You've probably heard of pub crawls, but what about a pizza crawl? Getting a bunch of people together to sample pizza slices at various restaurants in your town is a fun way to spend an afternoon and evening. To maximize everyone's enjoyment, follow seven strategies to make the crawl a huge success.

Get Enough People Involved

The most convenient way to manage a pizza crawl is to order one pie at each restaurant or place like Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. You'll want to have enough people to consume at least an entire small pizza at each place you go to. And you want to be sure nobody gets so stuffed that they wind up missing out on trying pizza at the last couple of restaurants.

Your group might include several mutual friends, a gathering of work colleagues or an assembly of relatives. 

Determine the Details

Decide how much of the day this pizza crawl will entail and how many restaurants you might expect to go to. Determine how much time you expect to spend at each place. You might figure 60 to 90 minutes for each stop, including travel time. Now you can figure out how large an area you can cover to get to five or seven establishments -- or any number you prefer.

Select the Restaurants

This can be the trickiest part of the planning stage. If your group will include 10 people, for example, it's likely you all have different ideas about which restaurants to go to.

Voting is a democratic way to decide, and holding a lottery is another possibility. A third option would be to use a list compiled by a food critic of the best local pizza restaurants. 

For voting, you might have everyone write the names of different establishments on five pieces of paper and then count up which eateries get the most votes. For a lottery, you'd put all those papers into a box and take turns drawing. 

Check Out Menus Beforehand

Streamline the adventure by deciding beforehand which meal you'll order at each place. Perhaps you'll sample a chef's specialty at each restaurant or something out of the ordinary, such as a pizza with cheesy artichoke sauce or pesto sauce, or one with a gluten-free crust. 

You may like to sample a pizza or two with a pan-style or deep dish crust, but keep in mind that crust is filling. Your group will feel more inclined to keep chowing down if they stick mostly with thin crust versions. 

Map Your Route

Mapping the journey allows you to take the shortest route possible and not have to backtrack. An exception is allowed if a couple of the restaurants don't open until later in the day; not everyone is open for lunch. 

Would your group prefer to walk or are some people willing to drive? Depending on your city, you might be able to trek to all the pizza joints on foot. If you want to go further afield, a couple of individuals might volunteer to act as chauffeurs.

Decide About Drinking Alcohol

A pizza crawl may double as a pub crawl to a certain extent. If driving is involved, at least one person must be a designated driver, even though eating all that food will slow the absorption of alcohol. Protein and fat, such as you consume in meat and cheese, are especially helpful.

Collect Food Payments Ahead of Time

If you tally up an approximate total ahead of time, everyone can chip in an equal amount for the food before you leave. Each person is on their own as far as paying for soft drinks or alcoholic beverages. 

Enjoy!

The trip will be a fun social event. You'll probably learn quite a bit about area restaurants that serve delicious pizza and go to some you've never patronized before. You might sample types of pizza you had never previously tried and discover that you love some of them. All these aspects make a pizza crawl a truly memorable experience.

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