This is our list of the best virtual pizza party ideas for team building.
Virtual pizza parties are online events where participants gather on video conferencing software to enjoy a slice of pizza and pizza-themed activities together. For example, remote lunches, virtual pizza making parties, decorating contests, and Never Have I Ever. The purpose of these events is to promote bonding and foster camaraderie between remote workers.
These parties are examples of online team socials, virtual lunches and virtual team dinners. These events can also serve as inspiration for remote birthday parties and often include virtual party games.
This list includes:
- virtual pizza party games
- pizza-making Zoom parties
- online corporate pizza party ideas
- Zoom pizza party activities
- virtual pizza party event ideas
Let’s get to it!
List of virtual pizza party ideas
From virtual make your own pizza parties to fun Zoom backgrounds, here is a list of ways to make online team pizza parties fun and engaging.
1. Pizza Remote Lunch
One of the most straightforward online corporate pizza party ideas is to hold a remote lunch or dinner party for teammates. First, schedule a virtual meeting and send employees the URL. Then, tell teammates that the company will treat attendees to a pizza to enjoy while on a call. You could either send guests a digital gift card for a pizza chain or meal delivery service or can offer to reimburse employees for purchases from a pizza parlor of choice. To cover the cost of the order and delivery, stipends should be at least $30. When event time arrives, teammates meet up on Zoom to indulge in their slices and socialize with teammates.
2. Online Pizza Making Workshops
Pizza-making Zoom parties are one of the most interactive online pizza party ideas. During these events, guests learn pizza recipes and preparation tips. You can mail attendees kits with ingredients or send shopping lists. Then, a chef can guide the group through the cooking process step by step, and teammates will assemble these delicious masterpieces throughout the call. To make the event even more meaningful, spotlight a small business owner as your head chef.
For more inspiration, check out this list of online group cooking classes.
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3. Virtual Pizza Party Bingo
Virtual Pizza Party Bingo is an online game teammates can play together during the event. First, send guests a link to the randomized bingo card. Then, throughout the party, players watch for the items described on the card and mark squares accordingly. The first player to mark five boxes in a row and shout “BINGO!” wins the game and earns a prize.
For similar games, check out Icebreaker Bingo.
4. Never Have I Ever: Pizza Edition
Never Have I Ever is one of the most fun virtual pizza party games. This game asks players to confess to pizza-related faux pas and quirks.
To play, participants either take turns making pizza-themed “Never Have I Ever” statements, or a leader reads down a list of prompts. Players start with ten fingers in the air, and must lower one finger every time they are guilty of a named behavior. Or, players can start with webcams on and turn the webcam off temporarily every time the prompt does not apply.
Check out more Never Have I Ever ideas.
5. Pizza Daredevil
Pizza daredevil is a Fear-Factor-style tasting game that challenges players to try strange combinations and unconventional pizza options. To prepare the activity, gather a list of unusual toppings such as wasabi, marshmallows, tater tots, mac and cheese, and bananas. Be sure to give guests a heads up to have these ingredients on hand. Next, you can use a picker wheel to generate dares. Participants will spin the wheel and complete the resulting challenge on camera.
For similar activities, check out this truth or dare generator.
6. Pizza Decorating Contest
Pizza decorating contests encourage teammates to show off their cooking skills and artistic prowess. Employees will make a pizza from scratch, and artfully decorate the pie with interesting ingredients or fun designs. The contest can have a theme, for instance, cartoon characters, or you can let entrants unleash their full imaginations. Competitors can make the pizza directly before the party and show off the creations during the call. Or, you can have participants upload photos to an online album beforehand, ask coworkers to vote, and reveal the winner at the event.
Check out more workplace competition ideas.
7. Virtual Pizza Tasting Experiences
Virtual pizza tasting experiences are online sampling events where guests try different styles of pizza, pair pizza with beer or cocktails, or sample slices with various toppings and sauces. If your employees live in the same city, then you may be able to find a nearby restaurant that offers sampler packs or would be willing to put one together for you. Otherwise, you can DIY a kit by sending employees assortments of pizzas or toppings or giving guests a list of ingredients to gather. For best results, get a pizza chef or expert to lead the group and provide recommendations on how best to enjoy the dishes, along with facts about the food’s history or insights into the industry.
8. Most Likely To
Most Likely To is one of the most fun virtual pizza party games. This exercise challenges players to choose a teammate that pizza-themed statements best describe. Players can answer by using the polling feature or typing the names into the chat.
Here are pizza-themed Mostly Likely To prompts:
- Most likely to take the last slice
- Most likely to get dough stuck on the ceiling
- Most likely to forget a frozen pizza in the oven
- Most likely to enjoy anchovies on pizza
- Most likely to eat pizza twice in one day
- Most likely to open a pizza shop
- Most likely to try out a strange flavor
- Most likely to pick tacos over pizza
- Most likely to have worked at a pizza shop
- Most likely to have a pizza tattoo
- Most likely to start an office pizza order
- Most likely to have a heated debate about pizza preferences
- Most likely to call pizza “za”
You can also ask employees to vote before the call and reveal the superlatives during the party.
Check out more Most Likely To questions.
9. Team Pizza Cookbook
Team pizza cookbooks are a collaborative activity for pizza-loving remote offices. The idea behind this activity is that each teammate submits a recipe or a pizza tip. For example, “drizzle your pie with hot honey,” or “Zeina’s awesome Greek salad ‘za” You can use a Google Form to collect submissions and then compile the recipes into a digital book using programs like Canva, presentation software, or Indesign. Be sure to add fun artwork and photos to make the anthology more engaging.
When the book is complete, print and mail physical copies to employees or email teammates digital copies of the guide. The group can meet up on a video call to try out selected recipes or suggestions together. You can also create a Slack channel where teammates can share thoughts on the cookbook and photos of the dishes.
10. Battle of the Pies
Battle of the Pies is a bracket-style tournament that asks players to eliminate options until one winner remains. To prepare the game, first choose a theme, for instance, pizza toppings, styles, or local parlors. Next, come up with a list of “contenders.” You can ask teammates to submit suggestions and select the most popular answers. Next, create a bracket-style scoreboard. The number of contenders will determine the number of brackets on the board. Each day, present a new “battle” by asking teammates to vote on one of two options via a polling feature. For example, Chicago pizza vs. New York pizza, or pineapple pizza vs. hot wing pizza. The more popular choice moves on to the next round of voting. The game continues until one supreme winner emerges.
Bonus: Celebrate the end of the tournament by treating participants to the winning pizza.
11. Virtual Tour
Virtual tours are a way to make online pizza parties more educational. These activities transport team members from the Zoom room to a pizzeria.
A virtual guide typically screen shares relevant photos while narrating, passing along facts, and answering guest questions. Occasionally, a host will facilitate a live video tour of a kitchen, pizza parlor, or farm. Team members can digitally experience famous pizzerias or pizza neighborhoods, peek into chefs’ kitchens, and virtually visit markets and farms to learn about the sourcing of ingredients like tomatoes and cheese.
Or, for a more personalized or DIY touch, you can ask each team member to share photos, facts, and presentations of their favorite local pizza joint during a team Zoom call.
Check out more virtual tours for Zoom meetings.
12. Pizza and a Movie
Pizza and a movie is one of the more laid-back virtual pizza party event ideas. This online hangout allows attendees to expense a small pie or a few slices to enjoy while watching a movie with the group. You can use a program like Teleparty or Watch2Gether to sync streams or share screens while playing Netflix. Bonus points if you watch a pizza-themed flick like Mystic Pizza, Do the Right Thing, or 30 Minutes or Less. You can pause the movie for trivia and discussion and encourage teammates to interact via the chat while watching. Family and friends are welcome to join in the fun and watch along as well.
Here is a list of team building movies to watch during the call.
13. Pizza Eating Contest
Pizza eating contests put a competitive spin on virtual pizza parties. To prepare for the game, have entrants lay out the slides. To make the contest fair, make sure to use the same size pizza. You can have participants speed-eat regular-sized slices or use pizza rolls or pizza bagels instead. To start the contest, put three minutes on the clock, then have contestants chow down. At the end of the time, have participants count up how many mini pizzas they ate or measure the remaining slice. The participant who ate the most pizza wins a prize.
14. Pizza & Pets
Pizza & Pets is one of the best online team pizza social ideas. During this gathering, remote teammates hang out on a video call together to eat pizza while pets are within view of the screen. Then, team members can take turns sharing their pizza orders and introducing teammates to their pets. This activity combines food and animals, two sources of instant joy to many folks.
For more fun with pets, check out this list of virtual Take Your Dog to Work Day ideas.
15. Pizza Fridays
Pizza Fridays is one of the best virtual pizza party event ideas. This activity facilitates small group interaction and team bonding between remote coworkers. Once a month, virtual teammates gather to share a slice and socialize. First, choose a Friday to do the activity, for example, the third Friday of every month. Next, ask that interested teammates sign up no later than one week before the event. When the deadline arrives, use a Slack app like Donut to match teammates. Those pairs or small groups should schedule a Zoom meeting the following Friday and meet up to eat pizza and talk together. For best results, choose a recurring hour to host the events so that employees can keep that time free in advance. You can offer to reimburse attendees $5 or $10 for a slice of pizza, or send pizza gift cards to fund the ongoing activity.
For maximum team bonding, encourage team members to post candids and fun facts from these sessions onto a pizza team Slack channel.
16. Pizza Trivia
Trivia is one of the most fun virtual pizza party games. Since many trivia nights happen in pubs and include a slice or two as a snack, this activity is a natural fit for your online occasion.
Simply gather a list of pizza-related facts, and create a quiz game. Players can compete by completing a form in a breakout room, using Kahoot! to answer via mobile device, or being the first player to type the correct answer into the chat.
Here are a few starter questions:
- Where was Hawaiian pizza first served?
- Hawaii
- Ontario
- New York City
- London
A: B. Ontario
Q: According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest circular pizza ever baked weighs approximately how many pounds?
- 35,145
- 30,727
- 26,883
- 17,451
A: C. 26,883
Q: On average, Americans eat how many slices of pizza per second?
- 350
- 275
- 100
- 75
A: A. 350
Check out this guide to playing trivia remotely.
17. Say Cheese
Say Cheese is part virtual photo booth, part snacktime, and part icebreaker. Party guests pose with their pizza while the host takes a snapshot. You mozzarella-loving models can take a big bite, try to stage a gooey cheese pull, or point to a pizza box. These poses can help remote teammates show each other their silly sides and can help the group relive the fun of the party afterward. Once the event ends, you can post the picture in Slack, upload the photo to a team album, or send the image in a recap email.
18. Scavenger Hunts
Scavenger hunts get virtual pizza party attendees up and moving. The best way to hold a hunt remotely is to do a lightning scavenger hunt, where a host reads off items one by one, and the first guest to retrieve the object and show it on screen earns one point for themselves or their team. You could also share a list of items on screen or in the chat and give teams five minutes to retrieve as many objects as possible.
You could also ask participants to complete lists of challenges like tossing an imaginary pizza in the air or drawing on a mustache with a marker.
Check out this guide to doing scavenger hunts virtually.
19. Zoom Backgrounds
Virtual backgrounds are one of the easiest virtual pizza party ideas. To set the mood for the event, have guests display pizza-themed backgrounds. Examples include cheesy slices, dancing cartoon pizzas, Italian vistas, and pizza parlors like world-famous Lombardis or childhood-birthday-party-staple Chuck E Cheese. You could even host a contest and award a pizza gift card to the teammate voted the best background.
Here are more ways to make Zoom meetings fun.
20. Care Packages
Care packages add a tactile element to virtual pizza parties. Beyond sending participants kits of ingredients, you can curate boxes of goodies such as aprons, pizza cutters, pans, paddles, stickers, and pizza print socks. To make the haul more festive, you can send these presents within an unused cardboard pizza box.
Check out this list of swag gifts for inspiration.
21. Who Will the Mustache Choose?
When asked to picture a pizza chef, most folks imagine a mustachioed man in a white chef’s hat. Who Will the Mustache Choose? turns party guests into this caricature. This activity is silly fun that makes any online pizza party more playful. To play the game, simply use Zoom’s Studio Effects or the Snapchat Filter integration for Zoom to impose bushy mustaches onto participants. The host acts as mustache master and chooses participants to transform, and the room can guess which guest will be next.
Final Thoughts
Pizza can be a powerful morale booster, and online pizza parties are a low-key way to relax and spread camaraderie among work teams or catch up with faraway friends. To plan your event, simply find a time to meet on Zoom to share a few slices, chat, and play games and activities together. For best results, cover the costs of the pies for participants, and be sure to snap a picture or two!
Next, check out these lists of virtual campfire ideas and online trivia night ideas.
Angela Robinson