As the Broncos and Seahawks are preparing for the Super Bowl, so are pizza restaurants across the nation. They are increasing inventory, prepping more ingredients and scheduling extra staff for one of the biggest days in pizza sales.
"We prep 50 percent more of everything, from boxes to food," said Nelson Hertzog, general manager of Papa John's on Atlantic Boulevard, who expects to sell 300-500 pizzas on Sunday. It is the biggest day of the year for his store, which means it will be all hands on deck with all employees scheduled to work.
While normal delivery time is 30-45 minutes, it may take drivers up to an hour to deliver pizza during the Super Bowl. Restaurant managers suggest calling a day ahead or early on Sunday to set up an order. The orders that are called in early and set for a specific time will be sent out for delivery before any new incoming orders.
"Our six stores in Jacksonville will still be running 30-minute delivery for the most part," said Bryan Liezert, director of operations for Domino's in Jacksonville. Domino's sells more than 11 million pizza slices on Super Bowl Sunday, according to the Domino's website. Domino's, Pizza Hut and Papa John's are expected to sell twice as many pies on Sunday as they would on a typical Sunday.
"It is not uncommon to see double the numbers or better on Super Bowl Sunday," said Roy Blanco, owner of Renna's Pizza in St. Johns Town Center. He has increased his food orders and will have extra pizza makers and delivery drivers working to handle the volume.
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Denver and Seattle Domino's stores will see high sales at the beginning of the game but the city of the winning team will likely see higher sales at the end of the night, according to Domino's.
Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Denver Broncos, owns 21 Papa John's franchises in the Denver area, so he will rack in some dough regardless of the outcome of the game.
The later in the day, the bigger the tips for delivery drivers, according to Doreen Schwartz, general manager of Pizza Hut in San Marco. She said the amount of money people tip delivery drivers depends on how much alcohol they have consumed.
Blanco of Renna's Pizza says the Super Bowl is kind of like the holidays.
"People are excited about the game. They're having people over, celebrating and having a good time so typically when you have that kind of environment they tip very well," he said.
Many of the pizza chains are running specials, so it pays to check their websites for promotions, the managers said.
Brittney Donovan: (904) 359-4692
