By Dathan Kazsuk | Timber Pizza’s Raleigh and Durham locations are playing matchmaker—except this date arrives hot, covered in cheese and ready in about 90 seconds.
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By Dathan Kazsuk
I’ve been on enough dates with pizza to know the relationship usually starts the same way. I stare at the menu, overthink the toppings, consider trying something new, and then just order the same thing I always do.
If you’re like me, Timber Pizza decided they could help.
The restaurant’s Raleigh Five Points and downtown Durham locations are offering a “Blind Date with a Pizza,” an off-menu experience that turns dinner into a low-stakes matchmaking game. Instead of swiping right on sausage or rejecting bell peppers, guests fill out a short card covering the important relationship questions: Do you like meat? Sweetness? Spicy food? A lighter pizza? Are you adventurous? And, most importantly, are there any allergies or ingredients that could end the date before it begins?
Then the staff takes over.
The idea came from Timber marketing coordinator Avery Watkins, who first created a BuzzFeed-style quiz telling customers which Timber pizza best matched their personalities. That evolved into something more interactive: Let the restaurant choose the pizza for you.
“It’s supposed to be fun and different,” says Kathleen Sears, general manager for Timber’s Raleigh and Durham locations. “Pizza is something where people can connect over food.”
That is exactly what makes the idea work. This is not culinary Russian roulette. Timber has six curated blind-date pizzas, with room for the staff to make substitutions or adjustments based on a guest’s answers. Customers still surrender some control, but nobody is trying to trap them in a toxic relationship with olives.
Behind the scenes, Sears and her team used artificial intelligence to organize the questions, pizza combinations, and training materials into a simple system employees could quickly follow. The AI is not back there inventing toppings or operating the oven. It simply helped turn Watkins’ idea into something the front-of-house staff could use without needing a three-hour seminar on pizza compatibility.
The fun part happens at the table.
I filled out the card, admitting that I like meat, can handle a little sweetness and spice, and generally prefer a lighter crust. I also listed my one legitimate food allergy—kiwi—which is probably not going to become Timber’s next seasonal pizza topping, but better safe than sorry.
A few minutes later, my mystery pizza, made by Josh Pardo, went into Timber’s gas-assisted, wood-fired oven, where pies cook at roughly 650 degrees and can be ready in about 90 seconds.
That is faster than most blind dates take to become awkward.
What came out was exactly the point of the exercise: something I probably would not have ordered on my own, but something I would gladly order again. It was familiar enough to feel safe, different enough to be interesting, and good enough that I had to remind myself to save a slice for Jen.
My pie featured Capicola, honey, feta, and ricotta cheeses, and was topped with arugula.
Sears says some regulars at the Durham location already ask her to choose their pizzas, making the blind-date menu a natural extension of what the restaurant was doing informally.
“I think restaurants are special because you go for experiences and to connect with people over food,” she says. “It’s one thing to come in and swipe a gift card. It’s another to come in and get this surprise pizza.”
That is the appeal. You can order your usual. You can study the menu like you are preparing for an exam. Or, for one meal, you can stop making decisions and trust the people who make pizza for a living.
Worst case, you discover a topping you still do not like.
Best case, you meet the pizza of your dreams.
