Your local Yellow Pages is an ideal place to start your search for a takeout food vendor, but don't just take the first one you come across. Do a little research first, in order to find the best combination of price, location, and foods offered. It's worth the effort.

Sunday is the busiest takeout food day of the week, and Super Bowl Sundays ratchet the crush up a notch. If you need to order takeout for the Super Bowl, do it well in advance and expect a lengthy wait time. Also, expect to be on hold for quite a while before someone gets to you.

When ordering takeout food of any kind, be sure you understand the meaning of the terms "pick up" -- items you need to physically get yourself -- and "delivery," items that come to your door. According to industry experts, it's amazing how often people get the two mixed up.