Mount Pleasant pizza businesses prepare for Super Bowl Sunday

Pizza places in Mount Pleasant are preparing to feed the masses Sunday as the biggest football day of the year approaches.

From offering specials to ordering extra inventory, local pizzerias are doing whatever they can to satisfy the expected influx of customers in preparation for Super Bowl Sunday.

At The Grotto, 304 W. Broomfield Road, employee Angie Medford said she usually sees significantly more business around this time of year, most of which stems from deliveries that begin before the Super Bowl starts and continue through the day as people run out of pizza.

“(Customers) usually get a delivery so they don’t miss the game,” Medford said.

To draw in more business, The Grotto will allow customers to pick any of the daily specials they have to apply to their Sunday order.

Other restaurants, such as Bellacino’s Pizza and Grinders, 4152 E. Blue Grass Road, experience a similar boost in customers each year. However, employee Emily Schriber said the pizzeria will not be doing anything different in terms of deals or specials.

Neither will Hungry Howie's, 111 S. Mission St., employee Craig Plesscher said.

“We don’t have any special deal for Sunday in particular,” Plesscher said, explaining that the same weekly deals will continue to be in effect. The restaurant does, however, sometimes have to order extra ingredients in preparation for such a big day.

Jim Jacobs, owner of Pisanello’s Pizza, 110 N. Main St., said Super Bowl Sunday is an extremely busy time for his business.

“I usually have a little bit of extra help,” Jacobs said. “(It’s) usually nothing we can’t handle.”

The pizzeria is most busy from 5 p.m. through 7 p.m., before the game starts, Jacobs said.

After that, customers tend to die down, and late-night business is rare.

Pisanello’s Pizza actually sees more traffic on days like Central Michigan University’s homecoming or other large events in Mount Pleasant, Jacobs said.

Cottage Inn Pizza, 1639 E. Broomfield St., is another restaurant that experiences an influx of customers due to the Super Bowl.

“We had a phenomenal Super Bowl last year,” General Manager Mike Comiskey said. “It turns a Sunday into a Friday.”

Cottage Inn Pizza will also be running its normal weekly specials for the big game, which starts at 6:30 p.m.