For those who had Costco takeout pizza. How does that compare? We don't eat pizza much these days.

-TVz

I'm going to stick up for our local Papa John's. It's ok pizza. Where they really shine is their boneless wings. Basically they are oversized chicken nuggets. I love them. I'll order 30 of those things on football Saturday and myself and the kids will munch on them all day.

Obviously, we have really awesome Mom and Pop pizza joints, but Papa Johns delivers kinda quick and I'm cool with their ok pizza.

quote:

Originally posted by TVzombie:
For those who had Costco takeout pizza. How does that compare? We don't eat pizza much these days.

-TVz

For 10 bucks you can't beat it! It kind of reminds me of Papa John's from 10-15 years ago when it was edible. Good, doughy crust with lots of sauce and cheese and I'm pretty certain they are a true 18" large. Most places went to a 16" "large" years ago.

I think it was JALLEN who used to post about a MBA professor wisely stating that one could make pizza so cheap that nobody would eat it. In other words, unchecked bean counters could completely kill the brand and make it shed significant market share.

Personally:

I have a garlic intolerance so I had to swear off Papa John's over a decade ago due to quantity of garlic in pizza sauce. They used to be the most garlic-laden out of any chain pizza. I have no idea if it's changed since they cheaped out but not willing to risk it.

I've also been introduced to the original Neapolitan pizza invented in Naples, Italy. That is my preference so that means either Mom & Pop, local small chain (e.g. Crust Pizza), or MOD pizza.

We use a bread machine to make the dough and add whatever toppings we like - way better than any chain pizza. The only drawback is the dough machine takes 90 minutes to run the cycle.

We quit buying pizza several years ago and now I make it at home. It's not difficult and you know everything that's in it.

quote:

Originally posted by xd45man:
I'm going to stick up for our local Papa John's. It's ok pizza. Where they really shine is their boneless wings. Basically they are oversized chicken nuggets. I love them. I'll order 30 of those things on football Saturday and myself and the kids will munch on them all day.

Obviously, we have really awesome Mom and Pop pizza joints, but Papa Johns delivers kinda quick and I'm cool with their ok pizza.

When the wife and I go Blueberry picking or to the range we stop at Hideaway on the way home. Yummy!

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
Marcos...

Tastes like shit here. The worst.

Here in MQT, I like Jets if I am going chain pizza. I get one of those junk mail flyers that will give me a five bucks off coupon about once a month. Otherwise, its buy local or DiGiorno.
No Papa Johns here.

There's one real close to us and two others just a few minutes away. We got a Pizza from the close one 3-4 years ago and never went back there or to any other PJ's. Never will.

There's two small, local places not far away and their delivery is great. So that's the folks we use.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by TVzombie:
For those who had Costco takeout pizza. How does that compare? We don't eat pizza much these days.

-TVz

Costco Pizza is good for 2 things:

1] Feeding medium to large groups of teenagers after a Boy Scout or sporting event.

2] A food of last resort if, say, you just got rescued after being lost in the wilderness for 5 days and that's all the SAR team has left to feed you.

Otherwise, it's not great.

Costco pizza is cheap and filling.

Yous Guys are funny! Here like PA Sig Said is a pizza Joint on every corner. It better be good or you will close shop faster than you opened it. Pizza in Philly, NJ NY and lower Ct. is an art form. Outside of this area, you don't know what a pizza SHOULD taste like.
I've had "pizza in many many states and they should serve toilet paper with it so you can wipe that shit off your face. The hardest thing to find here is a Chain" pizzeria. Dominoes exists only because it is cheap, not because it's good.

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
Pizza in Philly, NJ NY and lower Ct. is an art form. Outside of this area, you don't know what a pizza SHOULD taste like.

Years ago I had to arrange lunch for some east coast customers who were in town. I ordered pizza from a high end joint. One of the pizzas was a "Hawaiian Special" with pineapples and Canadian Bacon.

Our east coast guests laughed among themselves and one looked at me and said, "they really do put fruit on a pizza out here on the west coast.

not one of them would even try it.

We were never impressed with Papa John's. Apparently, my neighbors weren't, either. We used to have two PJ's nearby. Both closed up years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Personally:

I have a garlic intolerance.

You poor man...



Homemade (or small establishment) Neapolitan pizzas are fantastic and my preferred.

I make ten crusts at a time and freeze the unused ones for later. Vito Iacopelli's channel on the Youtubes is great for recipes and techniques. With frozen crusts, throwing together a pizza on relatively short notice is a piece of cake, and his technique for cooking them in the home oven (vs. pizza oven) works perfectly.

There are times, though, when I have to work late and didn't plan ahead that I have to stop by the local establishment Simple Simon's pizza for a take-home pie. While they do fill the hole, they are awful. The crust is terrible and the sauce is tasteless. When I lived where they were located, I always like Dominoes, but that's been awhile. Never had a Papa John's.

We swore off Papa John's quite a few years ago; worst pizza we had ever eaten! Tried to switch to Domino's but their delivery service around here is beyond pathetic.

Last time I ordered delivery from them I waited almost 2 hours and made nearly a dozen phone calls, none of which were answered, before finally driving to the store to give them a piece of my mind. There was a stack of cooked pizzas a mile high waiting on delivery drivers. They finally found mine near the bottom of the stack and it was apparent it had been sitting there a VERY long time. They offered me some "future deals" to make up for my wait and I told them exactly what they could do with those deals!!! Giving them a very small amount of leeway, I will admit this was after all the COVID shitstorm was settling down, and with all that "free money" the .gov was handing out, nobody wanted to work anymore and deliver pizzas.

These days if we order pizza, which we do 2 or 3 times per month, I order from our nearest Marco's which is less than 2 miles away. It is always hot and fresh, and loaded with toppings, unlike the skimpy toppings found on Papa John's or Domino's pizzas. In addition, I used to deliver for them and I know first-hand how they make the dough fresh daily, chop or prep all of the toppings daily from fresh, refrigerated ingredients (never frozen), and also the care with which the owners and manager demand that the pizzas be prepared with. They are far from the least expensive, but well worth the extra few dollars for a quality product! I have the remains of one in my fridge now that I need to finish up tonight, and it will be delicious as always...

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
Pizza in Philly, NJ NY and lower Ct. is an art form. Outside of this area, you don't know what a pizza SHOULD taste like.

Bullshit

Is NY style pizza delicious? Yes

Is Chicago style pizza delicious? Yes

Is Detroit style pizza delicious? yes

Neither NY style, Chicago style, nor Detroit style is some old world recipe true to the original Neapolitan pizza invented in Naples. In fact, Neapolitan pizza is on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In other words, it's the cultural heritage deemed worth preserving for humanity's sake. Neither NY style, Chicago style, nor Detroit style is on the list.

Frankly, if you've never had Neapolitan pizza from a certified pizza maker then you don't know what pizza SHOULD taste like.

quote:

Originally posted by Tuckerrnr1:
<<snip>> Godfathers is pretty good for a chain.

We used to eat Godfather's locally, but there hasn't been one around here in 10 years or more. I seem to remember it being really good though...

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:


Frankly, if you've never had Neapolitan pizza from a certified pizza maker then you don't know what pizza SHOULD taste like.

Rome and Sicily would like to have a word...