Holiday weekend snow makes for good pizza delivery business

For Mike Andres, it’s when the snow comes down that the orders come in. So with well over a foot of lake-effect snow in Niles, Mike has had his hands full. “The snow is good for business,” Andres said, as he made yet another pizza delivery for Milano’s. It’s what he’s been doing for about four years, and he says he really doesn't mind driving in the snow. That's because in his line of work, bad weather means good things: more orders and better tips. "It just helps make things busier,” Andres said. “People don't want to get out on the slick roads, so they call for delivery more than when it's nice out." And he doesn’t blame them. He wouldn’t want to go out in blowing snow and drive the slick roads if he was a customer, either. Manager Steve Brown says that because of the snow, he's occasionally had to call in additional delivery drivers. He also says the weather has increased the carry-out orders, although not nearly as much as the delivery service. "More people are getting out in the weather I think because we’re a local place,” he said. “More people are coming out rather than going to South Bend, Mishawaka, and going out to eat there." On top of the weather and bad roads, Brown says the holidays and football are always a boost to sales. "Sundays being football, with bowl season, we’re getting a lot of deliveries, too,” he said. And those deliveries are for more and bigger orders. But with those big orders, Andres could use a little help when making his rounds, too. "We always prefer a shoveled path,” he said.