this post was submitted on 18 May 2026
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The complaint says DoorDash drivers began waiting to batch multiple orders together after gaining virtual visibility into kitchen systems, allowing them to see when pizzas would come out of the oven.

Instead of immediately leaving with a completed order, the suit claims drivers waited "up to fifteen (15) minutes" for additional deliveries, increasing the time between when a pizza is removed from the oven rack and when it leaves the building to be delivered. That delay slowed deliveries, disappointed customers, and caused a sharp drop in sales, the suit says.

The lawsuit also alleges Dashers could see tip amounts and whether orders were cash payments, making some drivers less likely to accept certain deliveries.

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[–] brownsugga@lemmy.world 30 points 2 hours ago

the franchisee bringing the suit operates ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN pizza huts, i don't give a shit what happens to them

[–] x_pikl_x@lemmy.world 17 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

Pizza Hut and Donatos around here both have approximately 5 customers a day. Me and my wife are sure they're both fonts for money laundering.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 12 points 2 hours ago (3 children)

We have some restaurants like that here. Always empty, somehow manage to survive while restaurants all around them close, open as something else and close again etc.

[–] dgriffith@aussie.zone 3 points 38 minutes ago

There used to be a place at a local shopping center that was all glass and mirrors and was staffed by very serious young Asian men in sharp suits.

They sold - and only sold - boutique toffee apples.

[–] CapuccinoCoretto@lemmy.world 11 points 2 hours ago

I knew a guy who went to prison for 8 years for running a drug delivery service out of a pizza franchise. Word got out, he got popular, then arrested. Lol.

[–] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

In my area that's Arby's, tons of commercials, tons of locations, never seen more than a single customer in the drive through at all hours of the day. Every restaurant around them within the same strip will be packed full, drive through line 20 deep, Arbys just sitting there with nothing.

[–] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 0 points 48 minutes ago (1 children)
[–] x_pikl_x@lemmy.world 1 points 9 minutes ago

They sell pizza. In all seriousness though, I never looked up their past to know how big the chain was. Wikipedia shows a pretty rocky past where they keep trying to expand, but the management is just too shitty. Including being sold to McDonald's for a couple years.

Every time we try it again it's always burnt or undercooked or wrong... Like, you had 4 customers today including us, and you fucked it up. No wonder the parking lot is empty.

Apparently they've started selling mostly at Red Robin, which I don't imagine will go over too well either. Want a $30 thin crust with your $25 burger and fries? Why is my business going nowhere? Has to be a laundering scheme somewhere along the line.

[–] LaunchesKayaks@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Guess some finally out-pizza'd the Hut

[–] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

Someone finally out-pizza'd the hut!

[–] Zarxrax@lemmy.world 185 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

Wtf, pizza hut doesn't employ their own delivery drivers anymore? Sounds like they are complaining because they outsourced delivery and now they don't like how the work is getting done.

[–] etherphon@piefed.world 5 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Well shit, that's what they get for putting all those stoners out of work smh.

[–] oh_@lemmy.world 133 points 5 hours ago (7 children)

Exactly. Hire your own drivers if you want it the way you want it. They made a big deal when California minimum wage went up that they were going to fire every driver and use DoorDash. This is the quality you get with that choice

[–] Fondots@lemmy.world 20 points 2 hours ago

I was a delivery guy for a local pizzeria once upon a time (and that place still has their own drivers, and even their own delivery vehicles, which is practically unheard of)

And I'm not gonna lie, door dash and such was great for a while because it let me get food delivered from restaurants that otherwise didn't do delivery.

But I've stopped using them, for a few reasons including their shitty business practices

But the straw that broke the camels back in each case that made me delete was them fucking up my order.

And that happens, I'm not particularly mad at the store or the driver, I've been there

But the way that these delivery apps handle it is, to me, unacceptable.

When I contacted them, their response was to just issue me a refund.

And to me, what should have happened, is I should have immediately had a replacement sent, expedited as much as possible, at no extra cost.

That's what we always did when I was a delivery guy, and often with a gift certificate as an apology.

And sure, a refund on top of that would be nice, but really the root issue is that I don't have the food I ordered. If I order it again, I'm going to the back of the delivery queue, and if I happened to order it when I was low on money I may not even be able to reorder it that day because that refund often takes a couple days to clear.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 25 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah how fucking stupid. Domino's isn't the greatest but still delivers their own pies and get added bonus of points to free pizza.

By the way Doordash always worked like that. Why only time ever use it was the last. Food arrived cold due to drivers picking up multiple different orders sometimes at different businesses. Horrible service.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 14 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

By the way Doordash always worked like that

It really sucks when that happens, but at least DoorDash and Uber tell you that it's being delivered to someone else first.

What I really hate, is when they are working 2 different apps, have my food, and then go in the exact opposite direction of my home to do the other apps delivery first, and neither service cares as long as it's delivered to you by the latest expected time.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 52 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doordash-pizza-hut-minimum-wage-hikes-california-new-york-city/

Pizza Hut is laying off more than 1,200 delivery drivers in California ahead of the state's nearly 30% increase in its minimum wage, to $20 an hour from $16. PacPizza, operating as Pizza Hut, and Southern California Pizza Co. — another Pizza Hut franchise, both gave notice of layoffs impacting workers in cities throughout the state, Business Insider reported, citing notices filed with the state.

[–] mynameisbob@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 hours ago

OMGAWD just that sentence... what is this place bro

[–] SarahValentine@lemmy.blahaj.zone 45 points 5 hours ago

They made a big deal when California minimum wage went up that they were going to fire every driver and use DoorDash.

[–] Chronographs@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 hours ago

And the only reason it makes sense to do that at all is because Doordash pays their drivers like shit, so they have to find ways to make more money doing things like batching orders.

Honestly I would assume that when they had their own drivers they would leave woth a few orders at a time, (though I could definitely be wrong).

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[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 44 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

batch multiple orders together.. waiting up to 15 minutes to do so? increased delivery times? disappointed customers?

sounds like doordash is doing an exemplary job replacing restaurant-employed drivers.

[–] 4grams@awful.systems 17 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

This shit drives me up a wall. The local, formerly awesome pizza place switched to DoorDash for delivery and it has sucked ever since. Pizza arrives cold since door dash drivers don’t have insulated bags, half the time they chuck it on the front porch and it sits there on the cold concrete even longer.

Delivery driver was always a reliable stoner job, I had so many friends in my youth who delivered pizza. Despite the cloud of weed smoke that came with the pizza, it was always hot and fast. They were motivated to get those tips after all.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 52 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (7 children)

It doesn't seem like AI is actually the problem here, as any new tech system could have given that kind of visibility to the DoorDash drivers and resulted in this problem, but either way, it's an interesting fail, where a maybe good idea, falls apart because of human behaviour.

[–] Washedupcynic@lemmy.ca 9 points 3 hours ago

What the article fails to mention is that part of this door dashers aren't paid well enough. Door dashers are paid such shit wages that they felt like they had to game the system like this to make the wages worth it. Why leave as soon as a delivery pops, when I can wait a little longer for a second or third order, which reduces how much I am driving and spending on fuel?

[–] MimicJar@lemmy.world 7 points 4 hours ago

I don't use DoorDash but occasionally order from Taco Bell. Every time I order I watch the car arrive at Taco Bell and wait about 20 minutes before actually picking up my order and then delivering it.

Additionally I know UberEats used to (and maybe still does) offer cheaper delivery if you pick a restaurant another driver was already heading to. (I haven't used UberEats in years because I found them less reliable.)

Ironically if a restaurant did all the deliveries themselves they would have all the information about how best to optimize delivery. Maybe all the delivery companies can find a way to share this information to minimize travel and maximize speed of delivery.

[–] PlantJam@lemmy.world 24 points 6 hours ago (14 children)

Seems like the software could have been updated to batch orders similar to how the drivers were.

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[–] SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml 22 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Pizza Hut discovers that customers are disappointed when they don't pay a living wage.

Upper management can't even see it.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 15 points 5 hours ago

Upper Management: WTF are they complaining about, we don't promise hot food or on time delivery on our website.

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 16 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

When profits are paramount, the people suffer.

Years ago when a company could have bad days and nobody was punished and the customer was always right, now its fuck you customer we need profits.

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 11 points 5 hours ago

I was with Pizza Hut when we got that directive of empowerment to do what was best to retain the customer. No manager needed for most things, just treat them well. We had a lot of regular customers, I wonder why. That was a long time ago.

[–] riquisimo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 4 hours ago

Hey pizza hut, what do you want on your tombstone?

[–] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 7 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Pizza Hut sucks. They spreadsheeted the flavor out a long time ago.

[–] Jimbabwe@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

Yeah as I was reading this article I kept thinking “who the fuck lives in NYC and is eating Pizza Hut??”

[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 14 points 5 hours ago

Raise your hand if you're surprised.

Anyone? Anyone? No?

[–] ApeNo1@lemmy.world 8 points 5 hours ago

Company that outsourced a part of its business for operational and cost efficiencies upset when outsource company looks for operational and cost efficiencies.

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