By DAWNE LEIKER

dleiker@dailynews.net

Football fans have two complicated decisions to make this weekend: What team should they cheer on to Super Bowl victory and what should they eat while doing it?

More than 48 million people will order takeout or delivery this weekend according to the National Restaurant Association, and although Super Bowl Sunday might not be the biggest day of the year for pizza sales, it's always in the top five.

Locally, pizza delivery restaurants are gearing up for the big day by adding extra staff and preparation time.

The weekend marks the first pizza delivery weekend for Casey's General Store, 1301 Canterbury, with delivery service being offered only since Wednesday.

Manager Casey Carter, who has scheduled four delivery drivers for tonight, said she imagines it will be a busier Super Bowl than the business has experienced in past years.

"People would rather have you bring it (the pizza) to them than to have to leave the house," she said.

At pizza restaurants all over town, extra crew members will be on hand to meet the increased demand. Staffing at Domino's Pizza will be doubled tonight.

"We know when the commercial breaks are," said manager Jeff Wildermuth. "That's when everyone calls."

Due to the addition of many new products, Wildermuth said he wasn't sure what the restaurant's biggest seller might be tonight, although chicken wings have outpaced pizzas at other Domino's stores he has managed.

A National Restaurant Association survey said wings might be the second most popular Super Bowl snack, falling behind salsa, dips and spreads. However, 1.25 billion wings are estimated to be consumed on Super Bowl Sunday. Enough, if laid end to end, to circle the entire circumference of the earth more than twice.

Extended waiting for delivery shouldn't be an issue at local pizza places. Local managers all agreed extra staff would help ensure the pizzas go out on time.

It's a night many drivers look forward to working, Wildermuth said.

"They make more money because they make more deliveries," he said. "That's a big incentive, especially for delivery drivers."

Dough preparations for Papa Murphy's got under way Thursday night, in anticipation of the big weekend. Extra staff will be on hand to sell more than double the amount of pizzas served on a typical Sunday.

Although there's a national Papa Murphy's special for cheese pizzas under way, Manager Kelli Goebel said she thinks many football fans will not forget their favorite five-meat pizza.

"Usually, if it's men and football, it's a big meat pizza," she said. "That one's really popular on Super Bowl (Sunday)."

Pizza Hut Manager Alisa Bohrer said she anticipates selling a lot of large hand-tossed supreme and meatlover's pizzas, while Gambino's Manager Jana Herdman said she imagines many will take advantage of their buy two large pizzas, get one free deal.

Herdman said she had no idea why people consume so much pizza during the Super Bowl.

"I don't watch the Super Bowl," she said, laughing. "And personally, I'm in the pizza restaurant every day, so I would probably have chips and dip."

Snacks aren't the only economic boon generated by the Super Bowl. According to statistics released by Nielsen, consumers will drink billions of servings of beer at home during the Super Bowl. Grocery retailers alone sell approximately 17 million cases in the two weeks surrounding the Super Bowl.

This weekend marks the first Super Bowl Sunday that pre-packaged beer sales are allowed within the unincorporated area of Ellis County.

Since the county passed a resolution that went into effect Dec. 13 to allow pre-packaged malt beverage sales, El Charro Convenience Store, 2020 E. Eighth, has been selling beer on Sundays.

Sunday sales for the convenience store have been "pretty good," said owner Sue Dolezal. And, although the sales haven't been the "boom we thought it might be ... compared to zero (sales), they're much better."