A dedicated Indiana pizza delivery driver walked half a mile through a dangerous snowstorm in a “very affluent” neighborhood before he was met with a $2 tip.
Connor Stephanoff, an employee at Rock Star Pizza, was seen walking in the treacherous conditions in Brownsburg, Ind. as multiple plows filled the street to clear the snow last week, according to footage posted by Avon Police Department Lieutenant Richard Craig.
Stephanoff initially drove to complete the order, but a school bus crash blocked the road.
That’s when Stephanoff decided to complete the journey on foot – wearing a sweatpants, sweater, a beanie and sneakers.
Craig was outside helping residents navigate the dangerous road conditions when he noticed Stephanoff trekking through the snow-covered street and told him to get out of the street and onto the sidewalk.
Stephanoff revealed that he had to walk in the snow to complete the $40 pizza delivery.
“Did you get a good tip?” Craig asked.
“Two dollars,” Stephanoff replied.
Stephanoff looked at the receipt again and corrected the number to $2.15.
The officer was stunned.
“Two dollars?” Craig exclaimed. “Are you kidding me? Cold-blooded! Two dollars. Look at this man. This man walked through hell and high water to deliver a pizza.”
Craig was impressed by Stephanoff’s work ethic and dedication but was disgusted that a customer in a wealthy neighborhood would tip him so little during the terrible conditions.
“The delivery was about 1/4 mile past where the bus was blocking the street,” Craig captioned under his video. “This young man did not allow this to discourage him. He didn’t call his manager to complain, he didn’t call the customer and tell them their $40 pizza order could not be delivered. Oh no. THIS MAN IS BUILT DIFFERENT.”
Craig gave Stephanoff $15 bucks but set up a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $500.
The fundraiser has raised over $16,000 as of Saturday morning.
“I think what makes this story resonate is that at one time or another, any of us who has worked in a customer service position, has been Connor,” Rockstar Pizza wrote in a Facebook post. “We’ve gone over & above what anyone could ever ask of us, and the effort wasn’t appreciated. If not for Officer Craig, this would have just been another delivery shift for Connor.”
The restaurant added that they gave workers the option to stay home during the storm if they didn’t feel safe.
Stephanoff decided to work.
“He’s a great kid who works hard & we’re so happy to have him,” the restaurant added.