Around town: The time, the place, the free pizza

Someone always wins. Of course, you have to be in the right place at the right time to collect.

The place is Sam & Louie’s. The time? Almost precisely at 7 p.m. every Friday night. The payoff comes in the form of free pizza, pasta, wings or whatever else a table orders during the restaurant’s popular Free Table Fridays.

Well, popular for those in the know. I learned of the deal when a couple of beaming co-workers came to work on a Monday morning bragging about free pizza.

They had been caught off guard, too, unaware of the promotion.

“A lot of people don’t know about it yet,” admitted Sam & Louie’s Rene Merryfield. “They learn when they ask about our specials.”

That’s right, Free Table Fridays is considered a regular old special at the standout pizza joint. As soon as orders come in after the designated time, managers step forward, announce proceedings and draw the number of a table. Folks lucky enough to park at that particular spot for the evening receive dinner on the house.

“It’s crazy,” said Merryfield of the response. “They get very excited.”

Yeah, while the winning table celebrates, a dozen others are left to mope about what might have been. Those opting for an early dinner or a later bite must pay up, as well. But the odds are more favorable than most raffles.

Someone in the Omaha-based chain’s main office reportedly came up with the idea—they weren’t responding to repeated phone calls—and the giveaway takes place at every location. The order is free, whether for a two top or a crowded table.

Generally it’s a low stakes game. One night in Sidney, however, two separate tables were sharing one ticket. The number drawn matched one, so both received the prize.

“That was a big one,” Merryfield said of the final tally.

Whether or not the favored diners settled for just a salad or called for several pies with all the sides, no one seems to mind when their number is called.

“I don’t hear anybody complain about free stuff,” Merryfield noted.

It’s all just a matter of timing and luck.