Pizza Delivery Jobs For Felons (2024 Guide)

Did you know that many pizza shops that hire delivery drivers can waive the background check, and hire you on the spot?

Many people who have a felony conviction struggle with finding work, because they cannot pass the background check when interviewing for a job. One way to get around this issue is to look for positions where the company owner or manager will not do a background check on you.

Often, a local, family owned pizza place will not require a background check and you will have a much higher chance of working as a delivery driver for them.

Gets tips on getting hired as a pizza delivery driver, what to expect on the job, and how much you can earn.

How much does a pizza delivery driver make?

On average, reported earnings of a pizza delivery driver are about $10.5 – 11.5 per hour. Keep in mind, that pay may vary depending on the area you live in. Expensive cities such as Boston, San Francisco, New York and their suburbs will have higher pay than less affluent areas.

Moreover, salaries for delivery drivers will differ whether you are working for a corporate pizza chain, such as Uno’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s or a small local pizza shop.

This does not include tips you would be getting from customers. An average tip is about $3-4. Tips often add up to a nice bonus, especially if you make many deliveries.

Job requirements

For the most part, becoming a pizza delivery driver is not rocket science. There is not much training or prior experience required. You need to have a driver’s license, and in most cases your own car. Some shops will ask you to use their vehicle to make deliveries.

Most small pizza restaurants only deliver locally, within a particular radius. Usually its not more than 20 miles from the shop itself.

You will be asked to pick up the prepared orders from the restaurant and to deliver them to specific addresses. These may be office buildings or private homes. Most delivery jobs take place in the evening, but some places get busy during lunch. Holidays and school vacations will most likely be very busy delivery days, where you can make a lot of money in tips.

You will be required to make a fast, timely delivery, handle cash if the customer didn’t pay over the phone or online, and to be polite to the customer.

Some pizza shops may also ask you to help stock and sort various supplies inside the restaurant, or to assist with clean up at the end of the day. However, most delivery drivers rarely spend to much time inside the restaurant itself. All these details, as well as any additional payment for these services need to be discussed during the interview.

Perks of the job

There are a few nice advantages to working in pizza delivery:

Flexible hours
Part time work, which means you can look for a better job or go to school during the day
You get tips, which are tax free
No one is looking over your shoulder – you spend most of the time in the car, by yourself
No strenuous physical labor is required
There is minimal interaction with other restaurant employees or customers

How to get hired with a felony

While we strongly recommend that you apply to as many local restaurants as you can, you should also try your luck in corporate pizza places, such as Pizza Hut. Moreover, Domino’s Pizza also has a history of hiring felons as delivery drivers, in some of their locations. Franchises like this may hire a felon if they have a serious staffing shortage. This often happens during the holiday season.

You can also apply for various pizza delivery jobs using https://www.ziprecruiter.com. Simply enter your location, the job you are looking for and you will get listings in your area. You can apply right online, or through your smartphone.

However, if you want to avoid the criminal background check, your best shot is to speak directly to a pizza store owner and convince them to hire you. Why would they agree not to run the background check???

First, every time he runs a check he has to pay for it. More comprehensive background checks cost more money. So the restaurant owner may want to avoid the expense.

Second, if you are honest when you speak to the owner (and you should definitely be honest and disclose your past), there is no reason to do a formal check, if he got the basic idea of what happened.

Thirdly, because America has such a high incarceration rate, the owner may relate to you on a personal level and may want to give you a chance. Perhaps someone in his family, or friend or even he himself had problems with the law in the past, and knows how hard it is to get back to normal life.

So, the key to getting the job is to convince the pizza place owner that you are trustworthy despite your history, that you are willing to work very hard to earn an honest living. If you have any references, people that can vouch for you, that would be very helpful.

Don’t make the mistake of ASKING the owner or manager not to run the background check. Such a direct request will look very suspicious and can really kill your chances with this job. Just be truthful about your past, and answer all the questions that you are being asked in detail, without sounding like you are avoiding or hiding something. This kind of attitude has a much higher chance of convincing the owner to forgo the background check, than anything else.

However, it is very important to keep in mind that there is NO GUARANTEE that a restaurant owner will do you a favor and choose not to run the background check. After all, by law its their absolute right as an employer to check the criminal background of any job applicant.

Other driving jobs to consider

If you are into driving and think its good career path for you, you don’t have to limit yourself to being a delivery driver in the food industry. There are many other opportunities to explore, such as:

Truck driving jobs

Lyft or Uber ride-sharing jobs

Amazon delivery driver jobs