What’s That Weird Mesh Thing In The Pizza Delivery Boxes?

Every once in a while, we are asked about the weird mesh thing that we put under the pizzas in our delivery boxes.

Photo by ‏@Great_Local

Photo by ‏@Great_Local

As strange as they may seem, a lot of science went into the mesh liners, and ultimately they help ensure that our delivery pizzas arrive tasting as delicious as possible.

Many pizzerias just place the pizza directly onto the corrugated cardboard. The reality is that the average pizza sits for 15-30 minutes in a cardboard box (which sits inside a thermal delivery bag). You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to realize that a hot pizza in this environment will produce a significant amount of steam and condensation, resulting in a pizza that has lost much of the crispness that OTTO fans enjoy.

The mesh liner raises the pizza off of the cardboard, which allows air to circulate freely around (and under) the pizza. Pizza sitting directly on cardboard tends to allow grease to seep into the crust, and the crust will often absorb some of that cardboard taste. Ew, right?

This modern scientific wonder also happens to be heat resistant and cut resistant, and made from an FDA-approved material.

While food quality is most important to OTTO, we also care about the environment and sustainability. OTTO’s mesh liner is not just re-usable — it’s also recyclable.

At OTTO, we’re always looking into new ways to approach age-old challenges. We welcome suggestions and feedback from our guests on ways we might improve their experience.

Fuelling Slugger’s Walk From Fenway to Hadlock

We at OTTO are thrilled to be Slugger the Sea Dog‘s Official Carb-Loading Sponsor for his walk from Fenway Park to the Portland Sea DogsHadlock Field to benefit the The National Tourette Syndrome Association and Camp Twitch and Shout, a camp for children and teens with Tourette Syndrome.

sluggerWe will be teaming up with Slugger on several fronts, including a special pizza (to be available at all locations between Fenway & Hadlock) to benefit the cause, and events in Boston and Portland! (We hear Slugger’s pal Wally the Green Monster will make an appearance!)

Via the Portland Press Herald:

In celebration of the popular baseball mascot’s first appearance at Hadlock Field 20 years ago this spring, the Portland Sea Dogs on Tuesday afternoon announced a walking journey for Slugger and [Justin LeBlanc,] “his original trainer” from Fenway to Hadlock in early May to raise awareness of and funds for children with Tourette’s syndrome.

LeBlanc’s fundraising goal is $20,000. He said the money will be split between two youth acceptance programs, a weeklong overnight camp in Georgia for kids with Tourette’s called Camp Twitch and Shout, and a youth ambassador program in which the National Tourette Syndrome Association trains teens ages 13-17 to teach understanding, sensitivity and tolerance.

LeBlanc, now a lawyer in Portland, “animated” Slugger for the first three years of the franchise’s two-decade existence in Portland. He left after the 1996 season to attend law school in Georgia but has returned to Hadlock many times since to fill in. His youngest son, Theo, 11, has Tourette’s, a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive involuntary movements or vocalizations called tics.

For more information, see the Portland Sea Dogs’ info page.

Donations can be directed to the official Fenway to Hadlock ActiveGiving page.