Little Caesars is giving away free pizza on Monday, April 2 after losing a March Madness bet.
The restaurant chain said it would give customers free lunch combos if a #16 seeded team defeated a #1 seeded team in the 2018 men’s college basketball tournament, which occurred when the #16 seeded University of Maryland, Baltimore County beat the #1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers 74-54 on March 16.
Now, basketball fans and pizza lovers can have lunch on Little Caesars’ dime. The promotion includes a four-slice deep dish pepperoni pizza and a 20-ounce drink from the Pepsi family on April 2.
To receive the free Little Caesars pizza, customers must order the lunch box no later than 1 p.m. local time on April 2. The promotion begins at 11:30 a.m. on Monday.
Because "CRAZY HAPPENED" with a #16 beating a #1 (!!!!), everyone in America gets a free #LittleCaesars Lunch Combo on Monday, April 2nd. Congratulations & see our OFFICIAL RULES for more details: https://t.co/vHuy8315ee pic.twitter.com/8KGbskGFxt — Little Caesars (@littlecaesars) March 17, 2018
Each family is eligible for one lunch combo. The offer, which does not include any substitutions or custom orders, is available at all participating Little Caesars locations in all 50 states and Washington D.C.
March Madness viewers have another reason to get excited Monday — and it’s not just because it’s the championship game.
Little Caesars is giving away free pizza at participating locations around the country — making good on a promise to dish out free pies if a No. 16 seeded team beat a No. 1 seeded team in the first round of March Madness.
“Crazy happened,” as Little Caesars says, when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County stunned the University of Virginia (and brackets everywhere) on March 16 with a 74-54 win. (UMBC went on to fall to Kansas State, 50-43, in the second round.)
Customers can visit their local Little Caesars between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. today, local time, to take advantage of the deal. (That means the deal won’t be available for delivery.) The free pizza includes four slices of deep dish and a 20-ounce bottle of soda — and extra toppings will cost more. No additional purchases are necessary to get the free pizza deal.
However, customers should note that families can only get one free pizza and soda, and the deal will end right at 1 p.m. To make the most of it, our advice is to head to your local Little Caesars early.
The early Virginia upset was a historic moment in March Madness history, as it was the first time ever in the men’s tournament where a No. 16 seeded team beat a No. 1 seeded team. The deal means March Madness fans can carbo-load ahead of the championship game Monday night, when the University of Michigan and Villanova University will battle for the win.
Little Caesars New DEEP!DEEP! Dish Pizza. (PRNewsFoto/Little Caesars Pizza) ORG XMIT: PRN11 (Photo: PR NEWSWIRE)
Today is the day to get your free pizza! pizza!
Little Caesars will give away a free Hot-N-Ready lunch combo to everyone who orders at a store between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday, April 2.
The national pizza chain is making good on a promise it made at the start of the NCAA March Madness Tournament. It said that if a No. 16 seed beat the No. 1 seed, there would be a lunch deal for the nation.
That extremely unlikely upset happened on March 16, when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers beat the University of Virginia Cavaliers 74-54.
Today, the day of the national championship game, is the day Little Caesars delivers. Keep in mind:
The lunch combos, valued at $5, are available while supplies last .
. They include four slices of deep-dish pepperoni pizza and a 20-ounce Pepsi product .
. The buzzer sounds on the promotion at 1 p.m. sharp . If you’re standing in line but haven’t placed your order by 1, you won’t get the freebie.
. If you’re standing in line but haven’t placed your order by 1, you won’t get the freebie. You have to order in store to get the deal; online, mobile and delivery don’t count.
to get the deal; online, mobile and delivery don’t count. Limit one per family.
Little Caesars has more than a dozen locations around the Valley. Here’s a map to help you find the closest to you.
Details: littlecaesars.com.
More free pizza
QuikTrip is hosting its Points for Pizza during the national championship game today. Every time a point is scored, QT will give away a one-topping, extra-large pizza. The contest will take place on Twitter with the hashtag #QTPointsForPizza. You can follow @QuikTrip on Twitter to stay in the loop.
Winners will be notified within one hour of the conclusion of the game and can begin using their coupons on Tuesday, April 3. There's a limit of one pizza per person or Twitter account.
Details: quiktrip.com.
The Republic's Grace Palmieri contributed to this article.
Read or Share this story: https://azc.cc/2pZKmYo
This is no joke. One day after April Fools’ Day, Little Caesars is giving away free lunch combos to anyone, all thanks to the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Really. Get all the delicious details.
Little Caesars is dunking on all other lunch spots today, all because something “Crazy Happened” during March Madness. On April 2, between the hours of 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, anyone can go into a participating Little Caesars and pick up a free Hot-N-Ready Lunch Combo. That includes dour slices of the chain’s signature deep dish pepperoni pizza and a 20.oz PEPSI-COLA product. No coupons necessary. Just pop into your local Little Caesars during that window and get some free food (while supplies last.)
Note: only one free combo per person/family. Also, you need to place your order by 1:00 PM. Even if you’re in the store and in the line by 1:00 PM, unless you placed your order, you will not get the free lunch. So, make plans to get there early. After all, what tastes better than free pizza? Nothing!
So, why is Little Caesars giving out free lunches? It’s all because the pizza chain came down with March Madness. As part of its “If Crazy Happens” promotion, Little Caesars said that if a #16 seed team beat a #1 seed, then everyone eats for free on April 2 (the day of the NCAA Men’s Division I basketball tournament final.) Thanks to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County sending the University of Virginia packing – and breaking a million brackets in the process – Little Caesars had to make good on its promise. Sadly, UMBC’s March Madness run ended in the next round, when they lost to Kansas State. Yet, they lasted longer than Virginia. So, that’s something.
Because "CRAZY HAPPENED" with a #16 beating a #1 (!!!!), everyone in America gets a free #LittleCaesars Lunch Combo on Monday, April 2nd. Congratulations & see our OFFICIAL RULES for more details: https://t.co/vHuy8315ee pic.twitter.com/8KGbskGFxt — Little Caesars (@littlecaesars) March 17, 2018
Mach Madness comes to a close at 9:20 PM ET, when the Villanova Wildcats meet the Michigan Wolverines. It’s been nearly thirty years since Michigan lifted the championship trophy, as their last national title was in 1989. Villanova has been in the final in two of the last three years, so it’s no surprise the Wildcats are the favorites going into this game. “It’s not something I dreamt about so it’s a little out of my understanding right now,” Jay Wright, coach for Villanova, told reporters, according to CBS News. Well, if there’s something easy to understand, it this: free lunch!
