Popular Michigan food

Pizza, pipelines, and football

Feb. 21, 2024

If there’s one thing that Michiganders know well, it’s pizza.

Arguably, many say the best is the “Detroit-style” pie. It’s known for its iconic square shape and crunchy, cheesy corner slices. Others say what distinguishes it from other pies is the unique layering—rivaling Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. 

Did you know during the recent Super Bowl, the U.S. consumed approximately 25 million pounds of pizza?

Here are some more eye-popping numbers to consider:

• Every Super Bowl Sunday for the last few years, football fans across the U.S. ordered approximately 12.5 million pizzas, according to the American Pizza Community (APC). 
• Every second in the U.S., people consume 350 slices of pizza.
• In 2023, Americans ate 29,000 tons of pizza, according to Slice, a pizza delivery app used by 20,000 independent pizzerias.

Coming faster than a football with a tight spiral, most orders hit about one hour before kickoff, according to the American Pizza Community, a coalition composed of the nation’s largest pizza companies, small business franchise owners, suppliers and others.

“If you watched the big game, you know that the teams had a playbook, and so does Enbridge Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac,” said Anna Mooney, a Government Affairs manager for Enbridge.

 

“We have a robust inspection and maintenance program for Line 5, which keeps us responsive to meeting the needs of Michiganders and the region.”

—Anna Mooney, an Enbridge government relations manager, shown here with daughters Margo and Elizabeth during festivities in Marquette

In the game

Line 5 transports safely each day the light crude oil that area refineries use to make the fuel that helps keep the trucks on the move to deliver the pizza ingredients, equipment and utensils. The vehicle delivering the pizza also relies on Line 5 for its transportation fuel. Additionally, the vehicles themselves are manufactured in part because of product transported from Line 5.

“In addition to helping satisfy the appetite for pizza, Line 5 played a prominent role in the big game itself,” said Mooney.

“Viewers didn’t see Line 5 on the field, though the fruits of our labor to keep it operating safely were there. The footballs, cleats, helmets, first aid kits, and various pieces of equipment are manufactured using product transported through Line 5. Overall, there are more than 6,000 products that come from what the Line 5 pipeline carries, from medicines, to eyewear and kayaks.”

Michiganders are no strangers to pizza’s allure.

Domino’s (Ypsilanti), Hungry Howie’s (Taylor), Jet’s Pizza (Sterling Heights) and Little Caesars (Garden City) all started in Michigan. Each has expanded into a national or regional chain.

While Feb. 9 marks National Pizza Day every year, pizza fanatics celebrate the tasty pie all month long. For additional information on one of America’s favorite foods, visit: the American Pizza Community website.