Google Answers Logo
View Question
 
Q: Software for Pizza delivery ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   3 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Software for Pizza delivery
Category: Business and Money > Economics
Asked by: hagen-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 28 Apr 2002 22:27 PDT
Expires: 05 May 2002 22:27 PDT
Question ID: 6520
After waiting more than an hour for a pizza from a Pizza Hut five
minutes from my house I would like to know what software does Pizza
Hut use to determine the way to deliver the pizzas to its customers
and specifically, how does this software work?
Answer  
Subject: Re: Software for Pizza delivery
Answered By: missy-ga on 29 Apr 2002 10:35 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Pizza Hut, as well as a number of other pizza delivery and fast food
operations, including Domino's, use the QuikOrder
system[http://www.quikorder.com/company/], which runs on Intersystems'
Cache' database.[http://www.e-dbms.com/]

I've found a few articles which state that QuikOrder runs on WinNT -
they all reference Domino's and were apparently written prior to Pizza
Hut contracting with them:
[http://www.mulcoms.com.au/marathon_facts.html]
[http://www.internetweek.com/ebizapps01/ebiz050701.htm]
[http://www.internetweek.com/infrastructure/infra091800-1.htm]

(QuickOrder is named as the copyright holder on the Pizza Hut online
ordering page, so that's where I started.)

This article explains how the QuikOrder system works (though it
references Domino's, which uses the same technology):

"Once the delivery information and order entry is completed, it is
transmitted to the QuikOrder, Inc., server computer system via the
Internet. The server then sends the order to the participating
Domino's store that serves the customer's address. An e-mail
confirmation with estimated delivery time is sent to the customer to
inform them that the Domino's store has received their order."
[http://www.quikorder.com/company/press1b.asp?cpy=1] 

QuickOrder's "About" page states that orders are sent to the
fullfilling restaurant within ten minutes.

As noted in the comment below, a long wait is not necessarily the
fault of slow servers or faulty software.  Typically, pizza delivery
places are staffed with 1 - 3 telephone personnel, a manager and 3 - 5
delivery drivers.  There are periods throughout the day ("rush")
during which such staffing is insufficient to carry out an order from
start to finish in under an hour, even if drivers are carefully routed
to enable them to deliver multiple orders.

From experience in the pizza delivery trade in college (with Domino's!
 Yipes!), a pizza can require up to three minutes to assemble
(including stretching the dough, saucing, cheesing, and using the
company approved portions of each topping) and another 8 - 10 minutes
to bake, depending on the number of toppings you ask for.  If it takes
a full ten minutes for your order to reach the store and there are 6
orders ahead of yours, it will be a bare minimum of 16 minutes from
the time you place your order until your pizza ever sees the oven, 28
minutes if each of the pies is a large, loaded.  And if there are more
than six orders ahead of yours?  It further bogs down at the end of
the bake time - if a driver headed to your area isn't right there,
your pizza will sit under the heat lamps until someone comes back in,
sometimes as long at 15 minutes!

If you're ordering during peak hours, you may well fall victim to the
wait that ordering during the rush imposes, no matter how close to
your outlet you live.  It's remarkably frustrating that technology
still hasn't helped us figure out a way to get our pizzas a little
faster, isn't it?

Thanks for your inquiry!

Best regards,

missy-ga

Request for Answer Clarification by hagen-ga on 29 Apr 2002 15:46 PDT
One last bit:
Once a pack of pizzas is ready to go, how is the path determined the
driver has to take in order to deliver the pizzas the fastest way?

Clarification of Answer by missy-ga on 29 Apr 2002 17:17 PDT
Hi hagen!

Procedures for determining the path of the delivery vary from shop to
shop, but typically work like this:

Your shop's delivery area is shown on a large wall map.  Each street
is labelled on this map, and sometimes color coded.  The map is
divided into sections and numbered, and each driver is assigned one or
two sections that he is responsible for.  If it is peak rush time,
drivers passing through one section to get to another may be asked to
drop a pie on the way, to help keep delivery times down.

When an order is up, one of the phone people or the manager (if he's
not on the make line or pulling pizzas from the oven) will act as a
router, looking at destinations for other pies to determine if any can
be grouped together and sent with the same driver.  If several can be
taken out at once, the router will instruct the driver as to which one
to deliver first - usually the closest pie first *unless* the one
furthest away is an older order.  For instance, if the pie out in
sector 3 was called in 22 minutes ago, but the pie going to sector 1,
where your shop is located is only 16 minutes old, the driver will be
instructed to deliver the pie in sector 3 first, even though sector 1
is closer.  (I'm sure this sounds ridiculously complicated, but it
actually makes sense when you're doing it!)

Sometimes, a pie will come up for a driver who is currently out on a
run, and no one is passing through his sector to make the delivery. 
Under the lamps it goes to wait for the driver - and that's probably
your pie, five minutes from you, waiting for your wayward driver to
come back.  :)

Sometimes the router blows his cool and sends the wrong pie out with
the wrong driver...and you end up with late pizza, mad customer and
sullen driver.

There are enough things that can influence the entire pizza delivery
system, that it almost makes one wish for a replicator!

Hope this explains things for you!
hagen-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars

Comments  
Subject: Re: Software for Pizza delivery
From: remisser-ga on 28 Apr 2002 23:54 PDT
 
I did some research and, it appears they use servers based on the IBM
iSeries systems.  Here are some pertinent links to follow up:
http://www.vaihome.com/Success/VAI%20iSeries.htm
This is the company success stories, which I'm sure you'd disagree
with after waiting an hour for that pizza...
And more importantly the IBM website based on the software:
http://www-912.ibm.com/supporthome.nsf/document/23393024

But don't be so quick to blame it on their software, sometimes the
speed at which your order is delivered is based upon how many orders
they have at the time (perhaps it was during a rush hour of
deliveries, lunch or dinner?) or the waitstaff and delivery people
there just might be lazy.  A number of factors, not just software, may
be the culprit.
Subject: Re: Software for Pizza delivery
From: meempants-ga on 30 Apr 2002 21:43 PDT
 
Being a driver for one of the big pizza companies myself, I'd just
like to add that the rush usually starts around 6 and ends about 8:30.
On Fridays and Saturdays, it starts earlier and ends later. Friday is
by a longshot the busiest day of the week, so you're most likely to
get a late pizza on Friday during rush. The difference between
ordering at 5:30 and ordering at 6:00 on Fridays can be enormous,
i.e., if you order at 5:30, you'll probably get your pie within 20-30
min., if you order at 6:00, 45 min. to an hour. Interestingly, April
14th is a huge night for pizza delivery, especially if it's a Friday
or Saturday. Pizza tastes better when you're doing tax returns, I
guess :).

One last thing to consider is tipping. Most drivers have pretty good
memories. Occasionally, they actually keep a list of good and bad
tippers. If they have multiple deliveries to make on one run, this may
affect the order they deliver them in.
Subject: Re: Software for Pizza delivery
From: jb_in_nc-ga on 03 Aug 2004 22:43 PDT
 
I work for a Pizza Hut and I can tell you why it sometimes (but not
always) takes a while for a pizza to get to a nearby residence. There
are many factors that go into it, but the delivery driver is the one
who gets to face any unhappy customers. Just because you are closest
pizza store doesn't necessarily mean you get delivered to first. If a
driver goes out the door with multiple deliveries, which happens more
oft than not, he is deliver first to the customer who ordered first
(makes sense, right?) So if you live 10 feet from the pizza store, the
driver may go to someone else's house first because they ordered first
and maybe they have been waiting longer. That's the simple answer to
your question. I will say that the computer system that our Pizza Hut
uses doesn't help matters, and it could easily be upgraded with just a
few simple additions that would help drivers get out the door quicker.

Also remember that drivers have to do quite a bit before they get out
the door. They have to punch in any credit cards used into the machine
to print out the slip, they have to check to make sure directions are
correct often having to call the customer if directions are incomplete
or missing information. Not everyone at the pizza store knows how to
take good directions (even some drivers, doh) and not everyone knows
how to give them. Drivers are also expected to answer the phones and
take orders which costs precious minutes. These are just a few
examples.

Then there are slow downs while on the road. If a driver has a hard
time finding the residence he is going to before he heads to your
place, then that time gets added to your wait. A lot of slowdowns are
caused by residence numbers being hard to see (or impossible to see)
and the all too confusing layouts of each and every apartment complex
there is.

This all adds up. For brevity I've left out so much because theres
just too much to cover. If you were a delivery driver, you would
understand. I'm not saying that all drivers out there do their jobs
like they should, but a lot of them do and they try hard to get the
pizza there as quick as they can under the circumstances.

As someone has mentioned, the time at which you place your order can
make a big difference, so just experiment and see if a certain time
works better for you.

Important Disclaimer: Answers and comments provided on Google Answers are general information, and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professional advice. Google does not endorse, and expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed in answers or comments. Please read carefully the Google Answers Terms of Service.

If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by emailing us at answers-support@google.com with the question ID listed above. Thank you.
Search Google Answers for
Google Answers  


Google Home - Answers FAQ - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy