also recall wall-mounted maps near the phone so they could easily tell the customer to call a closer Domino’s or Pizza Hut over if they were out of range. So after a while, you just learn the region, memorize the street names, and off you go. Finding a house number was the only real risk.
Advertising was also typically done door-to-door with flyers and fridge magnets, along with phone numbers for YOUR local franchise. As a franchise owner you’d have your family or hire some kids to canvas every so often. I suppose that helped with any confusion, but there was nothing keeping you from getting a hold of the wrong number from the phone book or a friend.
With GPS navigation everywhere, I’m betting that drivers can range further than ever before. The calculus is probably more like “google says you’re 40 minutes out right now, so no”, than “you’re not one of our customers.”
I was one of those summer “crew” kids! It was fun, easy work at the time. Always wanted to move up to phones, but there weren’t openings. (bear in mind, it was my first year of HS, my goals were low)
Worked pharmacy delivery for years starting in high school, just before smartphones, and I still don’t use GPS. Basically just map to nearest main intersection and remember their street name and the one before it.
London and Tokyo taxi drivers are the apex… the map apex… the mapex (pronounced MAY-pex)?
“Take me to that hotel that’s in front of a pub, I think it’s called The Fox & Hounds… I think it’s between a park and a Tube station”, and the crazy bastard could figure out exactly where you meant, even though there are multiple pubs named The Fox & Hounds in London.
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