As footy fans gear up for the biggest weekend of the year, so too are the nation’s fast-food operators. But it should come as no surprise that AFL Grand Final weekend is a boom to the domestic market.

Overseas, the success of the Superbowl generates an enormous jump in fast-food expenditure, with more than 12.5 million pizzas and 1.33 billion chicken wings sold on Superbowl Sunday.

In fact, the US arm of global franchise Pizza Hut revealed in January that it expects to hire an additional 11,000 employees in time for the annual showdown.

While the AFL has yet to reach to lofty standards set by its US counterpart, fast-food operators are predicting this year’s festivities will be the biggest in recent history.

The implementation of delivery platforms, including the high-profile arrival of US giant DoorDash in Melbourne have made outlets more accessible for at-home consumers. The result is likely to see the number of orders placed this weekend far exceed those seen in previous years.

Damian Hopper, director of Melbourne-based franchise Bubba Pizza said across Victoria, fast-food chains are already preparing for the influx of new business.

“We know what to expect this weekend, and we’re anticipating we will cook more than 7,500 pizzas, with the most popular order expected to once again be the humble ham and pineapple pizza,” he said.

“Our stores are fully stocked and ready for a busy weekend which will include around 800kgs of tomato sauce and more than 1,800kg of cheese – the equivalent of 20 AFL players.”

Fast food franchise growth

Hopper revealed that Bubba Pizza’s Grand Final preparation was the perfect lead into the oncoming holiday season, providing franchisees with a preview of things to come.

“The spike in sales on grand final day is a great way to motivate franchisees coming into the silly season,” he said.

“Sales generally lift when the warmer weather comes out and grand final day is a great chance to test the franchisees and their teams to handle the busy periods. Busy periods like the Grand Final are an opportunity for the franchisees to push boundaries and grow their business.”

In order to help its franchisees make the most of the occasion, the chain is evening wading into new territory, unveiling an innovative Bubba Pizza Grand Final promotion.

Bubba Pizza Grand Final promotion

Designed not only to cater to the booming Grand Final Saturday crowd, but also the sore and sorry party-goers on Sunday, Hopper revealed the chain’s new ‘hangover cure’.

“Grand Final weekend is a Melbourne institution, and part of that includes a sore head come Sunday. To prepare for what I like to call Grand Hangover Day, Bubba Pizza is this year offering to deliver free cold pizza across Victoria to help make hangovers a little better,” Hopper said.

The new Bubba Pizza Grand Final special will see pizzas prepared hot on Saturday and refrigerated overnight. The cold pizzas will then be delivered for free to participating customers the following day.

The Bubba Pizza Grand Final promotion is a quirky and innovative take on the iconic Melbourne event, but Hopper believes the campaign has merit for Bubba franchisees.

“The cold pizza idea has been developed by our chefs to make sure franchisees get the pizza to customers while it’s still fresh and delicious,” he said.

“Franchisees understand the need to be different from their competitors so they have fully embraced the campaigns. They have seen the results of creating unique offerings and standing out in the market, which makes them more eager to participate in the future.”

Bubba Pizza’s Grand Final special kicks off this weekend to coincide with Saturday’s battle between AFL teams Richmond and Greater Western Sydney.