Pizza Intelligence: An Update

From "The OPSEC Indicator", Fall 1991

note: The following is a well-worn urban legend, but illustrates a good point. This page analyzes the story.

Earlier this year [1991], we reported that Domino's Pizza claims it can predict when the government is about to undertake some sort of major activity based upon the increase in pizza deliveries to the Pentagon and the White House. Pizza orders increased substantially just prior to troop deployments to Grenada, Panama, and the Middle East.

According to The Washington Times of August 21, 1991, during the early hours of the abortive Kremlin coup in August, Domino's "Pizza Meter" registered 102 deliveries to the Pentagon, breaking the Gulf War record by one; the White House ordered 52 pizzas, breaking its Gulf War record by seven.

The CIA, by contrast, learned its OPSEC lesson: There were only two orders, and they were quickly cancelled.

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