The Domino's Theory

 

   I love pizza. It is the truth. There have been days I had pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is the universal food. However, would you believe me if I said pizza once helped uncover a conspiracy? Because that did happen not too long ago.
   In Washington D.C., capital of the United States of America, policy is heavily debated. Between domestic and foreign affairs, things of defense or economics, you name it. However, all that government work leaves one famished, and what is the number one food ordered by the U.S. government? Domino's Pizza.

Was this article created as an excuse to look at pictures of pizza? Possibly.

   There are a few Domino's lying around Washington D.C. and, in the early 90s, most of those were operated by one franchise owner: Frank Meeks. Meeks and his Foggy Bottom shop would become famous for some of the dealings they had with the government. According to the workers of these franchises, the State Department tends to order dozens of pizzas with a wide assortment of toppings, while the Pentagon is more decisive, either going all pepperoni or the whole works. Meeks' Domino's stores were a hit in a town that was tough on delivery food. With the high rent of the city, restaurants found it difficult to make money in the capital. However, pizza was a success because of its late night delivery and ability to feed a whole room. With government bureaucrats working late nights, pizza was the savior they needed.
   This is where the conspiracy came in. As stated before, Meeks' Domino's franchise had the government pizza orders tracked and down to a science. So in 1991, on a late Wednesday night of January 16th, Meeks noticed a sharp uptick in pizza orders coming from the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department. Orders were through the roof, with nearly 50 pies going to each location.

A study done in 2003 revealed that veggie pizza was preferred by the White House while the Pentagon enjoyed classic pepperoni.

   As stated before, Meeks kept a close eye on his stores and the orders he received. As the man himself said that night, "I don't think they're sitting around watching Redskins reruns." He had seen this previously years before, right before both invasions of Grenada and Panama. Instantly, Meeks knew something was up.
   War was coming.
   Meeks picked up the phone and gave a tip to all news media he could, saying that it could be mere hours before something big came around. Sure enough, later that day, bombs began to fall on Iraq and the Persian Gulf War had started.
   Does this prove some deep rooted conspiracy? Does this mean pizza is our savior and protector from the big scary government? I do not think so, but it is an interesting story of how staying vigilant can give you a serious heads up on the world.