MISSOULA – Super Bowl Sunday is one of the biggest days of the year for football, TV and food.
Domino’s and Pizza Hut estimated they would sell three million pizzas on the big day, according to Yahoo Finance. Reporter Katie Miller rode along with one local pizza delivery restaurant to witness the craze.
Super Bowl Sunday has been called a second Thanksgiving because of the insane amount of food Americans consume. According to the US Department of Agriculture, it is the second largest day for food consumption.
The owner of Zimorino’s Pizza, Harry Ward, says the restaurant opened two hours early on Sunday, to deliver to Missoulians before the game.
“Yeah so, there’s a lot that goes into it. We have to increase what we order so we have enough product on hand. We have to staff up, have more drivers, more kitchen help. Definitely a, lot of work goes into it. It’s kind of like our Super Bowl,” Ward said.
Americans were expected to buy more than 12 million pizzas during the Super Bowl, but the top food spot is slowly being replaced by chicken wings, which can also be found at Zimorino’s.
Ward took the front seat out of his car two weeks ago, and is in the process of turning it into a smart delivery vehicle, with full internet access and charging ports.
He usually only delivers when they need extra hands, but on game day, he took the orders that were furthest away. He says driving is therapeutic, and gives him a chance to listen to music.
The back seat is filled with batteries, and the front is equipped with an iPad for GPS, and a phone holder to the check security cameras from the road.
Back at the restaurant, crews sauced, cooked and cut as fast as they could to keep up with orders on Sunday.
“The production side is the big thing, the delivery side we can handle, we’re used to. Gotta make sure you have enough dough, enough slices of pepperoni, and enough cooks,” Ward said. “Definitely a big weekend for pizza.”
Zimorino’s cooks its pies in a handcrafted brick oven at 700 degrees.
Reporting by Katie Miller for MTN News
