I can’t bring myself to actually do delivery anymore. I always do carry out. The ridiculous delivery fee all the places charge is insane. Besides, Dominos frequently runs carry out specials where you can get a large 3 or 5 topping pizza for $7.99. That’s at least $10.99 with a coupon and then the $3 or $4 they tack on for delivery… no way.
I don’t think we’ve ever had crust issues like that from our Papa John’s either. But I’ve grown to vastly prefer their thin crust. I just wish I still had access to the sicilian pizzas that I grew up with. Ahhhh Paisanos, how I miss thee.
Pizza Pizza is the Canadian name for Little Caesar’s, by the way.
The only chain pizza I touch anymore is Papa Murphy’s take and bake. Lower price and higher quality then the other places. Pizza Hut and Dominos are pretty bad, and Little Caesar’s I only go for on rare occasions when their $5 pizza fits my budget.
Of course the thing about pizza is that there are always plenty of local options anyway.
As far as chains go, Pizza Hut is my favorite. Especially for their any pizza, any topping for $10. I get the Cheese Lover’s Pan, and put as many toppings as I want on it. (Which is strange because if you order any other pizza, and add extra cheese, it’s $2 extra. Ordering a Cheese Lover’s gives you extra cheese and it’s still $10.)
FOr good pizza, I go to one of the local mom and pop places. If you’re ever in Tucson, AZ Brooklyn Pizza Factory and Zachary’s Pizza are are the best! Thing is, they take about 30-45min to cook your pie, while Pizza Hut is 15minutes, and is a block form my house.
Oregano’s is good, but too far from where I live to eat there regularly.
Papa John’s is okay. Problem is I don’t like their crust (too soft and doughy).
Once in awhile I pick up a Little Ceaser’s if I’m in a rush. $5 for a pizza, and the one I frequent has a drive-thru. I hate that they are stingy on the toppings. Sometimes when I get home, I put more cheese and stick it in my oven on a pizza stone for 10min. It kind of defeats the whole purpose of “fast” though. I do love their crazy bread.
Once in awhile I have a hankering for Peter Piper Pizza. It’s like McDonald’s, once in a blue moon, you get that craving for a Big Mac. I don’t know what it is. Their pizza has the consistancy of cardboard, but for some reason, I have to eat one once in awhile.
The only chain I refuse to even eat their pizza… Dominos. Even their “new” recipe is crap.
I think Pizza hut is pretty foul, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had it. They haven’t done themselves any favors with the stuffed crust type garbage though. Pizza Hut in general is too bready and doughy in the crust for me, and I guess they play to that in their weird crust-accoutrements. Domino’s however, is perfectly fine for what it is, fast food pizza. It’s the McDonalds of pizza. It’s super cheap (on buy 1 get 1 free Tuesday at least) and it’s food. I buy it on occasion.
Papa John’s is ok if there’s nothing else around. Their sauce is too sweet, but if you’re getting one of their specialty pizzas, you don’t really notice because there’s all sorts of other stuff on it. Similarly CPK. It isn’t what I want all the time, but if I do want thai chicken or barbeque chicken on pizza, there’s no reason to go anywhere else.
I loved Round Table as a kid, although I haven’t been to one in easily 20 years. I think I might’ve just liked the decor though, they used to have suits of armor and stuff, I believe.
Like all fast food, chain pizza has it’s place. Usually there are specific things I want from each chain, and I’ll only order if that’s what I am in the mood for. somewhere like Pizzeria Uno is a fine cheesey meat pie thing, its just a different category than a NY style pizza.
That being said, “cafeteria” style pizzas, i.e. tastes frozen,crust either spongy or dry and cracker-y, have no place on any table ever. I’d probably include the super-budget places like Cici’s and Little Caesar’s in there.
Pizza Pizza is not the same as Little Caesar’s in Canada. Pizza Pizza is probably best known not for their pizza, but rather for their jingle and commercials that incorporated their central ordering number into them when they were an Ontario chain.
Nine-six-seven, eleven-eleven. Phone Pizza Pizza, hey hey hey!
And now the Pizza Pizza phone number in Latin:
Monks chanting: eye-ex, vee-eye, vee-eye-eye; ex-eye, ex-eye.
Pizza Pizza isn’t great, but the number is ingrained in my brain so I don’t need to look anything up to order a pizza for delivery. I can’t stand Dominoes; something about their crust puts me off. I’ve only ordered from them a couple times, but Panago provided decent pizzas.
“Pizza! Pizza!” is also recognized, primarily in the United States, as the slogan for another pizza franchise, Little Caesars. The companies are not affiliated and in fact compete in many areas of Canada. Little Caesars has been prohibited from using it as a slogan in Canada, as part of Pizza Pizza’s court defence of the trademark and the great possibility of confusion between the two firms. Pizza Pizza sold its “Pizza Pizza” slogan to Little Caesar’s in 1979.
My mistake. I knew there was some trademark issue with Little Caesar’s in Canada, but got confused on it.
There are a few Roundtable’s around where I live and they are still pretty good, but its a bit pricey. Better then Pizza Hut, though. Another gourmet chain we have in this area is Garlic Jim’s, but I haven’t found the pizza to be worth the increased price.
Oh, and I miss Shakey’s. I don’t know about their pizza. I can’t remember how it tasted. It’s just the memories as a small kid in the late 70’s, early-80’s. My family would go there and we’d eat pizza, fried chicken wings, and cheesy 'tater wedges! I remember their “penny gumball” machine was broken, and as long and you pulled back the lever, and released it, it would give you a piece of gum. My brother and I would have a mouth full of gum by the time we left for home.
The place closed down long ago.
Domino’s and Pizza Hut are the dominant national chains around here. Little Caesar’s reign has all but come to an end, with only one location remaining that I can think of. Papa John’s just moved into the area a year or two ago, and there’s at least one Uno.
There are several strong, local pizzerias, though, and they sop up a lot of the business. The national chains are mostly patronized by drunken college kids and families looking for a quick meal on the cheap.
Dial 4-5-9 22-22 and get a Mr. Gatti’s Pizza delivered
Real cheese, real hot
Real taste is what we’ve got
Real fresh, real fast
All those other pizzas are a thing of the past
Dial 4-5-9 22-22 and get a Mr. Gatti’s Pizza delivered
You don’t even have to leave your home
Just reach out and pick up the telephone
Dial 4-5-9 22-22 and get a Mr. Gatti’s Pizza delivered to you
Real cheese, real hot
Real taste is what we’ve got
Real fresh, real fast
Your first Mr. Gatti’s won’t be your last
Dial 4-5-9 22-22
[Why don’t you jot it down?]
Mr. Gatti’s, the best pizza in town
For real.
As far as I know, they never managed to get out of Texas, but I’ll never forget that song. It didn’t used to be too terrible, either, but I think that as they skewed ever further toward arcadery and away from food the quality started to slide.
Never trust a pizza place that spends more money on their box art than their pizza recipes.
I thought we were talking about pizza chains, not shitty Applebee’s wannabes that ride entirely on the reputation of their origin in a Chicago restaurant to which they have no resemblence in any factor other than name.
I’d rather eat a Pizza Hut pizza that someone dropped on the sidewalk during a 420 rally than eat Uno’s. Ugh.
If any of you ever find yourself in Kingston (god forbid) and want some good pizza, go to Woodenheads.
I will occasionally hit up a 5$ med pep at Pizza Pizza late at night though.
I’ve never been in there. I just assumed it was a shitty national pizza chain.
I never, ever order pan pizzas anyway. Too greasy. The thin crust is decent pizza. As is Domino’s but I’m not always in the mood for the quirky way they cut their thin-crust pizzas. But those are the only 2 chains that I’m aware have a thin-crust option.
Fortunately, there’s a local store that has a marvelous NY style pizza, but it doesn’t deliver…
Uno’s pizza is fine. It’s not great, but it’s certainly not Pizza Hut bad.
Why are so many people content with being dead wrong?
I am NOT being a pizza snob. I grew up on local pizza places in NYC and never had any chain pizza until I went away to college. The only one that I would willingly have again would be a Dominos thin crust pizza.
That being said, just being a non-chain does not guarantee any type of quality. I have had a lot of non chain pizza that I would rank far below any chain pizza I have eaten.
Yes, that’s very true! I mentioned that there are a half-dozen better-than-chain local/regional places that delivery to me. Well, there are at least two I’ve tried that are utterly vile, and which I would only eat in preference to Domino’s.