6 Greatest Pizza Records

There are recognized world records for the weirdest type of achievements, though none is more impressive those records attributed to the fine art of pizza making. Speed records, size records, and even height records are all included under the category of “Pizza,” and while it may seem weird to you and I, you can bet these pizza freaks take it very, very seriously.

World’s Fastest Pizza Maker: Although the record changes hand from year to year, the distinction of World’s Fastest Pizza Maker belongs to pizzaiuolo Joe Carlucci, a pizza acrobat and restaurateur. In 2011, Joe Carlucci, who operates out of Famous Joe’s Pizza in Danbury, CT, won the title after making pizzas out of five eight ounce balls of dough in 31.3 seconds.

Not only does Carlucci hold the second place record for Longest Pizza Stretch, he also holds a record for Highest Pizza Toss (21.5 feet). Add this onto his Best Gourmet Pizza awards in Ohio and Connecticut, and you have a man who clearly knows how to make a freakin’ pizza. (Link)

World’s Largest Pizza: The largest pizza in the world isn’t found in Italy, the birthplace of the modern pie, or even America, the land of obesity. No, it’s found in Norwood, South Africa.

In 1990, the Norwood Hypermarket created an awe-inspiring pizza pie. It measured in at 122 feet, 8 inches in diameter; 9,920 pounds of flour; 198 pounds of salt; 3,968 pounds of cheese; and 1,984 pounds of tomato puree. To put that in perspective, that’s almost five tons of flour alone. That’s more than twice the weight of a Ford F-150 pickup truck.

This record beat out a record set by Pizza Hut Singapore five months prior, which was 11.5 feet shorter than Norwood’s super pizza. (Link)

World’s Longest Delivery: For most delivery drivers, any delivery outside of three miles is a huge hassle. They’re rarely worth the tip (if they even get one), and all it does is take time away from taking more deliveries. Imagine how they would feel if they had to go almost 7,000 miles to deliver a pie.

The longest pizza delivery to date comes courtesy of Bernard Jordaan of Butler’s Pizza in Capetown, South Africa. On March 22^nd, 2001, Jordaan hand-delivered a pizza to Corne Krige in Sydney, Australia. Krige was captain of the Fedsure Stormers rugby team at the time, meaning Jordaan better have gotten a decent tip for his 6,861 mile trek. (Link)

World’s Largest Pizza Order: It’s not uncommon for pizza delivery joints, especially the Big 3 – Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Papa John’s – to take large orders. These typically go to businesses or are for special events, and the number of pizzas ordered can be incredibly, requiring the staff to come in early to prepare, as well as numerous drivers.

Psh, child’s play. Just ask Little Caesar’s, who once made and delivered 13,386 pizzas for VF Corporation of Greensboro, North Carolina on August 19, 1998. The pizzas went out to over 40,000 employees at 180 locations across the United States, with each store contributing about 75 pizzas each.

Little Caesar’s is known strictly as a carry-out joint now, but they can rest assured that their record is safe. (Link)

Most Pizza Made in One Hour: Pizza aficionados sure love their records. In 2011, Brian Edler, a Domino’s Pizza franchisee from Findlay, Ohio made a record-breaking 206 medium cheese pizzas in one hour, shattering the previous record of 168, made by Food Network host Bob Blumer.

An accomplished pizza maker for the past twenty-eight years, Edler trained for three months to break this record in honor of Domino’s 50^th anniversary. Prior to this he has won numerous distinctions, including World’s Fastest Pizza Maker in national and international competitions. (Link)

Most Pizza Made in One Day by a Team: Although not officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, a team of 85 individuals, lead by California-based Domino’s franchisee Bob Leikam made 6,838 pizzas in twenty-four hours.

While South Africa may have pizza size locked up, it’s clear Domino’s, which has numerous records under its belt, is the king of pizza speed. (Link)