Sixty minutes before kick-off, the kitchen at The Pie Pizzeria was chaotic.

Several cooks assembled, baked and boxed pies of all sizes -- from 12-inch pepperonis to massive 23-inch combos. Four employees were at the front counter taking phone requests and handing out to-go orders. And the boxes of pizzas, cheese pull-a-parts, and hot wings were starting to stack up under the heat lamp.

"It's definitely one of the busiest days of the year," said David Smalley, general manager at The Pie's take-out and delivery location, 275 S. 1300 East, Salt Lake City.

Indeed, Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest pizza sales day of the year for most major U.S. pizza companies, said Jennifer Litz, editor of PizzaMarketplace.com. Domino's Pizza Inc. said it would sell 9 million slices on game night, a 44 percent increase. Pizza Hut, the largest U.S. pizza chain, was expecting a 50 percent sales increase.

The football game is a boon for locally owned pizza franchises, too. At The Pie, Smalley and his crew have been getting ready all week for the Super Bowl Sunday crush, ordering extra ingredients and scheduling more drivers and employees to handle the additional orders.

"I love it," said driver Kelly Perri, "It's really busy right before the game. It's a good work out."

"The busier it is, the better it is," added six-year delivery veteran Ben Warden. Not just because the shift goes by quickly, but because tips are usually pretty good on game day.

Super Bowl Sunday means money for speedy pizza-delivery drivers, but insurance companies dread the Monday morning claim calls.

"There are definitely more accidents," said Rick J. Lindsey, chief executive officer at Prime Insurance Co., based in Salt Lake City. "The jump in claims is directly related to the jump in deliveries."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, pizza delivery is part of a driving-occupation group that ranks as the ninth-most dangerous work segment, just below roofers and power-line repairers. In 2008, there were nearly 23 fatalities in the group per 100,000 full-time workers.

That may not be as big a problem in 2010, as more cost-conscious customers are opt to pick up their pizzas instead of paying delivery fees and driver tips.

"We've definitely seen more people doing carry out," said Smalley at The Pie.

One of those take-out customers was Tammy Benavidez of West Valley City. She was having 20 people over for a Super Bowl party Sunday and was picking up two 23-inch pizzas for the hungry crowd.

"The food is just as important as the game," she said, "and pizza is good comfort food.

Bloomberg News contributed to this report