Costs hurt pizza delivery

Gasoline prices slice drivers' earnings

Edward Fennell
The Post and Courier

Trey Gannett (right) delivers pizzas to a James Island family. Gladly accepting the feast are Peter Harbert, 12, and Emily Harbert, 10. Pizza delivery drivers are facing difficult times due to high gas prices, Gannett said.

Gasoline prices are taking a slice out of income earned by pizza delivery drivers. Just ask a man who's been taking pies to doorsteps on James Island for three years.

"It's all about the gas right now, and it's killing me," said Trey Gannett, driver for Gilroy's Irish Pizza Pub on Camp Road.

Now a James Islander, Gannett, 31, lived in New Orleans until after Hurricane Katrina made a mess of things in 2005. "I was in the Superdome," he said, recalling how he survived the storm. Before the storm, Gannett delivered food, by bicycle, in New Orleans' French Quarter.

His resume also includes carpenter, mechanic, cook, surveyor and computer data entry. He's trying to write a book, and said he took up pizza delivery to stimulate his social life.

None of his other jobs, especially that of surveyor, brought him in contact with people.

Gannett has learned all the roads and shortcuts around James Island. He's also gotten an education about small business. Pizza delivery used to earn him about $50 a night, but higher gas prices leave him with just $20 to $30 after expenses.

Gannett delivers via his 1998 Ford Taurus. Upkeep on the car, plus its less-than-stellar gas mileage, cost him dearly. "I just did my brakes today. I had to change the alternator a month ago, and that was a $300 pop," Gannett said.

"I am thinking about getting a mo-ped because of gas prices," he added, envisioning better gas mileage.

Gannett said James Island's overcrowded roads also give him headaches. "Traffic is horrible, and people can't drive here in Charleston. A light drizzle and there are four or five wrecks on Folly Road."

On a busy night, Gannett said, he'll haul 16 pizzas to addresses between the Stono River and Folly River. On a slow night, he'll expand his delivery range to Folly Beach.

Gannett has a litany of unforgettable moments and people. The job comes with a lot of "weird instances," he said.

"You get a lot of late-night drunks and parties — and the hangovers on Saturday mornings. Sundays are pretty dead," he said. "Drunks are fun to talk to, and they tip you the best."

Reach Edward C. Fennell at efennell@postandcourier.com or 745-5560.