What if we told you pizza is the real hero of Christmas?

In this episode, Grant and Drey have way too much fun behind the mic breaking down the surprisingly important role pizza plays in everyone’s favorite Christmas movie, Home Alone. From the iconic cheese pizza order to the way one slice of pizza sets the entire movie in motion, we look at how pizza isn’t just food — it’s a catalyst.

We also sprinkle in some Hallmark-style Christmas magic by imagining what would happen if pizza replaced hot cocoa, bakeries, and small-town meet-cutes.

And finally to prove pizza’s power isn’t just cinematic, we share a real-life story where the promise of pizza motivated students to achieve the unthinkable.

Nostalgia, laughter, and a deep appreciation for a good cheese pizza — this episode has it all. Because sometimes, pizza doesn’t just feed people… it saves the day.

In Part 2 of our deep dive into the great American pizza buffet, we flip the script and explore what happened after the golden age. We break down the real reasons buffets started to struggle — rising food costs, changing consumer preferences, the rise of fast-casual dining, and health trends that made “all-you-can-eat” feel less appealing. Then we hit the moment that changed everything: COVID. From shutdowns to permanent closures here in Nebraska and across the country, we look at how the pandemic nearly wiped buffets out entirely.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. We also talk about the comeback — how modern pizza buffets have adapted with fresher options, tighter menus, better sanitation, and why nostalgia helped bring them back. Plus, we play a brand-new game, “Taste It or Waste It,” where we judge some of the wildest pizza toppings from around the world as if they showed up on a buffet line.

Oh — and we kick off our first-ever giveaway, where one listener will win a $25 Pizza Ranch gift card.

From history and heartbreak to hope and hot pizza, this episode has it all.

In Episode 3 of The Pizza Party Podcast, Grant and Drey kick off a delicious two-part series on one of the greatest institutions in pizza history — the pizza buffet. This week, we dig into the rise of the buffet era: how it started, why it exploded in popularity, and what made it such an iconic part of American food culture.

But it wouldn’t be a Pizza Party Podcast episode without some fun along the way. We play a round of Two Truths and a Pie, testing each other’s pizza trivia knowledge, and we break down our personal buffet strategies — including what goes on our first plate when we hit the line.

Grab a plate, grab a slice, and enjoy Part 1 of our buffet adventure!