ROCHESTER, NY – Super Bowl Sunday is finally here, and that means one thing for our local pizza shops: get as many pizza orders out the door and on time as possible for every Super Bowl party. News10NBC visited Mark’s Pizzeria in Fairport to find out how they are hours before kick-off.
Super Bowl Sunday is one of those days that’s actually circled on the pizzeria calendar. It is actually the busiest day of the year for most of them.
Company VP Mark Parina told News10NBC: “We’ve been preparing all week. A lot of guys get the boxes ready in advance and stuff like that.”
Like a well-timed assembly line, pizza orders come in every few minutes, and the order is placed before it’s delivered or picked up for Super Bowl celebrations. Parina said that today everything is hands-on.
“Sometimes Halloween can be just as busy, depending on what day it falls on, but Super Bowl is usually the busiest,” Parina said.
Making pizza is quite simple, but on a day like today, pizzerias face a few challenges.
“Everyone wants food around the same time. Right from the start, which is our biggest obstacle, is to make sure we can serve everyone. So we’ve taken some extra precautions and are preparing as much as we can so we can pump out all those pizzas at that precise time,” Parina said.
On a day like today, it’s all about numbers.
“We will sell over 4,000 pizzas across the chain. We sell just over three tons of chicken wings. So yes, it’s a lot. Around £250 per store. Over £250 a deal,” said Parina.
He went on to say that most pizza orders are basic, mostly cheese and pepperoni.
“Just before the rush begins we’ll be trying to season some pizzas with sauce and cheese so we can sprinkle the toppings on the customer’s order and get them out. We give customers approximately a 15 minute window either side of their requested time. About half of the customers will call ahead and pre-order,” said Parina.
He concluded by saying the best part of the day is having employees ready to go to work.
“It’s a kind of badge of honor. You try to see how many you can do, and all those people talk about it for years. Even ex-employees will come back and talk about Super Bowl,” Parina said.
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