Have you ever asked the question of how much pizza to order whenever you’re hosting a party or gathering? Let’s say you’re hosting a trivia night, and you’ve invited 30 people. How would you exactly know how much pizza you should order without any shortages or excess?
There are 94 percent of Americans who eat pizza regularly, and over 5 billion pieces of it are sold each year all over the world. Each person in America eats about 46 pizza slices in a year!
While pizza is like a general choice of food during parties, of course we want to order them carefully. If you’re ever in a situation wherein you want to know how much pizza you need to order, look no further because we have all the answers.
What to Avoid When Ordering Pizza
Now, pizza it is! But, don’t rush off to the nearest pizzeria just yet. Let’s show you the list of common mistakes most people make when choosing pizza as their main party menu.
Not Ordering Enough Pizza
Guests will go home unhappy and disappointed if there isn’t enough food. It’s like inviting people over just to ruin their day. No one wants to be friends with an apparent sadist!
Excess Food
If you do not buy just enough for everyone to eat, you will end up with tons of uneaten food that must be thrown away. Sheer waste of hard earned money. Who will want to do that?
Wrong Pizza Combinations
Broaden the appeal of your pizza orders by taking into account the tastes and preferences of your guests. Some will like meat, others will not. By the way, eating pizza once a week can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer.
Paying Too Much
Look out for good bargains and be sure you are getting good value for your money. In this article, we are going to show you how to get the best possible bargain.
Leaving Out the Kids
It is so easy to get busy wondering what the adults want and ignore the kids or pay too little attention to their own preferences too. We are going to make sure you avoid such accidents in this article.
No Guarantee
When you chose to use a pizzeria that offers no money back guarantees or any sort of guarantees for that matter, you are setting yourself up for some huge headaches. If the pizzeria are into really serious business, they will offer you guarantees even before you ask for one. So, watch out for guarantees. It’s what separates the chaff from the wheat in planet pizzeria
Not Confirming your Pizza Order
Don’t just hang blindly on guarantees from your local pizzeria after you have made your order. Make several calls to ensure no last minute unforeseen hitches. Even with the pizza delivery in progress, much can still go wrong. Better to keep confirming until the delivery is at your doorbell.
Leaving Out Drinks and Side Snacks
Make sure you make arrangements for all the side attractions that makes for a superb pizza experience. Most pizzerias have them on sale and can be ordered along.
Way Too Early Delivery
Pizza had to land just in time for when it’s needed, preferably while the party is already on. If the pizza comes in too early, you could have your guests nibbling away sullenly at some very cold crusts.
What is the Right Amount of Pizza to Order
So how much pizza do you need to order? Well to answer this, we need to know how many people you’re feeding. Next, you should know the benchmark average of each person’s consumption, which is two and a half slices of pizza.
Always remember that pizza orders are the highest on Saturday nights. If you have an event for a Saturday night you may want to plan for the fact that pizzerias take their highest deliveries on this day.
Now, obviously children eat much less than that, depending on their age. Teenagers eat more than that and, as for young men, they can wolf down a whole pack of pizza if you allow them. Obviously, they would be satisfied with the average number if that’s just what you can afford. After all, there would be lots of other supplementary snacks, too. Pizza, of course, is our main attraction on the menu.
Formula for Total Slices
So, we are settling at the recommended average of two and a half slices per person. Next, how do you work out the right amount of pizza to order? Well, it’s no rocket science actually, and we have a simple yet extremely effective formula you’ll love:
(slices per person) x (total number of people) = (total slices needed)
Formula for Amount of Pizza
Now that you know how many slices are needed, you’d have to convert from slices to whole pizzas. In the pizza world, the general standard for large pizzas is 14 inches, and these are generally cut into eight slices. So, take the total number of slices needed, and divide it by eight
(Total number of slices needed) ÷ 8 = (total amount of pizzas needed)
This simple formula converts total slices into pizzas needed—if it is a fractional number, then always round up to the next whole pizza. However, if math isn’t your thing, then simply memorize the following key points for computing the amount of pizzas you would need.
According to Dominos and Pizza Hut:
- A Small 10-inch pizza is normally cut into six slices and serves two to three people
- A Medium 12-inch pizza is normally cut into eight slices and serves three to four people
- A Large 14-inch pizza is normally cut into eight or 10 slices and serves three to five people
- An Extra Large 16-inch pizza is normally cut into six or 12 slices and serves five to six people
- An 18-inch pizza is normally cut into six or 12 slices and serves six to seven people
The Right Amount of Pizza for 30 People
Now, let’s go further and give an example on how to calculate the amount of pizza to order for 30 people. Using our formula above:
(slices per person) x (total number of people) = (total slices needed)
That would be: 2.5 x 30 = 75 slices all in all.
If we match the total slices needed against available standard sizes, we would have the following:
- For a small 10-inch pizza, cut into six slices. We need 75/6 = 12.5. We would buy 13 pizzas.
- For a medium 12-inch pizza, cut into eight slices. We need 75/8 = 9.35. We would buy nine pizzas.
- For a large 14-inch pizza, cut into 10 slices. We need 75/10 = 7.5. We would buy eight pizzas.
- For an extra large 16-inch pizza, cut into 12 slices. We need 75/12 = 6.25. We would buy six pizzas.
What are the Best Pizza Deals?
There are lots of pizza deals out there, but we’ll focus on the top eight pizzerias because they lead the park, and set the benchmark for all others.
First, keep in mind that most pizzerias give discounts when you buy in bulk. Look for over-the-counter discounts of up to 10 to 25 percent, depending on the pizzeria. You also save extra cash by booking the pizza well ahead of time.
Another cost-saving approach is using coupons. To help you get the best prices, here is a comparison of the prices of the top eight pizzerias in the US.
| Pepperoni Pizza | Cheese Pizza | Veggie Pizza | |
| Pizza Hut | $13.08 | $11.49 | $16.49 |
| Domino’s | $11.99 | $11.99 | $17.00 |
| Papa John’s | $15.80 | $14.05 | $18.50 |
| Little Caesar’s | $5.00 | $5.00 | $10.00 |
| Papa Murphy’s | $11.50 | $10.00 | $14.00 |
| Marco’s Pizza | $12.74 | $10.99 | $17.99 |
| Hungry Howie’s | $11.79 | $10.00 | $17.00 |
| Jet’s Pizza | $14.28 | $12.49 | $17.00 |
One Last Thing to Remember
- Large 14-inch pizzas are the most popular size ordered.
- Almost everyone loves cheese pizza, and will eat it if their primary favorite isn’t available. It helps to order one-third to one-half of your pizzas as plain cheese if you are unable to verify exactly what your guests want upfront.
- Order for extra cheese pizza if you need the pizzas to stay warmer just a bit longer. Cheese is known to keep pizzas warm for a bit longer.
- 62 percent of preferred pizza toppings are meat; with pepperoni comprising 38 percent and sausage representing 14 percent of the top preferred meat toppings, and Mushrooms topping at 11 percent of preferred vegetable toppings.
With all that you’ve learned in this article, we hope that planning your next pizza party will really be a breeze, no matter how many people you are inviting. Now you know how great pizza is for a party menu, and how to get the best pizza deals. Have fun!
