Super Bowl Pizza: How to Order for Game Day
Super Bowl Sunday is the single biggest pizza day in the United States. Americans order an estimated 12.5 million pizzas on game day — more than New Year's Eve, Halloween, and Thanksgiving Eve combined. If you're hosting a watch party, pizza is almost certainly on the menu. Here's how to order smart so it's hot when kickoff hits.
How Much Pizza for a Super Bowl Party?
Game day eating is different from regular meals. People graze over 4-5 hours instead of sitting down for one meal. That means slightly higher consumption per person than a standard dinner. Plan on 3-4 slices per adult instead of the usual 3. If you're also serving wings, nachos, and other snacks, you can drop back to 3 slices. Pizza-only spread? Go with 4.
- 10 guests: 6-7 large pizzas
- 15 guests: 9-10 large pizzas
- 20 guests: 12-13 large pizzas
- 30 guests: 18-19 large pizzas
- 50 guests: 28-30 large pizzas
These numbers assume pizza is the main food. If you have a full spread of game day snacks — wings, sliders, dips — you can cut pizza quantities by about 25%. But honestly, pizza is usually the first thing to disappear at a Super Bowl party.
When to Place Your Order
This is where most people mess up. Super Bowl Sunday is the busiest day of the year for every pizzeria in America. If you wait until Sunday morning to call, you're competing with thousands of other last-minute orders. Here's the timeline that works:
- Monday-Wednesday before the game: Decide on quantities and varieties. Finalize your headcount.
- Thursday-Friday: Place your order. For groups over 15, Friday is the latest you should be calling.
- Saturday: Confirm your order, pickup/delivery time, and any last-minute changes.
- Sunday: Pick up or receive delivery 30-60 minutes before kickoff. This gives you time to set up without rushing.
Game Day Pizza Strategy
The key to Super Bowl pizza is ordering early and timing delivery right. You want pizza arriving 30-60 minutes before kickoff — hot enough to eat immediately, with time to set up your spread before the first whistle.
The Best Pizzas for Game Day
Super Bowl parties call for crowd-pleasers, not culinary experiments. This isn't the time to order 10 artichoke-and-goat-cheese pizzas. Go heavy on the classics and sprinkle in a few lighter options for variety.
Our most popular game day picks at Forni: Pepperoni is the runaway number one — halal beef pepperoni that cups and crisps in the wood-fired oven. All Meat (pepperoni, sausage, gyro meat) for the serious eaters. Cheese for the kids and the pickier adults. Mediterranean for anyone who wants something different. And at least one Margherita, because it always disappears faster than people expect.
The Game Day Order Formula
For a 20-person party, here's exactly what to order: 4 Pepperoni, 3 All Meat, 2 Cheese, 2 Mediterranean, 1 Margherita, 1 BBQ Chicken or Bianca. That's 13 pizzas covering every preference in the room. Total cost at Forni: around $170-185. Per person, that's under $10 for a full evening of pizza.
Sides That Complete the Spread
Pizza is the main event, but sides round out the table and keep people from demolishing all the pizza in the first quarter. Good game day sides to order alongside your pizzas:
- Garlic bread or garlic knots: Easy to grab, pairs with everything.
- Garden salad: Provides a fresh counterpoint to heavy pizza and snacks.
- French fries or sweet potato fries: Because it's the Super Bowl and fries are mandatory.
- Wings or tenders: If the pizzeria offers them. Cross-category ordering keeps the spread interesting.
- Drinks: Don't forget beverages. Plan 2-3 drinks per person over the course of the game.
Super Bowl Sunday isn't about fancy food. It's about having enough of the right food, at the right time, so nobody misses a play standing in the kitchen. Pizza solves that problem better than anything.
Halal Game Day: Everyone Eats
If your watch party includes Muslim friends or family, ordering from a fully halal restaurant means everyone eats the same food from the same boxes. No separate orders, no awkward "which pizza can I eat?" conversations. At Forni, the entire menu is halal — so your halal-observant guests eat the pepperoni, the All Meat, the BBQ Chicken, everything. That inclusivity matters, especially when you're all gathered around the same TV.
Timing Tip
Set out pizza in two waves: the first batch 30 minutes before kickoff (people are arriving, settling in, hungry), and the second batch at halftime. Halftime is peak eating time at any Super Bowl party.
Setup Tips for Watch Parties
Keep the pizza near the TV room, not in the kitchen. You want people grabbing slices without missing the action. Stack boxes on a table with lids open, labeled with the type. Put plates and napkins at the end of the line. Keep a trash bag visible and accessible — it saves cleanup time and prevents your living room from looking like a frat house by the fourth quarter.
Hosting a bigger event? We have a full catering guide for large groups. Read our large group ordering guide →
Order Early, Enjoy the Game
The best Super Bowl party is one where you're watching the game, not stressing about food. Place your order early in the week, confirm on Saturday, and time your pickup or delivery for 30-60 minutes before kickoff. Then sit down, grab a slice, and enjoy the game. We'll handle the pizza.
Game day pizza, done right. Wood-fired, halal, and ready for your watch party.
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