Pentagon Pizza tracker: Can late-night orders predict war and why it's trending amid Israel-Iran conflict
Also Read: 'Papa Johns still reporting...'; Pentagon Pizza tracker drops new hint as Iran's bombs US airbases in Qatar
The origins of the Pentagon Pizza Theory actually trace back to the Cold War era. Soviet spies are said to have closely monitored late-night pizza deliveries in Washington, interpreting these unusual orders as signs of heightened military activity. They even gave it a name: Pizzint, a portmanteau of "pizza" and 'intelligence,' as reported by Business Standard.
The idea was that large, unexpected surges in pizza orders could signal moments of increased military readiness. Over time, this quirky form of intelligence gathering morphed into a more widely discussed theory, particularly when high-profile events like the Iraq-Kuwait invasion seemed to coincide with pizza delivery spikes. Does the Pentagon Pizza Theory really predict wars?
The theory was first introduced in August 1990 by Frank Meeks, a Domino's franchisee in Washington, who noticed a significant spike in pizza orders to CIA buildings. The very next day, news broke of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
In another incident, in December 1998, Frank Meeks once again observed an eerie pattern of increased pizza deliveries to Washington, DC, coinciding with President Bill Clinton's impeachment hearings. While this theory has never been officially recognized or tracked by intelligence agencies, it continues to resurface on the internet, as reported by Slurrp.
Also Read: What is 'Operation Herald of Victory'? Iran escalates Middle East crisis by bombing US military bases in Qatar Did Pentagon Pizza Theory predict the Israel-Iran war?
On the evening of June 12, reports surfaced of an unusual spike in pizza deliveries near the Pentagon, the five-sided headquarters of the US Department of Defense. This sudden increase in orders caught some observers' attention, as Business Standard reported.
According to the X account, Pentagon Pizza Report, four pizzerias—We, The Pizza, Domino's, District Pizza Palace, and Extreme Pizza—experienced a notable surge in orders just before 7 pm ET. The account's post read, 'As of 6:59 pm ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity,' along with graphs indicating the surge.
Later, it was reported that Israel launched a surprise military operation targeting nuclear and missile facilities in Iran. The account shared another report and wrote, 'With about an hour left before close, the 2nd closest Dominos to the Pentagon (about 8 min drive) is experiencing EXTREMELY high levels of traffic compared to a normal Thursday at about 11:00 pm ET.'
The timing of the spike reignited speculation that sudden pizza surges near US military hubs may hint at impending geopolitical crises.
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