16 Times Driving For A Food Delivery Service Made Me Laugh, Roll My Eyes, Or Get Really Concerned

Some of these happened in a single day.

Many of us have ordered food through a delivery service whether it be for lack of time, convenience, safety, or just plain laziness. While switching career paths, I began delivering to make some money in the meantime. The following is a list of actual experiences I have had as a delivery driver that I will not forget.

1. The large fish filet order that I delivered to a wedding

USA Network, McDonald's / Via mcdonalds.com

Not only was I shocked that someone would order this many fish filet sandwich meals from McDonald's, but the place it was being delivered to was hilarious. Turns out it was a soon-to-be bride and her wedding party that placed the order. The venue was incredibly gorgeous and I was a little lost and felt completely out of place.

I found my way up an iron spiral staircase to deliver the order to the bridal party. I dropped the order off while trying not to stare too much as I was in awe at the expensive venue. I quickly said "Congratulations!" and made my way out. They were great tippers, and it was fun to deliver somewhere new and exciting. I hope the happy couple shares many years together full of their favorite orders from McDonald's!

2. The vague address order

NBC

Instead of sharing an actual physical address, the person typed in the word "home" along with the city and state. I had to message the individual to get the actual address and let them know. I guess they just thought everyone should automatically know where they live?

3. Big Gulps for days

7 Eleven / NBC

There's only been a few times where I felt uneasy or uncomfortable while delivering and this was one of them. The person ordered 11 different Big Gulp Slurpees from 7 Eleven. I figured that maybe it was a bunch of teens at home during the summer that couldn't drive. I quickly realized that was not the case as I drove up to a house that had windows that were either covered in foil or boarded up completely. It definitely looked suspicious, and when the person came out they also fit that description. The individual told me that they like to freeze them and save them for later (which weirdly seemed appropriate coming from them). I replied with "that's a great idea!" and got the heck out of there as quickly as possible.

4. ALL the pizza toppings

Elias / Getty Images/iStockphoto

I picked up a pizza that had 14 different toppings on it! It had everything from a variety of peppers, three different kinds of cheese, and a magnitude of meats plus sriracha sauce. Not only did the pizza smell delicious, but it was also incredibly heavy! I was worried that I might lose my grip on the box and send the pizza flying only to have it land face down. Luckily this didn't happen, and I guarantee that pizza was one of the tastiest ways to get severe heartburn.

5. Home of the BBQ Sauce

FOX

I had an individual message me in the middle of picking up their order from Burger King. They requested extra BBQ sauce and the message went something like this: "Would you mind picking up some more BBQ sauce? Like A LOT...10 to be exact...I know they normally don't give out that much, but it's soooooo good!" I guess Burger King isn't just home of the Whopper anymore, but of the good sauce, too.

6. The Ghost Guy

Hanna-Barbera

I know being ghosted is fairly common when dating, and the person you are talking to is never to be seen or heard from again. I didn't know people did that when ordering delivery. I drove around forever trying to find this guy. I messaged him several times asking if I was at the right address and so on. I am not the kind of delivery driver to cancel an order without good reason, but after waiting and driving around for almost 30 minutes without a reply I just canceled it.

7. "Eggstra" Egg rolls

Ezumeimages / Getty Images/iStockphoto

I once saw a note on someone's oder that they wanted extra egg rolls. The restaurant they ordered from definitely did not serve egg rolls so I'm assuming that was something they had in their default settings that did not apply to this particular delivery.

8. Deliver to where I'm NOT

Miramax / Via giphy.com

I had just taken a picture of the delivery and where I dropped it off when I got a phone call as I was getting back inside my car. The person said they saw me drive off and that they don't have their order. I informed the individual where I had placed the food, and it was at the address that was put into the app. They said, "well I'm out walking on the sidewalk." I had already made it out to the main highway at this point, and the person was closer to their food than I was. The individual then said they wanted me to turn around to pick up their food (that was at their doorstep) and then bring it to them on the sidewalk.

9. Funny Door Mats

Walmart

One of my favorite things to see when I'm out delivering are the humorous doormats that people have. Here are just a few of my favorites.

10. Silly Signs

Calien

Along with funny doormats I enjoy humorous signs that people might have. This one combines honesty and truth with just the right amount of sass and silliness. I now have one of these signs myself simply because I saw it while delivering.

11. Guard cats

James Gorman

Sometimes there will be cats outside of people's doorsteps. I'm a big fan of cats and I want to pet them ALL. However, there have been times where I did not want the resident to open their door to pick up their order only to find me creepily hanging out petting a cat that may or may not be theirs. Either way, it's still always fun to see fur babies nearby.

12. Lizard on the loose

Tatyanatitova / Getty Images

Although it's nice to see people's pets, it's not unusual to run into wild animals or loose critters either. I was dropping off an order when I heard the sound of rustling leaves in a nearby garden. I took a step forward and a large spiked lizard rapidly slithered across the concrete and back into the leaves. I was both startled and impressed by this mini-dinosaur.

13. The polite pitbull

Copyright Radu Dan / Getty Images

Whether dealing with pets or wild animals, I always want to be cautious. I know that when a stranger is nearby, that animals can sometimes feel threatened or become territorial when it comes to their space and owners. I was just about to get out of my car when I saw a large pitbull come up to the driver's side. I was hesitant to open my door, but I had to eventually, so I just went for it. 

I greeted the dog and said "hello" calmly, then placed the food on a chair beside the front door. The pitbull was very sweet and didn't jump or bark. I was slightly worried he might try to get into the bag of food, but instead, he sniffed it and just walked away. He really was the "goodest boy ever" and it's proof you can't always judge a book (or dog) by its cover.

14. Close Call

Nico De Pasquale Photography / Getty Images

While delivering, it can be a challenge to maneuver traffic patterns, specific parking lots, or apartment complexes. I was delivering to a staff member at a local university campus, and I was not exactly sure where to go. 

As I was locating the building I knew it was taking a while, and I had started to walk in circles to find the person whose food I had been carrying around. I began to get a little worried that I would be fined with a parking ticket or possibly even towed because this campus was notorious for that. 

I finally found the individual and just as I walked outside, I saw two campus police officers behind my car. They asked if the vehicle belonged to me, which I quickly replied yes and explained that I was delivering food for a staff member inside the building. I didn't get a ticket, but had I been in the building 30 seconds longer I definitely would have.

15. Gate Code Goddess

Solidago / Getty Images

Just a helpful tip if you live in an apartment complex that requires a gate code: be sure to provide that code to your delivery driver. I was once trying to get inside a large apartment complex in a busy urban area and the individual did not tell me the gate code to get inside. Even after messaging the person asking for the code, I got no response so I sat there stupidly by the keypad mechanism. 

Luckily this sweetheart driving by asked if I needed the code and I told her yes and why I was there. She proceeded to shout it to me across her passenger's side window before pulling inside the gate so I could get inside. She totally saved the day, and I was relieved that I was no longer a sitting duck.

16. Finally, the food fumble

NBC

Due to COVID, a lot of restaurants will seal up their delivery bags to serve as proof that the contents have not been touched or tampered with. While this is a safe practice in that sense, it could also become severely problematic. When paper bags are sealed up too soon, the steam and condensation get trapped causing the bottom of the bag to fall out. This happened right as I lifted a bag up to get it out of my car and someone's Chipotle Bowl went everywhere. 

I felt terrible and had to message the individual explaining what happened. To make matters worse, my car smelled like beans forever, and it was a total mess to clean up. I kept finding pieces of corn and lettuce in my floor mats and finally just had to do a deep clean.