A Night at the Pizza Palace

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As I have mentioned here a few times, I have a part time job on Friday and Saturday nights delivering pizza.  I wish I didn't have to do it, but you do what you have to do.  I have to say though, that the last two months have been pretty bad as far as making much extra cash goes.  It makes me wonder where the economic recovery is that the President keeps talking about.

With my current full time job, I am only able to work two shifts at the Pizza Palace (not its real name); Friday 6pm-9pm and Saturday 5pm-midnight.  When I first started working the 5-midnight shift, I would average about $70-$80 per shift.  On a couple of occasions, I would walk out with nearly $100.  The last two months however, have seen the average for that shift drop to $40-$50 per shift.  I hope it is more a case of summer doldrums, but fear it is more the weak economy.

Let me just share a couple other thoughts about my night at the Palace this evening.  To the woman who came in for a carry out order shortly before 10pm tonight.  Your perfume should not put on so much perfume that the scent is so overpowering as to linger 5 minutes after you leave the room.  My eyes are still watering.  Seriously, do you stink so badly that you have to put that much on to cover the stench.  The old saying "less is more" definitely applies here.

Generally speaking, I tend to like kids.  However, I am not a big fan of when kids answer the door to pay for the pizza.  Why?  Because kids frequently end up not stiffing the delivery guy.  Sometimes, I think the parents do it on purpose so they don't look bad not giving a tip, but sometimes, I think the kids end up pocketing the money for themselves.  Case in point, I was making a delivery and the customer paid by credit card.  A kid answered the door, and I saw cash in the kids hand.  The kid ended up taking the money and keeping the cash.

Anyway, I hope this economic recovery that Obama and Biden have been touting starts to show up in some more pizza deliveries and better tips.  The last two months have been pretty rough with the decline in income.  If things don't pick up soon I may have to look for some more money making activities.  Unfortunately, I am a bit too old and a bit too fat to make any money hooking a webcam up to my laptop.

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Ledo's White Crab Caprese Pizza

Without a doubt, Maryland is known for crabs.  For a lot of us in Maryland, especially those who attended the University of Maryland College Park campus, the best place to grab a pizza is Ledo's Pizza.  So big a favorite is Ledo's that last summer when I got together with two old high school/college friends, we met at Ledo's for dinner. 

As fond as I am for Ledo's pizza, and crab, I don't believe that I ever thought about combining the two of them into one dish.  Well, last week I received an email from Ledo's and to kick off spring, they were running a special "Spring for Crab" promotion featuring Crab Ravioli, Crab and Artichoke Dip, and yes, Crab Pizza.  To be precise, the crab pizza is Ledo's Whte Crab Caprese Pizza featuring Ledo's four cheese white pizza, crab, fresh basil, sliced tomatoes and Old Bay seasoning.

I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was curious.  Mrs. Dickster thought it sounded interesting as well, so we decided to take the plunge and order one for dinner.  The pizza itself had a bit of a fishy smell, so I was a little concerned that the crab might overpower the taste of the pizza.  Fortunately, it did not.  In fact, all of the flavors blended well and none overpowered the other.  About the only complaint that Mrs. Dickster had was that it could have used a bit more Old Bay Seasoning.  Since she doesn't usually care for a lot of seasoning, I guess that says something. 

All in all, it was a pleasant experience, one that I would be willing to have again.  I think I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had a nice Pinot Grigio or other light white wine to go with it.  Then again, you can never go wrong with a cold beer since both pizza and crabs go well with a frosty brew.  I am not sure how long Ledo's will be running this special pizza, but I hope to be able to take advantage of it again in the near future.

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A Bad Pizza Night

Last night was one of those nights that make me wonder why I continue to deliver pizzas on the weekend.  First off, you never know from one week to the next how much money you will make each week.  Some nights are busier than others.  Then there are those nights when you get a bunch of good tippers and others, not so much.

Anyway, back to yesterday.  It was a cool, rainy night, and the rain was steady for most of the night.  Now I am not crazy about driving in the rain at night but I was looking forward to the evening.  Usually on a night like last night the people are a little more generous with the tips, and I would expect to get $4-$5 per delivery.  Yesterday, most of my deliveries averaged half that, and at one point I had three straight deliveries where the combined total of the three runs was under $3.  Very frustrating.

For now, though, I will continue delivering fresh hot pizza on the weekends, at least as long as I need the extra cash coming in.  Then there is always the thought in the back of your mind that you might knock on the door of a house like the one in the video below.  :-) 

Sexy Deliver Pizza
Uploaded by Dakorama. - See more comedy videos.

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