Today, ordering dinner can be as simple as tapping a few buttons, checking the ETA, and waiting for the doorbell. Search “delivery near me,” pick your favorites, and dinner is officially taken care of. Pretty convenient, right?
But food delivery is hardly a modern invention. Long before smartphones, delivery apps, and those wonderfully satisfying “your order is on the way” notifications, people were figuring out how to get prepared food from one place to another.
And believe it or not, pizza has been part of that story for a very long time.
The First Pizza Delivery May Have Been Fit for a Queen
One of the most famous stories in pizza history takes us back to Naples in 1889.
According to the commonly told account, Italian King Umberto I and Queen Margherita were visiting Naples and wanted to try the local pizza. Rather than heading into a busy pizzeria, pizza maker Raffaele Esposito was asked to prepare and deliver pies to the royal couple. One of those pizzas featured tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, representing the colors of the Italian flag. It eventually became known as the Margherita pizza.
So, technically, one of the earliest pizza delivery customers was royalty. Not a bad start.
Of course, we should probably point out that historians debate some of the details surrounding the story. The royal pizza tale has become a beloved part of pizza folklore, but food delivery itself has much deeper and more complicated roots around the world. Either way, somebody figured out a long time ago that sometimes the best meal is the one that comes to you.
Food Delivery Was Happening Long Before Your Phone
Pizza gets plenty of attention, but it was far from the only food being delivered.
In India, the famous dabbawala system emerged in the late 19th century, creating an organized way to transport home cooked meals to workers. Lunches were collected, transported, and delivered to people at work, creating a remarkably efficient food delivery network.
Fast forward to the early 20th century, and prepared food delivery continued evolving. By the 1920s, telephone based food delivery was appearing in the United States, giving hungry customers another way to get meals without heading out themselves.
The technology changed. The basic idea did not. People like good food. People also like convenience. Honestly, some things never change.
Then Pizza Delivery Took Off
The post-World War II era helped pizza become increasingly popular throughout the United States. As pizzerias expanded and Americans became more accustomed to takeout and convenient meals, pizza became a natural fit for delivery.
Then came the 1960s.
Pizza businesses began putting more emphasis on organized delivery, and companies such as Domino’s helped turn pizza delivery into a major part of the American restaurant experience. Suddenly, pizza did not require a reservation. It did not require dressing up. It did not even require pants. Okay, technically, pants are still recommended. But you get the idea.
From Phone Calls to “Where’s My Order?”
For decades, ordering delivery meant picking up the telephone.
You called the restaurant, gave someone your order and address. You probably repeated your order at least once. Then you waited.
Today, the process is considerably different.
Online ordering has transformed the way customers interact with restaurants. Pizza Hut introduced one of the early web-based pizza ordering platforms in the 1990s, helping set the stage for the online ordering systems customers use today. Now you can browse a menu, customize an order, pay online, and track your delivery without having an actual conversation with another human being. For some of us, that is technology at its finest.
Why Pizza and Delivery Just Work
There is a reason pizza has remained one of the most popular delivery foods.
It travels well, feeds a group, and it is easy to customize. Perhaps most importantly, pizza somehow makes an ordinary night feel like a little bit of an occasion.
Friday night? Pizza.
Movie night? Pizza.
Kids have friends over? Definitely pizza.
Nobody wants to cook? You already know the answer.
At Constantly Pizza, that tradition comes with a distinctly local feel. The Constant brothers joined their father in 1990 to build a family-owned pizza business around generations of family recipes. Today, Constantly Pizza serves the Central New Hampshire community from locations in Concord and Penacook.
The dough is made fresh daily, the family sauce is made with care and customers can choose from specialty pizzas or create a pie exactly the way they like it. That is a pretty good evolution from a pizza being personally carried to a palace.
What Comes Next for Food Delivery?
The technology will keep changing. We have gone from royal couriers to telephone orders to websites and smartphones. Whatever comes next, one thing is unlikely to change: people will always appreciate having a great meal ready when they are hungry.
And pizza will probably continue being part of the story. After all, it has survived centuries of changing tastes, technologies, and questionable pineapple debates. We have faith in it.
Your Next Delivery Is Probably Easier Than You Think
The next time you search “delivery near me,” skip the complicated dinner plans and make it easy.
Whether you are feeding the family, planning a casual night with friends or simply do not feel like cooking, Constantly Pizza has you covered with fresh pizza, Italian inspired favorites, sandwiches, salads, appetizers and more.
Ready for dinner? Order online from Constantly Pizza and let us bring the good stuff to you. Or stop by one of our Concord or Penacook locations and enjoy your meal with us.
Because food delivery has come a long way since 1889. But the basic idea remains pretty perfect: great food, delivered when you want it.
