Did you know that Americans eat the equivalent of around 100 acres of pizza daily — working out to approximately 350 slices per second? That’s a whole lot of pizza to chow down!
Considering that around nine in 10 Americans consume pizza at least once per month, you can appreciate how much people enjoy tucking into different variations of the popular food. Anyone who doesn’t already like pizza probably hasn’t had the right combination of ingredients.
But you can fix all of that. If you love having people over for good company and great food, why not plan a pizza party? You can make things even more enjoyable by getting an outdoor pizza oven. You’ll get a pizzeria-style pizza cooked faster than you can in a regular kitchen oven. That means your hungry guests won’t have to wait long to sink their teeth into some delicious pizza.
If you want your next party to be an outdoor or indoor pizza party, here are five tips for planning a great event that makes you the talk of the town for all the right reasons.
1. Plan the Menu
Planning the pizza menu is a must. If you want to keep things simple, set up a table on the patio deck with ingredients for pepperoni pizzas, cheese pizzas, or veggie pizzas. But depending on your guests and their palettes, you might want to offer a wide variety of toppings so people can create their perfect pizza.
2. Organize Pizza-Making Station
If you’re hosting a pizza party outdoors, set up an area where your guests can create their pizzas. Ensure the pizza-making station is set up logically so people can work their way around the pizza-making station to choose their pizza dough, tomato sauce, cheese, and other toppings. If the event is indoors, you can set up the pizza-making station on the counter or the kitchen table.
There should also be room for people to roll out the pizza dough. Using a pizza oven will allow your pizza party to flow more smoothly. You won’t have to go inside the kitchen to bake the pizzas, and your guests won’t have to wait more than a few minutes for their pizzas to bake.
The last thing you need is a bunch of hungry people waiting restlessly to bake their pizzas. An outdoor pizza oven is a great piece of equipment for any pizza party.
3. Plan Drink Selection
Ensure you have a good variety of drinks to accompany the mouth-watering pizza. In addition to water, soda, and fruit juice, you might want wine and craft beer for the adults in attendance. The beverages should complement the pizza so your guests enjoy the party even more.
4. Get People In the Mood
You’ll want to ensure the atmosphere gets people in the mood for socializing, eating, and celebrating. Consider the space and go from there. You can set up lighting, such as string lights or mood lights if the party is in the backyard or on the back deck. You can also set up small tables on the lawn to create an outdoor pizzeria space. Creating a playlist to play tunes during the pizza party is also a good idea.
5. Provide Takeout Boxes
Offer guests take-home boxes so they can take home some pizza and other treats after the party has wrapped up. Doing so is not just great for your guests — it’s also a good idea if you want to cut down on food waste. It’s never appropriate to let good food go to waste.
These five tips will help you plan a great pizza party for your guests. You might also want to ask people on your invite list what types of toppings they like and don’t like. Getting their feedback on the playlist also makes sense. Planned and executed correctly, you and your guests can enjoy a pizza party like none other.