Did pizza delivery take longer before web mapping and GPS? —Ed M., St. Louis
The preliminary answer is no. Back in 1979, long before the advent of personal navigation devices, Domino’s instituted a “30 minutes or it’s free” delivery policy, setting the standard for a reasonable delivery time. Not every pizza driver drove a fast car, but they did take shortcuts, literally and figuratively.
In the literal sense, on the wall of every pizza joint was a wall-size street map that delineated the delivery boundaries with a thick black line. Drivers knew the one-way streets and, more importantly, the location of alleys if main thoroughfares were blocked. Managers helped route the deliveries, first to last, nearest to farthest, usually no more than three per run. Most drivers carried street maps, just in case. The spiral-bound Wunnenburgs street guide was the rookie delivery person’s bible.
Due to a small delivery radius (usually no more than 2 miles), pizzas usually arrived fast and hot. Drive too erratically, and you ran the risk of delivering a “slider” (a pizza that slid to one side of the box).
Nowadays, pizza orders are placed online or with apps, which can track the pie from dough toss to delivery. Street guides all but disappeared with the advent of Garmins, TomToms, and the ubiquitous car-based GPS systems. When that satellite wizardry fails, the driver still has a backup: the cell phone. It’s not uncommon for an exasperated driver to call a customer and ask, “What’s the quickest way to your house?”
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining or send him an email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
