Ladies and gentlemen, it’s 1st and goal with just 10 seconds remaining. The quarterback takes the snap, drops back... He’s looking, looking, feeling the pressure — he rolls to his right! The defense is closing in, but he’s not going down — he throws it. TOUCHDOWN!!! What a throw, what a play! The crowd is absolutely electrified! This is what we live for, folks. 

Does the build up to touchdown evoke a familiar feeling? We’re sure that this is what 5:15 PM ET to 5:45 PM ET felt like on Sunday night in your shop. Slice's data from thousands of pizzerias revealed that the busiest minute of ordering for independent pizzerias was at 5:27 PM ET on February 9. Ordering during this minute was at an all-time high — fully doubling the rate of orders for the same time on a typical Sunday.

Data is power. Knowledge is power. Knowing this information will help your shop prep even more for next year. Our data-backed suggestions: 

• Open early! Especially if you are on the west coast. You should be up and running by 2:30 PM ET or 11:30 AM PT. This way you can be rocking when the peak of orders comes through. 

• Encourage customers to place orders in advance: Planning can only help your back of house on the big day.

• Have extra pepperoni on hand: After cheese pizzas, pepperoni pizzas are the most ordered pies. 

We’ll be sure to remind you of all this next year, along with additional actionable tips, so that you can be as prepared as ever.