Today's Friday. I'm having a Super Bowl Party on Sunday. Should I order my pizzas now?

January 30, 2004 9:50 AM

I'm having a Super Bowl party, my first, on Sunday. Should I order the pizzas today (Friday)?
posted by johnnydark to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

ha, no, pizza should be okay. Just call a few hours before the game. In my experience, anyway.
posted by xmutex at 10:11 AM on January 30, 2004

I can remember ordering pizza for a Super Bowl party when I lived in Baltimore in 2001, when the Ravens won the Super Bowl. I ordered about an hour before kick-off, figuring it might arrive by half-time or sometime during the second half. It showed up in just under 45 minutes, which was actually an improvement from the normal service I received. My suggestion would be to call earlier in the day and talk to your friendly neighborhood pizza maker and ask them how busy they are. They'll be able to give you a good idea.

[derail] Does anyone else remember when Papa John's let you schedule your pizza delivery online up to several days in advance? They don't do it anymore, but it was a nice feature. [/derail]
posted by marcusb at 10:18 AM on January 30, 2004

where are you?

i'm having a superbowl party and it'll be no problem at all. trouble is, i live in england and there's not many of us participating in the whole superbowl thang.
posted by triv at 10:22 AM on January 30, 2004

It also depends on how many pizzas you're ordering. Once a year (although not during the Super Bowl or other major pizza eating occasions) I'm in charge of arranging for 20-25 pizzas for a large gathering. I call the shop a couple of days in advance when I do this.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:26 AM on January 30, 2004

i'm having a superbowl party and it'll be no problem at all. trouble is, i live in england and there's not many of us participating in the whole superbowl thang.

plus the game kicks off after the pizza shops have shut
posted by biffa at 10:27 AM on January 30, 2004

I would say yes as it helps the pizza places plan on how much dough the need to make.
posted by jasonspaceman at 10:31 AM on January 30, 2004

Yes, you should. Speaking as one who has worked in such places: if you have a high-pie order (more than 2-3 pizzas) and order at the "normal" time, you might get told "we can't do it" if they're really busy. Not likely, but possible.

And it's especially important if you're having it delivered -- schedule in advance, and they'll schedule all the other delivery calls around you; call in late, and you'll get scheduled around all the other customers instead. Which generally means lengthy waits, or cold pizza.
posted by frallyth at 10:43 AM on January 30, 2004

It can't hurt to order in advance, but as pizza joints usually don't take orders well in advance, they're likely to lose your order or forget about it. If you order in advance, be sure to follow up and remind them a few hours ahead of time, or that morning, or something.
posted by scarabic at 10:56 AM on January 30, 2004

I am also having my first Super Bowl party this year, in Ottawa. Plus skating on the canal before. Go Pats!
posted by tranquileye at 11:43 AM on January 30, 2004

Do what I do most years, bake a turkey and all the fixings. It's really not that hard, and it's a hell of a lot more fun than Thanksgiving with the in-laws.
posted by anildash at 2:00 PM on January 30, 2004

If it's more than 8 or 10 pizzas it helps to order ahead of time. Based on experience working in many pizza shops. And make sure you talk to the manager not the girl answering the phones. And follow up the same day a few hours before scheduled delivery. All these things are not unusual and will ensure you get what you ordered on time. Plus it gives the drivers something to bicker over who will get the delivery. Youll be ahead of the rest of the last minute orders in case of a crunch.
posted by stbalbach at 7:44 PM on January 30, 2004