Super Bowl Sunday can be one of the biggest sales days of the year for independent pizzerias…
…if you’re prepared.
What’s in this survival guide
In this Super Bowl survival guide, you’ll learn:
- Why Super Bowl demand spikes
- When Super Bowl orders peak
- What customers order most
- Average order value
- Delivery and pickup order behavior
- Which cities see the biggest spikes in Super Bowl pizza orders
- How preorders, bundles, and planning turn chaos into profit
If you don’t want to guess on Super Bowl Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET/ 3:30 p.m. PT – Feb. 8, 2026), this guide shows you exactly what to expect.
Super Bowl Sunday is the most important day of the year for independent pizzerias
To help you prepare, we found the most popular items customers ordered, when they ordered them, how much they spent, and whether they chose delivery or pickup. This pizzeria Super Bowl survival guide breaks down Super Bowl pizza sales data, ordering trends, and menu strategies to help your pizzeria maximize revenue on game day.
The takeaway: pizzerias that prepare for Super Bowl Sunday can turn one day into a steady revenue stream
Why the Super Bowl is a huge pizza sales day
The Super Bowl compresses an entire weekend’s worth of demand into a single, predictable window. Orders spike within hours, average order values rise sharply, and customers overwhelmingly choose familiar, high-volume items that kitchens can execute fast.
According to Slice’s 2025 post-game Super Bowl analysis, this concentrated demand is what makes the day so powerful, and so risky, for independent pizzerias.
Why pizza wins on Super Bowl Sunday:
- It feeds groups easily
- It travels well
- It pairs perfectly with wings, soda, and sides
- It requires no utensils, no prep, and no cleanup for customers
Pizza is the ultimate “don’t-miss-the-game” food.
Why Super Bowl preparation changes everything
Demand is predictable and shops that plan ahead are rewarded. Menu simplification, bundle pricing, staffing adjustments, and preorder promotion can turn chaos into one of the most profitable days of the year.
Related reading: State of the Super Bowl: The Post-Game Analysis
Top times people order pizza during the Super Bowl
Super Bowl ordering doesn’t happen all at once, it goes in waves.
Slice data shows that orders begin spiking around 11 AM EST / 2 PM PST, climbing steadily through the afternoon, peaking again just before kickoff, and surging once more around halftime.
Why timing matters:
- Customers order earlier than a normal Sunday
- Late-game orders are larger and more stressful to fulfill
- Kitchens that wait until kickoff to ramp up are already behind
This pattern reinforces why staffing, dough prep, and inventory decisions need to be finalized well before game day, not adjusted on the fly.
Smart shops plan for three phases:
- Pregame planners
- Kickoff rush
- Halftime panic orders
Each phase benefits from different staffing levels and menu strategies, and preorders help smooth all three.
Most popular Super Bowl pizza menu items
Customers choose simple, high-volume items on Super Bowl Sunday. The following were the most popular across the Slice community.
- Cheese Pizza
- Wings
- Soda
- French Fries
- Buffalo Wings
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Garlic Knots
These items are operationally efficient and margin-friendly, perfect for game day menus.
Average order value + biggest order
The average Super Bowl order value came in at $45, significantly higher than a typical day.
The largest single order reached $1,501.04, proof that catering-size and group orders are in play.
Are you looking to increase your order amount on Super Bowl Sunday? We put together a few ideas for pizza bundles (+ upsells) to make it easier for your customers to add items to their cart.
NOTE: These bundles are built directly from what we observed to be the most popular items customers ordered during the 2025 Super Bowl.
CORE BUNDLES
The No-Brainer Bundle
- 2 Large Cheese Pizzas
- 20 Wings
- 2-Liter Soda
The Crowd Control Bundle
- 3 Large Cheese Pizzas
- 30 Wings
- Garlic Knots
- 2-Liter Soda
WINGS-FORWARD BUNDLES
The Wingman Bundle
- 1 Large Cheese Pizza
- 30 Wings
- Fries or Mozzarella Sticks
- 2-Liter Soda
The Extra Napkins Bundle
- 2 Large Cheese Pizzas
- 40 Wings
- Large Fries
- 2-Liter Soda
CHEESE-FIRST, SPEED-FIRST BUNDLES
The Fast Break Bundle
- 3 Large Cheese Pizzas
- Garlic Knots
- 2-Liter Soda
The Classic Play Bundle
- 2 Large Cheese Pizzas
- Mozzarella Sticks
- 2-Liter Soda
SMART PREP / PREORDER BUNDLES
The Kickoff Bundle
- 1 Large Cheese Pizza
- 20 Wings
- 2-Liter Soda
The Fourth Quarter Bundle
- 2 Large Cheese Pizzas
- Garlic Knots
- Fries
- 2-Liter Soda
Top cities for Super Bowl pizza orders
New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago led the country in total orders within the Slice community, with strong average order volumes across major metros.
During the Super Bowl, dense, metro areas see the biggest spikes in pizza orders. Across the Slice community, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago led the country in total Super Bowl order volume, with consistently strong average order sizes.
Why these cities overperform:
- High population density
- Strong local team loyalty
- Limited parking and cold weather that discourage cooking or travel
- A deep culture of ordering local food for major events
While major metros lead in total volume, the takeaway applies everywhere: when sports culture is strong, pizza demand follows, especially when ordering is easy and predictable.
Pizza delivery vs. pick-up trends on Super Bowl Sunday
Pickup accounted for the highest order count, but delivery drove the highest AOV at $57.
Shops that optimize both options capture more total revenue.
Pickup dominates order volume, while delivery drives the highest average order value (AOV). According to Slice’s Super Bowl data, pickup accounted for the majority of orders, but delivery orders averaged $57 per ticket, significantly higher than pickup.
Pickup customers tend to be planners, locals grabbing food on the way to a watch party or sending someone out during pregame. Delivery customers, on the other hand, are ordering for larger groups, later in the day, and are more likely to add wings, sides, and drinks to avoid multiple trips.
This mirrors broader industry trends outlined in Slice’s breakdown of independent pizzeria performance, where shops that own both the pickup and delivery experience consistently outperform those that lean too heavily on a single channel.
Why it matters for pizzerias:
Shops that optimize both pickup and delivery, clear pickup instructions, accurate delivery timing, and smart upsells, capture more total revenue without slowing down the kitchen. Super Bowl Sunday isn’t about choosing one channel; it’s about making both frictionless.
👉 Related reading: The Stats Behind Independent Pizzerias
Why preorders change everything
Preorders smooth demand, reduce in-game chaos, and lock in revenue days in advance.
That’s why Slice provides downloadable Super Bowl preorder flyers shops can promote in-store and online.
Preorders let you:
- Control order timing
- Improve ticket flow
- Increase order sizes
We’ve put together a few templates for you to use across your channels (social media, etc.) to encourage your customers to get their orders in well before kick off (and even the pregame).
Or grab any template you want! (Right-click to save to your computer)
Final takeaway
The Super Bowl isn’t just busy, it’s predictable.
When you can plan for exactly what your customers want, when they’re going to order, and how they’re spending their money, the Super Bowl sets you up for not only a successful day, but also a continued relationship with current and new customers.
Shops that prepare menus, staffing, and preorder promotions ahead of time don’t just survive game day, they win it.
BONUS: Planning beyond the Super Bowl
The Super Bowl isn’t the only day when demand spikes, it’s just the most visible one.
If one big game can drive this much predictable revenue, imagine what happens when pizzerias plan ahead for every major food-centric moment of the year.
👉 Download the Complete Pizza Holidays Calendar to stay ahead of every high-impact ordering day, from the Super Bowl to Halloween to local sports moments.
