The Chains

One good thing about chain pizza is that you generally know what to expect. They do a pretty good job of making it taste the same throughout the chain. Unfortunately, that is also BAD if they haven’t developed a good product. This blog’s focus will be non-chain stores, but I do want to comment about the national chains because almost everyone is familiar with them, and it will establish somewhat of a baseline for comparison to the independent shops.

I admit it – I’m enough of a cheapskate that I’ll sometimes pass over good, but more expensive pizza in favor of a cheap deal from a chain. We all do that, I’m sure. Most of the chains have online ordering, and for some reason that option appeals to me. We live too far out in the country to get delivery, so it is always picked up, and typically the chains make it quick and convenient to do so. OK, enough rationalization…here is my opinion of the national chains, in the order I came to know them:

PIZZA HUT

When I was a teenager in the 1970s, Pizza Hut’s product was different than now. I don’t think they had pan pizza yet. As I recall, the choices were “thick and chewey,” and “thin and crispy.” I had some of both that were quite good back then. Now, I think they make more pan pizza than anything else. My basic impression of their current product is not very good. Pan pizza is terribly greasy, and the other crust styles are very institutional and cardboardish. The sauce is reasonably good, but often is salty, overspiced and tastes overprocessed. The cheese is adequate, but bland. One bright spot is that their toppings are excellent.
Crust: **
Sauce: ***
Cheese: ***
Toppings: *****
Overall:

DOMINOS

In the 1970s, Dominos in Ithaca had little delivery trucks with gas-fired ovens to keep the pizza hot. When I worked nights pumping gas, I would frequently order one, place it on top of the pump, and take bites while running from car to car. Recently I tried Dominos again, thanks to their ad campaign that touted how they listened to customer complaints (sauce like ketchup, crust like cardboard), and offered a decent $12 deal for two mediums. My biggest complaint is the spice on the crust edge. Combined with the sauce’s excess spice, it overwhelms the flavor mix. Everything else was acceptable, but not excellent.
Crust: ***
Sauce: ***
Cheese: ***
Toppings: ****
Overall: ***

LITTLE CAESARS

We used to get this a lot for lunch where I worked in the early 90s. We’d pool our money and send one person to pick it up. They would put two pizzas side by side on a long cardboard tray, they cover it with a long paper bag. The attractive thing was the specials, where you could get 2 or 4 for a low price, and put different toppings on each to please everyone in the crowd. Now, the company has positioned themselves to provide “Hot and Ready” pizza, either cheese or pepperoni for $5. It is acceptable for your 8 year old’s birthday party, but it is barely palatable for mature taste buds. The toppings, including sauce and cheese, are extremely sparse. It does not hold up well as leftovers – you have to eat it soon after baking, or throw it out before it morphs into cardboard.
Crust: ***
Sauce: **
Cheese: **
Toppings: *
Overall: **

PAPA JOHN’S

A friend of mine moved to Charlotte, NC in the early 90s, and when I visited him in 1995 he introduced me to Papa John’s. He shares my love of pizza, and thought I would like it. I would have to say, of all the chain pizza, this is the one I would pick if I had to make a choice bwetween them. The toppings are first rate, the sauce is relatively good, but the crust is too spongy, soft and tough with a strange “sweet” note. Recently my wife and I tried their $10 large with up to 7 toppings. We selected the thin crust, and managed to think up 6 toppings we’d like. I thought the thin crust was too much like a cracker, but my wife LOVED it.
Crust: ***
Sauce: ***
Cheese: ***
Toppings: *****
Overall: ****