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First Post
a day ago
- Business
- First Post
How pizza orders predicted the Israel-Iran conflict
A viral theory is doing the rounds that a spike in pizza deliveries to the Pentagon predicts the next global crisis. A popular account, 'Pentagon Pizza Report,' which documents traffic at pizza delivery outlets in Arlington County, Virginia, where the US military headquarters is based, claimed a surge in pizza orders at three outlets, an hour before Israel struck Iran on Friday read more A theory about the spike in deliveries of pizzas to the United States defence headquarters can predict the next global crisis has become viral. Representational Image/Pixabay When the Pentagon loads up on pizzas, does it signal a war is coming? A theory about the spike in deliveries of pizzas to the United States defence headquarters predicting the next global crisis has become viral. While there is no science behind it, the coincidence is worth noting. Dubbed 'Pizza Index', internet sleuths have delved into the speculations. Let's take a closer look. What is Pentagon Pizza Index? A popular account on X, 'Pentagon Pizza Report,' has been documenting traffic at pizza delivery outlets in Arlington County, Virginia, where US military headquarters is based. The account claimed to offer 'hot intel' and monitor traffic at local pizzerias. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A 'busier than usual' indicator on the Google Maps profile of the Domino's in Arlington has been associated with major acts of war around the world. Did Pizza Index predict Iran-Israel conflict? The Pentagon Pizza Report posted the Google Maps activity of four pizza establishments near the Pentagon – We, The Pizza, District Pizza Palace, Domino's and Extreme Pizza. All these pizza takeaway spots showed a surge in orders around 6:59 pm ET (4:29 am IST). The post said, 'As of 6:59 pm ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity.' This came an hour before Iranian media reported explosions in Tehran. Extreme Pizza, one of the closest pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon, is experiencing a huge surge in activity. District Pizza Palace, a bit farther away, is also experiencing a surge in activity. Both unusual for a Wednesday at around 7:05pm EST — Pentagon Pizza Report (@PenPizzaReport) June 11, 2025 'With about an hour left before close, the second closest Dominos to the Pentagon (about an eight min drive) is experiencing EXTREMELY high levels of traffic compared to a normal Thursday at about 11:00 pm ET (8:30 am),' the account said in one post. Israel said it targeted Iran's nuclear facilities , ballistic missile factories and military commanders on Friday (June 13). Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's leader, Hossein Salami, and the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, General Mohammad Bagheri, were killed in Israeli strikes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US said it was not involved in Israel's attack on Iran. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took 'unilateral action against Iran'. 'We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,' Rubio said in a statement released by the White House. Reacting to the 'pizza index' post, social media users further fuelled the speculation. 'They should really open a secret Dominos inside the building,' a user chimed. 'I feel like this really is telling us there's a panic at these places,' another remarked. Origin of 'Pizza index' Some say the pizza theory dates back to the Cold War, when Soviet intelligence reportedly monitored pizza joints in Washington, DC, to predict American military activity. As per it was called 'Pizzint', meaning pizza intelligence. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, several media outlets reported a surge in pizza sales during notable moments. They dubbed this metric the Pizza Meter. On August 1, 1990, pizza orders reportedly spiked as Saddam Hussein prepared to invade Kuwait the next day. In 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, Frank Meeks, who owned 59 Domino's franchises in the Washington area, claimed his orders spiked every time military action was imminent. In 1998, he told the LA Times, they had a similar surge during Bill Clinton's impeachment hearings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD During Operation Desert Fox in December 1998, 'the White House ordered 32 per cent more extra-cheese pizzas than normal', The Washington Post reported. A former CNN Pentagon correspondent, Wolf Blitzer, once joked in 1990, 'The bottom line for journalists: always keep an eye on the pizzas'. With inputs from agencies
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
How three pizza restaurants predicted Israel's attack on Iran
You can understand why the stress of an all-nighter at the coalface in the Pentagon might lead to an urgent need for carbs, but the next time the world is on the brink of a major conflict, the US Department of Defense might consider sending out for burgers. Their pizza deliveries have become the subject of intense speculation. An account on X, Pentagon Pizza Report, has taken to monitoring the traffic at pizza takeaway spots in Arlington County, Virginia, home of America's military headquarters. And such is the apparent reliability of the so-called 'pizza index', it is now being cited by Open-Source Intelligence sleuths who usually rely on live flight-tracking data, and satellite imagery of troop movements, to spot the early signs of military strikes. On Thursday night, at around 7pm Eastern Standard Time, any establishment slinging dough within three miles of the Pentagon saw a sudden spike in footfall. 'As of 6:59pm ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity.' Only about 10 minutes later, there was a significant drop in footfall in each of these locations. It was as if a gap between meetings had prompted a flurry of takeaway and delivery orders which then tailed off again as work resumed. At 23:55 (by which time most restaurants had closed) one takeaway which stays open until midnight suddenly showed 'busier than usual' activity. 'With minutes left before close District Pizza Palace which is not too far from the Pentagon is experiencing a huge surge in traffic.' Last-minute orders before staff would be forced to resort to whatever was left in the vending machines, perhaps? It's understandable – no one wants a Bounty in a crisis. Five miles away, the Domino's locations near The White House were also experiencing 'above average levels of traffic'. Meanwhile, it was crickets at the local post-work watering holes. Come 10pm and Freddie's Beach Bar, 'the closest gay bar to the Pentagon' had 'abnormally low traffic for a Thursday night. Potentially indicating a busy night at the Pentagon.' And a busy night it was. An hour and a half after the 7pm spike at the pizza restaurants near the Pentagon, explosions were heard in Tehran and Israel's defence minister Israel Katz said the country had launched a 'preemptive strike against Iran.' Asked what 'heads-up' the United States received about the attack, Trump later told the Wall Street Journal: 'Heads-up? It wasn't a heads-up. It was, we know what's going on.' Puerile, perhaps, to use Google's restaurant footfall data to track the ebb and flow of tension in the Pentagon, which houses 24,000 military and civilian employees, and the White House Situation Room, as Israel launched air strikes on Iran. But over the years, pizza delivery patterns in central D.C. have, bizarrely, proven to be an indicator of major geopolitical events. So much so that in an interview in 2010, Wolf Blitzer, who was CNN's military affairs reporter before becoming White House correspondent in 1992, said: 'I always knew there was some sort of crisis going on in the West Wing after hours when I saw the arrival of pizzas. Bottom line for journalists: always monitor the pizzas.' On August 1 1990, pizza orders are said to have spiked as Saddam Hussein prepared to invade Kuwait the following day. When Operation Desert Storm was launched in 1991, Frank Meeks, who owned 59 Domino's franchises in the Washington area, told news outlets his orders soared every time military action was imminent. In 1998, he told the LA Times, there was a similarly busy night during Clinton's impeachment hearings. Meeks claimed that there were telltale signs when a crisis was afoot: the top brass and military analysts took comfort in extra cheese and meat toppings. In December 1998, with Operation Desert Fox (a major bombing campaign against Iraq) underway, 'the White House ordered 32 per cent more extra-cheese pizzas than normal', the Washington Post reported. Meanwhile, some say the pizza theory dates back to the Cold War, when Soviet intelligence services were said to have monitored deliveries, deeming a spike to be a sign the US was on manoeuvres. It sounds far-fetched, although those paying close attention to the recent rising tensions between Israel and Iran may have learned more from monitoring @PenPizzaReport than the X account of US defence journalists. On April 13 2024, there was a spike in traffic at the capital's pizza restaurants shortly after Iran launched drones into Israeli territory. Google says its live charts showing how busy individual restaurants and takeaways are is based on 'aggregated and anonymised data' from the devices of those who share their location history with the search giant. That, in theory, could include both customers picking up their own takeaway orders, and drivers working for food delivery firms. The charts themselves offer little detail about the surge in footfall. Did the military top brass send Pentagon interns out to fetch their pizzas on Thursday night? Or did Uber Eats have a particularly busy evening? The Domino's at 2602 Columbia Pike – the closest to the Pentagon, with a 3.8 rating – is an eight-minute drive away. Faster, you'd imagine, on a delivery bike, and a good 50-minute walk. You can't keep the generals waiting for their potato wedges. Who knows what button they might press when they're hangry. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
a day ago
- General
- Telegraph
How three pizza restaurants predicted Israel's attack on Iran
You can understand why the stress of an all-nighter at the coalface in the Pentagon might lead to an urgent need for carbs, but the next time the world is on the brink of a major conflict, the US Department of Defense might consider sending out for burgers. Their pizza deliveries have become the subject of intense speculation. An account on X, Pentagon Pizza Report, has taken to monitoring the traffic at pizza takeaway spots in Arlington County, Virginia, home of America's military headquarters. And such is the apparent reliability of the so-called 'pizza index', it is now being cited by Open-Source Intelligence sleuths who usually rely on live flight-tracking data, and satellite imagery of troop movements, to spot the early signs of military strikes. On Thursday night, at around 7pm Eastern Standard Time, any establishment slinging dough within three miles of the Pentagon saw a sudden spike in footfall. 'As of 6:59pm ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity.' Only about 10 minutes later, there was a significant drop in footfall in each of these locations. It was as if a gap between meetings had prompted a flurry of takeaway and delivery orders which then tailed off again as work resumed. At 23:55 (by which time most restaurants had closed) one takeaway which stays open until midnight suddenly showed 'busier than usual' activity. 'With minutes left before close District Pizza Palace which is not too far from the Pentagon is experiencing a huge surge in traffic.' Last-minute orders before staff would be forced to resort to whatever was left in the vending machines, perhaps? It's understandable – no one wants a Bounty in a crisis. Five miles away, the Domino's locations near The White House were also experiencing 'above average levels of traffic'. Meanwhile, it was crickets at the local post-work watering holes. Come 10pm and Freddie's Beach Bar, 'the closest gay bar to the Pentagon' had 'abnormally low traffic for a Thursday night. Potentially indicating a busy night at the Pentagon.' And a busy night it was. An hour and a half after the 7pm spike at the pizza restaurants near the Pentagon, explosions were heard in Tehran and Israel's defence minister Israel Katz said the country had launched a ' preemptive strike against Iran.' Asked what 'heads-up' the United States received about the attack, Trump later told the Wall Street Journal: 'Heads-up? It wasn't a heads-up. It was, we know what's going on.' Puerile, perhaps, to use Google's restaurant footfall data to track the ebb and flow of tension in the Pentagon, which houses 24,000 military and civilian employees, and the White House Situation Room, as Israel launched air strikes on Iran. But over the years, pizza delivery patterns in central D.C. have, bizarrely, proven to be an indicator of major geopolitical events. So much so that in an interview in 2010, Wolf Blitzer, who was CNN's military affairs reporter before becoming White House correspondent in 1992, said: 'I always knew there was some sort of crisis going on in the West Wing after hours when I saw the arrival of pizzas. Bottom line for journalists: always monitor the pizzas.' On August 1 1990, pizza orders are said to have spiked as Saddam Hussein prepared to invade Kuwait the following day. When Operation Desert Storm was launched in 1991, Frank Meeks, who owned 59 Domino's franchises in the Washington area, told news outlets his orders soared every time military action was imminent. In 1998, he told the LA Times, there was a similarly busy night during Clinton's impeachment hearings. Meeks claimed that there were telltale signs when a crisis was afoot: the top brass and military analysts took comfort in extra cheese and meat toppings. In December 1998, with Operation Desert Fox (a major bombing campaign against Iraq) underway, 'the White House ordered 32 per cent more extra-cheese pizzas than normal', the Washington Post reported. Meanwhile, some say the pizza theory dates back to the Cold War, when Soviet intelligence services were said to have monitored deliveries, deeming a spike to be a sign the US was on manoeuvres. It sounds far-fetched, although those paying close attention to the recent rising tensions between Israel and Ira n may have learned more from monitoring @PenPizzaReport than the X account of US defence journalists. On April 13 2024, there was a spike in traffic at the capital's pizza restaurants shortly after Iran launched drones into Israeli territory. Google says its live charts showing how busy individual restaurants and takeaways are is based on 'aggregated and anonymised data' from the devices of those who share their location history with the search giant. That, in theory, could include both customers picking up their own takeaway orders, and drivers working for food delivery firms. With less than 8 minutes left to closing time, this Dominos continues to experience very high levels of activity. — Pentagon Pizza Report (@PenPizzaReport) June 13, 2025 The charts themselves offer little detail about the surge in footfall. Did the military top brass send Pentagon interns out to fetch their pizzas on Thursday night? Or did Uber Eats have a particularly busy evening? The Domino's at 2602 Columbia Pike – the closest to the Pentagon, with a 3.8 rating – is an eight-minute drive away. Faster, you'd imagine, on a delivery bike, and a good 50-minute walk. You can't keep the generals waiting for their potato wedges. Who knows what button they might press when they're hangry.
