Pizza Meter / Pentagon Pizza Orders
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About
Pizza Meter or Pentagon Pizza Orders refers to a theory proposing that international conflicts and times of crisis can be predicted based on the number of orders received by pizza restaurants near the Pentagon. The concept theorizes that at times of high tension, the number of pizzas ordered by staff at the Pentagon increases since people are working late and eating at the office. Spikes in the relative busyness of different fast food chains can, according to some, serve as a powerful geopolitical indicator. At various times, internet users have made World War III memes about pizza sales around the Pentagon in response to major international events involving the U.S. military.
Origin
The concept of the "pizza meter" emerged from a Domino's Pizza franchise owner in Northern Virginia near the Pentagon named Frank Meeks, who told newspapers that before major national security events, he saw a noticeable uptick in business (seen below).[1] The Pizza Meter concept was used throughout the 1990s, with Meeks receiving quotes in major newspapers.[2]
Spread
Posts about the Pizza Meter online have occurred with frequency over the years. For example, on September 21st, 2022, Redditor /u/nonamesleftadmin posted a screenshot (seen below) to /r/NonCredibleDefense, earning over 13,000 upvotes in two years.[3]
On April 13th, 2024, X / Twitter user @lbjfancamcoop posted about the Pizza Meter to X, receiving over 116,000 likes in just over two weeks (seen below, top). Following confirmation of the conflict between Iran and Israel, @lbjfancamcoop made a follow-up post (seen below, bottom) on April 18th, which received over 42,000 likes in two weeks.[4]
On April 14th, 2024, TikTok user @MadDog made a TikTok post riffing on @lbjfancamcoop's posts on X, which received over 66,000 likes and 400,000 views in two weeks (seen below, left).[5] The same post also inspired an explainer video by user @the.law.says.what on April 13th (seen below, right), which received over 68,000 likes and 600,000 views in two weeks.[6]
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7357624760454417707
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7357532282019679531
Various Examples
![IntelWalrus @IntelWalrus The column of dominos, pizza hut, and doordash drivers going to the Pentagon parking lot tonight must be longer than the Wagner column advancing on Moscow right now. 11:03 PM ⚫ Jun 23, 2023 69K Views 19 129 691 19 <]](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/805/823/59c.png "The Column")
Search Interest
External References
[1] Washington Post – With Capital in Panic, Pizza Deliveries Soar
[2] Slate – What Can Pizza Tell Us About Ourselves?
[3] Reddit – /r/NonCredibleDefense
[4] X – @lbjfancamcoop
[5] TikTok – @wilsonwhisk
[6] TikTok – @the.law.says.what
Related Entries 12 total
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Recent Videos
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![Pat Garrett @Pat Garrett "Son, this is the Department of Defense of the United States of America, I will tell you when to stop making pepperoni pizzas." • 7:02 PM Apr 13, 2024 202K Views 4 34 1.8K 29 ↑ <]](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/002/805/824/8c9.png "DoD")
![IntelWalrus @IntelWalrus The column of dominos, pizza hut, and doordash drivers going to the Pentagon parking lot tonight must be longer than the Wagner column advancing on Moscow right now. 11:03 PM ⚫ Jun 23, 2023 69K Views 19 129 691 19 <]](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/002/805/823/59c.png "The Column")
Top Comments
Red123
Apr 29, 2024 at 08:32PM EDT
MCC1701
Apr 29, 2024 at 05:11PM EDT