Eli Manning Called And Morristown Pizzeria Owner Thought It Was A Joke

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

When an order came through for “Eli Manning,” New Jersey pizzeria owner Alban Pilinci thought someone was pulling his leg.

Morristown's Pizza Cento owner said the order came in around 7:10 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2 — just before closing.

“I was joking around with my employees,” Pilinci said. “I’m like, look at this guy pretending to be Eli Manning.”

Pilinci closes at 8 p.m. on Sundays, so when it came time to wrap up for the night, he decided to call the number on the order.

“It went to a special voice message, and I had to state the reason why I was calling — and I hung up right away,” he said. “That’s when I realized it could possibly be him.”

Pilinci called again and introduced himself. “I’m like, hi sir, how are you? I’m closing in about ten minutes — and I can hear by his voice that it’s him,” Pilinci said. 

Manning said his daughter ws at the ice skating rink nearby and he'd be in shortly.

"I asked, is this really Eli Manning?" Pilinci recalled. "And he’s like, yeah.”

Pilinci said Manning chuckled, and so did he. When the retired Giants quarterback arrived, Pilinci asked for a photo. Manning picked up his food, smiled, and headed out.

“I thought someone was using his name, to be honest,” Pilinci said.

A longtime Giants fan, Pilinci said meeting Manning was a full-circle moment. “He gave me the best and happiest memories of my life — I got to watch him and his team win two Super Bowls,” he said. “It was a cool moment.”