Papa John’s and Pizza Hut have made big changes to delivery fees – and customers are angry

PAPA JOHN’S and Pizza Hut are the latest fast food chains to add new delivery charges of up to £2 as gas prices soar.

The takeouts have been hit by complaints from fans who were unexpectedly hit by the charge.

1

It comes after pizza competitor, Domino’s introduced its own £2 delivery charge last month.

The firm blamed soaring labour, fuel and food costs for the introduction of the hefty charge.

It also said it is expecting more cost inflation this year, as wheat prices surge in response to the Ukraine war.

But already rival fast food giants, Papa John’s and Pizza Hut have joined in adding an extra fee of their own for customers.

Fans shared their anger at the latest delivery charges:

One said: “Papa Johns you just lost business because of your stealth £1.99 delivery charge. I hope you see a drop in your sales and regret your decision.”

Another complained: “Small delivery charge? It’s not small and has prevented me from ordering.”

While another said: “Papa John’s, a pizza delivery company, has charged us to deliver. How else did it think it was going to get here?! Won’t be ordering from there again as just feels like a rip off.”

A fourth said: “Papa John’s you’re not getting any more orders from me your food is already overpriced, and now the delivery fee.”

And another furious user said: “It’s really poor that Dominos and Papa John’s are now charging for delivery. It means the poor delivery kids at 16/17 years old won’t get tips as the average customer will think ‘I’ve paid for delivery’.”

Another angry customer revealed: “Been ordering PJs every week for years but I will be officially boycotting now. 

“£25 for a pizza then you greedy things decide to start charging for delivery? Just pure greed. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Papa John’s responded saying: “We introduced a small delivery charge to every order in order for us to keep improving our services and provide greater experiences for our customers.”

The firm told The Sun the fee is used towards the growing costs of delivery, and costs vary between £0.99 to £1.99 depending on the store. 

A spokesman for Pizza Hut said: “Like many businesses, Pizza Hut is having to adapt to the external pressures impacting our industry – from supply chain disruption to inflation to recruitment challenges. 

“One change we have had to start slowly introducing in some Huts across the UK is a delivery charge between £0.99 to £1.99, which is still lower than most of our competitors.

“This will enable us to continue serving our communities, offering employment and continue growing.”

Fuel prices are at a record high, which will have spurred the change.

The latest from the RAC reveals that the average cost of a litre of petrol has hit roughly 167.28p.

Pizza Hut added that it was looking to roll it out to the rest of its locations later in April.

Martyn James, of consumer campaign group Resolver, warned shoppers need to be vigilant about micro charges – small fees used for something that used to be free.

There are still ways you can reduce your spends at the pizza giants though, especially if you’re not happy with the new extra charges.

But it’s not only the customers who are unhappy as meanwhile, an ex-Pizza Hut worker revealed secrets of the chain including why he’d NEVER work there again.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk