BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Pizzerias across Western New York have been hard at work getting ready for Super Bowl Sunday.
“We’ve had more pre-orders today than we ever have,” Marketing Director for Franco’s Pizza Walter Smietana said.
Smietana said he has been pleasantly surprised with business this year.
“We are ahead of our trends for normal Super Bowl’s, considering the two teams,” Smietana said.
He said they have a 100% increase in wing sales, selling 40,000 across five stores on Super Bowl Sundays.
Jenna Pantano from La Nova said wings are their big seller too.
“We will sell over 40,000 wings today,” Smietana said.
“We have about 3,000 to 5000 pounds of chicken wings we go through,” Pantano said.
Pantano said they have been prepping for Super Bowl Sunday for three weeks and will sell at least 1000 pizzas.
“Prepping is just really the main thing for today,” Pantano said. “90 bins of sauce, 80 bins of cheese.”
But not only have pizzerias across Western New York been preparing for the Super Bowl, but they’ve also been gearing up for Valentine’s Day on Monday.
“The intensity will be very similar as today, but it is going to be revealing around the heart shaped pizza instead of chicken wings.”
Both La Nova and Franco’s have to plan differently this year. Smietana said typically, Valentine’s Day does not fall the day after the Super Bowl.
“Once we’re done with Super Bowl, we start winding down and making our dough.”
“We are going to plan normal Valentine’s Day and we are going to get those heart shaped pizzas ready.”
Both restaurants expect to sell hundreds or thousands of heart shaped pizzas, and said they are thankful for the staff that helps them do so.
“The whole store is really in here just working hard.”
Franco’s and La Nova suggest ordering ahead for Valentine’s Day.
