Pentagon Pizza Meter
The Pentagon pizza theory refers to a viral observation of sudden spikes in fast food orders near U.S. government department buildings such as The Pentagon, CIA, Central Command and the White House immediately prior to the announcement of a major international crisis.[1]
The theory, also known as the Pentagon Pizza Meter, was originally created by Soviet intelligence operatives during the Cold War, who coined the term "Pizzint" (Pizza Intelligence) to foresee surges in food deliveries to government buildings as early warning signals for American military actions.[2]
Background
[edit]During the Cold War, Soviet intelligence operatives used pizza delivery observations as a form of open-source intelligence.
In 1990, the theory entered the public eye when Frank Meeks, a Domino's franchisee in Washington, told the Los Angeles Times about an observation of extraordinary late-night deliveries to the Pentagon, CIA and the White House. Meeks had noted that on August 1, the CIA had ordered a one-night record of 21 pizzas, and the following day Iraq invaded Kuwait, starting the Gulf War.[3] At first, Meeks thought it was a coincidence but observed a similar surge in deliveries in December 1998 during the impeachment hearings of Bill Clinton.[4] In response, Wolf Blitzer, CNN's Pentagon correspondent at the time, remarked "Bottom line for journalists: Always monitor the pizzas".[5]
In August 2024, an X account was created known as the "Pentagon Pizza Report" which monitors open-source data of fast food orders and local bar footfall around the Pentagon.[6]
Timeline
[edit]In 1983 and 1989, spikes of pizza orders to the Pentagon were noted the night before the U.S. military invasions of Grenada and Panama.[6]
On August 1, 1990, the CIA ordered 21 pizzas in a single night prior to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait the following morning, which kickstarted the Gulf War. Pizza orders in the Washington area also soared prior to the launch of Operation Desert Storm in 1991.[1]
In January 1998, immediately after the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal made headlines, the White House placed $2,600 in orders to Domino's across three days.[7] On December 1998, during the impeachment hearings of Bill Clinton and launch of Operation Desert Fox in Iraq, the White House ordered "32 percent more extra-cheese pizzas than normal", with $11,600 worth of orders in Capitol Hill.[7][1]
On April 13, 2024, unusually high activity at a Papa John's in Washington D.C. coincided with Iran's launch of drones into Israeli territory.[8]
On June 12, 2025, at 7 p.m. EDT, the "Pentagon Pizza Report" account noted a "huge surge in activity" in orders at the District Pizza Palace, which is two miles away from the Pentagon. At 8 p.m. EDT, Israel conducted a bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a war between the two countries.[9][10]
Counter arguments
[edit]Zenobia Homan, a senior researcher at the King's College London Centre for Science and Security Studies, responded to the theory with skepticism, pointing out the potential for confirmation bias. Homan stated "I'm not saying [the theory is] wrong, but I want to see way more data. When else do spikes occur? How often do they have absolutely nothing to do with geopolitics?".[9]
In 2025, the Department of Defense responded to the theory, denying that they track how Pentagon employees choose to obtain snacks, and pointing out the food vendor concession in the Pentagon that is available to late-night workers.[11][12]
See also
[edit]- Waffle House Index – Informal metric to rate disaster severity
- Big Mac Index – Economic index published by The Economist
- Pizza Principle – Comparison between the cost of a slice of pizza and a subway ride in New York City
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Steafel, Eleanor (2025-06-13). "How three pizza restaurants predicted Israel's attack on Iran". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "Pentagon's secret "pizza meter" accurately predicted 21 global crises since 1983". World Day. 2025-06-12. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ "Article clipped from The Los Angeles Times". The Los Angeles Times. 1991-01-16. p. 172. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Mouriquand, David. "What is the Pentagon Pizza theory eating away at the internet?". Euronews. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Miller, Matt (2016-07-29). "What Can Pizza Tell Us About Ourselves?". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ a b France-Press, Agence (2025-06-13). "Pentagon pizza monitor predicted 'busy night' ahead of Israel's attack on Iran". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ a b Schafer, Sarah (1998-12-19). "With Capital in Panic, Pizza Deliveries Soar". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Cañas, Alejandro; Nelson, David (2024-04-16). "What is the Pizza Meter? The signal that spiked on Saturday during Iran's attack on Israel". AS USA. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ a b Hogan, Fintan (2025-06-16). "How to predict a global crisis: Pentagon pizza orders surge". The Times. Archived from the original on 2025-06-17. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Kochi, Sudiksha (2025-06-16). "Pentagon pizza account reported high activity before Israel's attack on Iran". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Bickerton, James (2025-06-14). "Pentagon pizza monitor appeared to predict Israel attack". Newsweek. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
- ^ Murphy, Aislinn (2025-06-18). "Pentagon pizza theory resurfaces during Israel-Iran conflict as social media tracks orders". FOXBusiness. Retrieved 2025-06-20.