LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Most people have spent a lot of time and money getting prepared for turkey, dressing and pie on Thanksgiving, but it is a different kind of pie that is making all the money the night before the big meal.
You can call it the "Turkey Day Appetizer". Believe it or not, pizza pies are sold by the millions the night before Thanksgiving and at Damgoode Pies in Little Rock, Wednesday made for a busy night in the kitchen.
"We've got nine different sauces and three different crusts. We grill our own chicken and have our own sausage recipe and all of that kinda good stuff," said Damgoode Owner, Jeff Trine.
It was a sign the holidays are here, and a phone number to the local pizza place is always right by the phone.
"The night before Thanksgiving really starts our busy season. Everybody is in town visiting relatives, and they've all got a lot of cooking to do tomorrow, so we just want to take it easy and hang out with their families tonight," said Trine.
Families like Craig Davis and his two children, Morgan and Will, are loading up on pizza and giving his wife some much needed kitchen time.
"Certainly get the kids out of the way because they're running around the kitchen getting in the way, and I'm usually not much help in the kitchen either," said Davis.
For those that are still in the kitchen, Damgoode Pies is there to help.
"Nobody really wants to cook tonight, so we'll probably see quite a few deliveries," said Trine.
One after the other, even the owner himself was making personal deliveries all over town.
"Everyone is always happy to see the pizza guy," said Trine. "Anytime there is relaxation involved, pizza is usually right behind it."
Trine said Superbowl Sunday is usually their busiest day of the year. But, Wednesday, they definitely had a big crowd both in the dining room and in their deliveries. It was one of the busiest Wednesday nights they've seen in awhile.
Pizza Hut said they sold about 1,200 tons of pizza across the country this time last year. That's equivalent to the weight of 151,000 Thanksgiving turkeys.