Pizza woes

I came home from work late one cold and rainy afternoon. I hadn't felt well all day and decided to pamper myself by ordering a pizza. I usually order from Panago, the rare occasion we order pizza, but this time I decided to try somewhere different and ordered from Pizza Pizza.

Their website was easy to understand and soon I had a pizza ordered. I joked that I'd got dinner started and it would be ready in 40 minutes then settled down to read. I half-thought about getting into my pjs but luckily decided I didn't want to answer the door in them.

Just over a half-hour later my son answered the phone, said "okay", then hung up. I asked him if the pizza person was on the way up and he said, "No, he's waiting downstairs for you." What? Grumbling, I pulled on my boots and headed downstairs. Then stood in complete confusion as there was no one in the lobby. Had he gone upstairs after all? The elevator opened and my friend and her daughter asked if I wanted in. I shrugged. "I'm supposed to be getting a pizza," I explained. "He's supposed to be down here but I can't find him." Elevator doors can only stay open for so long; eventually they left.

I looked around again. The lobby and hallways were empty. No one was coming out of the elevators, no elevators were on our floor. The only sign of life was a plain black car parked outside the doors. It didn't look like a pizza delivery car... there wasn't a sign or a decal... I moved toward the window.

The driver noticed my attention and climbed out of the car while holding a pizza bag. Then he stood there waiting for me. It was pouring rain and the temperature hovered just above the freezing point. I was in regular clothes and no coat. I hadn't brought keys downstairs with me either. He soon realized I was not heading outside. He slowly walked to the doors and came inside.

I commented that I'd been expecting service at the door, like other pizza companies. He looked at me like I told him I'd expected him to set fire to his hair then announced they couldn't be expected to go up to the apartments. It wasn't safe.

I gestured toward myself... "You have no problem with sending me, a middle aged woman, downstairs to get the pizza but won't go up yourself?"

"You have no idea what goes on here!" he protested. "Just a year or so ago there was a big murder here. Someone was knifed in those elevators! There was blood everywhere! I saw it with my own eyes. There's blood in those elevators on a regular basis."

"That's funny," I replied. "I've lived here for almost eight years and take the elevators regularly. I have never seen blood in the elevators and certainly don't remember anyone being murdered here." [Note: I couldn't find anything on Google either. I was here when the young woman overdosed and died in the ravine behind 200 and I'm sure a bloody murder in an elevator in 101 would have had even more media attention]

From talking to the driver, I realized this is a full White Oaks ban. It doesn't matter if you're a 23 year old ordering pizza for you and your friends... a Mom ordering dinner for the family... or a 95 year old... Pizza Pizza expects you to go downstairs and get that pizza yourself. And, if you get the driver I got, he's expecting you to go outside (no matter what the weather) and fetch it yourself.

I did some calling tonight and found several places who deliver here. As far as I can tell, Pizza Pizza is the only one with this ban. I didn't call Little Caesars, simply because their walk in special is so cheap and it's right next door. If you have found another place which does not deliver, please post it in the comments. And, if you've found a local pizzeria that delivers to the door, please post it as well (along with the phone number if you have it handy).

Pizza Hut 905-430-5725
Domino's Pizza 905-668-9797
Yellow House Pizza 905-665-6320
Panago Pizza 310-0001

Let's give our hard earned money to the companies who are willing to show us enough respect to come to our doors.