Pizza is king for Super Bowl bellies

By Aaron Smith, staff writer


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Super Bowl Sunday happens to be one of the hungriest days of the year for pizza-lovers, which means a nationwide windfall for pizzerias.

Pie orders typically spike by 35% on the day of the championship game compared to any other given Sunday, according to Jeremy White, editor of Pizza Today, the trade magazine for The National Association of Pizzeria Operators.

Super Bowl 2010 ads preview
The ads for Super Bowl 2010 bring back some old faces as well as a few newcomers.

That adds up to quite the feeding frenzy, as Americans consume 30 million pizzas, or 350 slices a second, on an average day, according to the association.

White described pizza as an inexpensive and "communal" food. It's a single pie shared by multiple people. That makes it "quintessential party food" and perfect for Super Bowl parties with their average turnout of 14 revelers, he said.

"The Super Bowl is an occasion that's often spent in the home," said White. "Most people do not go to a bar or restaurant to watch the Super Bowl, but they'll go to a Super Bowl party."

The only other pizza days that come remotely close are Halloween, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve and the day before Thanksgiving, he said. This means that pizzerias coast-to-coast need to get busy for the Sunday rush, when the Indianapolis Colts take on the New Orleans Saints.

"The average staff you have on an average Sunday is not going to be able to handle the orders on a Super Bowl Sunday," said White. "They're most likely bringing in additional drivers and kitchen staff."

That keeps pizza purveyors like Joe Mancino, manager of the family-owned Peppinos pizzeria in Brooklyn very busy.

"We get a lot of families that order from us, and the same people call every year," he said. "It gets crazy."

Mancino said he usually doubles his Super Bowl orders to 100 pies, compared with his average Sunday tally of 50. To match demand, Mancino said he'll double his delivery staff to four.

"You're not going to get rich, but it's a good day," he said.

But the feeding frenzy is relatively short-lived. "After halftime," Mancino said, "it becomes a ghost town." To top of page

Frontline troops push for solar energy
The U.S. Marines are testing renewable energy technologies like solar to reduce costs and casualties associated with fossil fuels. Play
25 Best Places to find rich singles
Looking for Mr. or Ms. Moneybags? Hunt down the perfect mate in these wealthy cities, which are brimming with unattached professionals. More
Fun festivals: Twins to mustard to pirates!
You'll see double in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Ketchup lovers should beware in Middleton, WI. Here's some of the best and strangest town festivals. Play
Index Last Change % Change
Dow 12,801.23 -89.23 -0.69%
Nasdaq 2,903.88 -23.35 -0.80%
S&P 500 1,342.64 -9.31 -0.69%
Treasuries 1.97 -0.08 -3.81%
Data as of 2:16pm ET
Company Price Change % Change
Bank of America Corp... 8.07 -0.11 -1.34%
General Electric Co 18.88 -0.26 -1.33%
Cisco Systems Inc 19.90 -0.10 -0.52%
Ford Motor Co 12.44 -0.25 -1.97%
Frontier Communicati... 4.04 -0.10 -2.42%
Data as of Feb 10
Sponsors

Sections

Now that the complex deal negotiations are over, many foreclosures that had been stuck in limbo will proceed. More

Audit of the Energy Department's controversial loan program in the wake of Solyndra says the risks are slightly less than DOE predicted, largely thanks to a stronger Ford. More

Buzzy social network Pinterest got caught in a disclosure controversy after users found affiliate links slipped into their pins. More

One family-owned Chicago pizzeria is helping to make love connections nationwide with heart-shaped pizzas on Valentine's Day. More

Hoping to cut their losses, banks are paying delinquent homeowners up to $35,000 in incentives to sell their homes in short sales and avoid foreclosure. More

Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer LIBOR Warning: Neither BBA Enterprises Limited, nor the BBA LIBOR Contributor Banks, nor Reuters, can be held liable for any irregularity or inaccuracy of BBA LIBOR. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2012 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer The Dow Jones IndexesSM are proprietary to and distributed by Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and have been licensed for use. All content of the Dow Jones IndexesSM © 2012 is proprietary to Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Chicago Mercantile Association. The market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2012. All rights reserved. Most stock quote data provided by BATS.