# Are all national pizza chain pizzas garbage? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116 "2005-10-13T20:10:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/21 "2005-10-13T23:57:23Z")
I don’t know if any of you have eaten at one, but Dions pizza (a chain in my city) is pretty good. There is another pizza chain here called Venezia’s thats even better (for out here)…real New York style pizza in the South West. 🙂 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/22 "2005-10-14T00:21:36Z")
Pizza is like sex. Even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good. 😛 I don’t remember who said that first. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/23 "2005-10-14T00:52:22Z")
Is Papa Murphy’s a national chain? I think so. It does take and bake pizza, and it’s pretty great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/24 "2005-10-14T01:08:30Z")
> [@Backwater Under\_Duck](#): > > Pizza is like sex. > Even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good. 😛 > I don’t remember who said that first. It’s hot, you get it all over your face, and not everyone likes the crust? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/25 "2005-10-14T01:40:33Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > I think it’s only regional, but Pizza King/Sir Pizza is fine by me. When I get a pizza, though, it’s more often a local one from Scampy’s or Art’s. Now I’m homesick. Mmm, Pizza King… And I’ve not had Scampy’s for nearly 10 years now. And Art’s is just down the road from my mom’s house. Gotta plan a road trip, just for the pizza… 10 hour drive for a pizza? Scampy’s or Art’s are worth it. I tried to get Mom to bring me a Pizza King Royal Feast pizza the last time she drove out here to visit, but she didn’t think it would survive the trip. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/26 "2005-10-14T02:02:30Z")
> [@Shibumi II](#): > > If your ever around St. louis, theres a good pizza chain called Imo’s > > [http://www.imospizza.com/](http://www.imospizza.com/) > > and even if your not from st. louis, you can get it delivered frozen to your door 🙂 > > [http://www.store.yahoo.com/stlouisstylepizza/buyoownpi.html](http://www.store.yahoo.com/stlouisstylepizza/buyoownpi.html) Some would disagree, I think Emo’s is foul! 🙂 Seriously, that kind of cheese, whatever it is, does not belong on pizza. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/27 "2005-10-14T02:37:17Z")
I was contemplating what to do about dinner tonight, and opening this thread decided me on pizza. 🙂 I went for Papa Johns, which i’ve always found edible, even if it’s not the world’s greatest pizza. The fact that there’s one right around the corner and delivery is usually pretty quick makes it a convenient option. I’m a thin crust pizza sort of guy. On my first trip to Chicago, i was keen to try the deep dish pizza for which the city is famous, but i really didn’t like it that much. Too much cheese, to much dough, just not very nice. My favourite pizza, i think, is Lombardi’s on Spring Street in Manhattan. I make a point of going there every time i visit New York City. I also like some of the wood fired pizza places that i used to frequent when i lived in Sydney, although they were a bit overpriced. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/28 "2005-10-14T03:06:35Z")
Many people from Ohio love [Donatos Pizza](http://www.donatos.com/). Since they were bought out, they’ve gone a bit downhill. Still, they’re great for a chain. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/29 "2005-10-14T03:10:56Z")
> [@badbadrubberpiggy](#): > > Some would disagree, I think Emo’s is foul! 🙂 I agree. Emos suck. Don’t get me started on Goths. I moved to Ohio a month or so ago and have yet to pop my Donato’s cherry. Everyone around here raves about it. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/30 "2005-10-14T03:52:10Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > The best pizza I ever had was from Lou Malnati’s in Chicago. Thick, hearty, deep dish pizza with spinach and pepperoni on a whole wheat crust. They have several locations in the Chicago area so technically they’re a chain, but damn are they fantastic. I remember when Lou had all of 3 locations. Looks like they’re up to 22 or so now, but they’re for the most part, only in Cook County. Hardly the same as Dummynos or Pizza Smut. > [@Roland Orzabal](#): > > Slight hijack: I keep hearing this, but every Pizzeria Uno I’ve ever seen has been a grease-to-go joint attached to a gas station…and I’ve seen quite a few. Is this a seperate chain that happens to have the same name, or do the sit-down versions (which I’ve never encountered) serve up a markedly different product from their fast-food bretheren? I’ve never seen a fast-food version. Sounds like some miserable sort of bastardization as their sit-down restaurants are quite good. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/31 "2005-10-14T04:15:12Z")
> [@Kilvert's Pagan](#): > > I like our Mellow Mushroom pizza here in Lexington… and they have a great beer selection including a lot of microbrews. > > Sir Pizza is a free pass to the ER around here. Ugh. Haven’t tried Mellow Mushroom here yet (but Pazzo’s is AWESOME.) I wouldn’t eat a Sir Pizza pizza if I was starving. Same goes for Bearno’s. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/32 "2005-10-14T04:25:12Z")
> [@Wolfian](#): > > I moved to Ohio a month or so ago and have yet to pop my Donato’s cherry. Everyone around here raves about it. Ohio’s a big place, but if you’re anywhere near Cincinnati try LaRosa’s (hand-tossed, sweet sauce), Adriatico’s (thick crust, garlicky) or Cassano’s (for your salty thin crust devotees). Three major winners. We went to a Donato’s recently & didn’t really care for it; edible, but kinda generic. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/33 "2005-10-14T04:49:26Z")
Donato’s is owned by McDonald’s now. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/34 "2005-10-14T06:36:33Z")
The only pizza chains I like are Pizza Hut and Pizzeria Uno. Pizza Hut’s personal pan pizzas are more like a good sandwich than real pizza but that’s fine. They’re still tasty. Pizza Hut’s pizzas also aren’t traditional but are very good. There’s a local chain called Cosi in NY/NJ that does upscale pizzas. I used to eat there all the time when I worked in NYC a few years ago. The pizza was made atop this excellent freshly baked flatbread. Unfortunately I recently tried them again in NJ and was very unimpressed. The pizza we sampled was no better than barely edible. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/35 "2005-10-14T07:09:51Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The quality of the pizza is inversely proportional to the number of restaurants in the chain. One restaurant = good pizza. Many restaurants = mediocrity. You can get horrible pizza from a single-joint business. However, in my experience, you cannot get good pizza from a nation chain, so that part of your axiom’s correct. The best I’ve ever had from a national chain is “mediocre.” ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/36 "2005-10-14T08:00:36Z")
> [@fessie](#): > > Ohio’s a big place, but if you’re anywhere near Cincinnati try LaRosa’s (hand-tossed, sweet sauce), Adriatico’s (thick crust, garlicky) or Cassano’s (for your salty thin crust devotees). Three major winners. > > We went to a Donato’s recently & didn’t really care for it; edible, but kinda generic. Actually I’m in Cincinnati. Thanks for the suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/37 "2005-10-14T08:06:22Z")
I think Papa John’s thin crust pizza is probably the best chain pizza, in my opinion. But that might just be because I’m always…uh…unusually hungry…when I wind up ordering it. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/38 "2005-10-14T13:02:55Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > I think Papa John’s thin crust pizza is probably the best chain pizza, in my opinion. But that might just be because I’m always…uh…unusually hungry…when I wind up ordering it. Nah, it’s still pretty good even when you’re not “extra hungry”. However, since it’s so thin it’s easy to put away a lot of it if you’re not paying attention. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/39 "2005-10-14T13:33:58Z")
I’ve liked Sbarro. I like Pizza Hut, too, but I haven’t been to one in about 10 years, I bet. I remember it being nice and crusty, with softness in the middle and really greasy, even the crust. I agree with the comment that pizza is like sex. Even when it’s bad it’s good, but sometimes there’s too much cheese. I can really only remember one place where the pizza was actually BAD. They had thin little things sitting under heat lamps with old old meat on them. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116/40 "2005-10-14T19:03:44Z")
> [@brianjedi](#): > > Haven’t tried Mellow Mushroom here yet (but Pazzo’s is AWESOME.) I wouldn’t eat a Sir Pizza pizza if I was starving. Same goes for Bearno’s. I’ve heard that about Pazzo’s, too… they’re next on my list to try out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-national-pizza-chain-pizzas-garbage/326116.md?page=3)