What's The 'Pizza Meter' And How Did It Become A Meme? The Pentagon Pizza Orders Conspiracy Theory Explained

The bigger the crisis and the more time government staffers are stuck in their offices, the more pizza they eat. At least that's what the internet thinks according to the "Pizza Meter" theory, which some believe could even predict the beginning of a possible World War III.

The relatively old conspiracy theory resurfaced in early August this year after X user @RealBenGeller tweeted about the Pizza Meter being "off the charts" and the “bars” in Washington, D.C. being empty, sparking more predictions of a possible war or alarming controversy building inside the U.S. government.

How could pizza deliveries indicate a possible threat of war? Allow us to explain!

What Is The Pizza Meter Theory?

The Pizza Meter, also known as the Pentagon Pizza Orders Theory, is a theory proposing that upticks in pizza orders received by restaurants near the Pentagon can predict international conflicts and times of crisis in the U.S. government. The concept originated in the early 1990s after a Domino's Pizza franchise owner in Northern Virginia near the Pentagon named Frank Meeks, told newspapers that before major national security events, he saw a noticeable uptick in business.

Since Meeks's analysis went public with the Pizza Meter theory, the U.S. government has stopped ordering large amounts of pizza from a single store, picking new places across the region and sending people to pick up orders.

How Did The Pizza Meter Theory Went Viral?

The Pizza Meter theory has been mentioned across multiple social media platforms over the years, but TikTokers seemed to have picked an extra interest in the conspiracy theory in the recent 2020s. For example, in April 2024 TikTok user @the.law.says.what made a video explaining the theory, which quickly went viral and inspired awareness of the concept.

Can The 'Pizza Meter' Predict A Possible World War III?

The Pizza Meter might not be the best compass to predict a war, however, according to an article posted by The U.S. Sun, just before the Gulf War, "pizza orders from the White House surged from under 50 to 125 a day." Although it's hard to tell if the Pentagon pizza orders are accurate nowadays, the internet is having a lot of fun doing POV memes about Papa John's and other pizza stores receiving large amounts of orders from U.S. government staffers, like TikToker @wilsonwhisk's video using a Breaking Bad clip.

For the full history of Pizza Meter, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.