# Pizza Riddle **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 27, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426 "2003-04-27T01:58:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![syntax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@syntax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syntax)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/1 "2003-04-27T01:58:08Z")
saw this on some site, couldn’t believe how many people were thrown off the answer, its very simple really, can you get it? "Three men order a pizza. When it is delivered the delivery boy charges them £30 and they each give him a tenner. When the delivery boy gets back to the pizza shop the manager tells him that he has overcharged the men and the pizza should have been £25 so he needs to go back and give the men £5 change. On the way back the delivery boy, annoyed that he didn’t get a tip of any kind, decides that he will only give the men £3 back and keep £2 for himself as a tip. He knocks on the door and informs the three men that they have been overcharged by £3 and gives them each £1, silently pocketing the £2 himself. So, he left £25 back the shop, gave the men £1 back each and kept £2 for himself - fine because that’s the £30. However, if each of the men got £1 back they actually paid £9 each for the pizza - can’t argue with that. Three times £9 is £27 plus the £2 the boy Where’s the other £1 gone???" ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/2 "2003-04-27T02:04:14Z")
Looks like a variation the ol’ [“bellboy’s dollar change switcheroo”.](http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/trivia/dollar.htm) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/3 "2003-04-27T02:05:04Z")
He gave the extra dollar to the bellboy who, by rule, always gets to keep the extra dollar. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/4 "2003-04-27T02:05:52Z")
Each man paid 10 - 1 =9. 9 x 3 = 27. The pie was 25. 27 - 25 = 2, which the delivery boy kept. The key is the total the men paid _includes the 2 the delivery boy kept_. ---
**Author:** ![syntax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@syntax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syntax)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/5 "2003-04-27T02:37:43Z")
well actually the wording is deceptive because it stated ‘plus’ £2 for the pizza boy, where it is more like ‘minus’ since you’re subtracting from the £30, not adding up to it. so £30 - £3 for the 3 men, then minus £2 tip for the delivery boy, so that’s the extra £5 accounted for, then its the remaining £25 to cover the cost of the pizza. 30-3-2=25 a much simpler way of looking at it i think. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/6 "2003-04-27T02:38:50Z")
Yeah, but that one was about with DOLLARS. This one is about POUNDS. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/7 "2003-04-27T02:40:47Z")
Oh, thanks, **syntax** , now I get it. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/8 "2003-04-27T02:47:48Z")
I thought the riddle was why people would pay £30 for pizza! Is that really what you guys pay? That’s like close to 50 bucks for 3 people! Around here we can get a couple of large one toppings for under $15, tip included! ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/9 "2003-04-27T02:51:42Z")
Sorry! I didn’t think my last post included enough exclamation points! I thought I’d add some more! (It’s all that talk of pizza that gets me excited!) ---
**Author:** ![syntax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@syntax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syntax)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/10 "2003-04-27T14:13:19Z")
yeah, £30 for a pizza does seem extremely steep, perhaps its a giant one, like 15ft or something! ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/11 "2003-04-27T17:31:24Z")
Wow, fifty bucks sounds cheap for a fifteen foot pizza, where can I get one? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/12 "2003-04-27T18:06:44Z")
Haha! When I read the title of this thread, I thought about posting a joke linking it to the “missing dollar”. Little did I know… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/13 "2003-04-27T18:07:54Z")
Oh, about the “missing dollar”: I first heard it when I was about ten years old. Dad said, “It just goes to show you that figures don’t lie. But liars figure!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/14 "2003-04-27T19:04:41Z")
It’s easy. Assuming the host has opened a door at random, it’s better to switch (unless you’re a caprinophile.) ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/15 "2003-04-27T19:43:20Z")
Maybe its because I’m lonely, but the entire exchange about the 30£ pizza really tickled my funny bone, especially when syntax (sorry no bold… this keyboard is different and I can’t find the brackets) brought in a 15 footer… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/16 "2003-04-27T21:31:09Z")
NNNOOOOOOOoooooooooo! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/17 "2003-04-27T21:33:15Z")
Also, why do we pie on the duckgry and base on the cat food? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pizza-riddle/171426/18 "2003-04-28T02:04:19Z")
For future reference, riddles you already know the answer to should go in MPSIMS rather than GQ. The missing dollar problem has been discussed ad nauseam, so I’ll close this thread rather than move it. bibliophage moderator GQ