No, they’re not that bad. People who say that their local pizza places are so much better are missing the point. No one’s claiming that chain pizza is at all comparable to a top-notch local pizza. It’s fast food. But, at the same time, chain pizza is perfectly edible. I’ve certainly never seen anyone turn down a slice when offered.
I have the misfortune of currently living in a country where chain pizza is all there is. I wouldn’t order Domino’s at home, but I will here.
Interesting how our experiences differ- I’ll agree Pizza Hut here isn’t great, but I quite like Eagle Boys and Dominoes pizzas.
The thing is, I’ve eaten at “Gourmet Italian Woodfired Pizza Places that charge $30 for a fairly average sized pizza” here and just didn’t think they that great- they certainly weren’t $20 better than what I was getting from somewhere like Eagle Boys.
Also, I hate a thin crust on my pizza. Hate it.
We have a couple of local places around here that make very good pizza. But I’ve had Pizza Hut a few times recently and I have to say, it wasn’t bad.
All pizza chains are glock. If you’re vulnerable to pizza delivery urges/pangs it’s a good idea to root out an independent operation close by. Having said that Little Seizures has just opened a new spot in my hood and I’m sure I’ll be hitting them up for five buck pizzas here and there just because I can.
Well, Ameci’s is a “chain” although a very small one, and they have the best thin crust pizza I have ever had.
The local non-chain, a block away, is just OK. Round Table is better.
Bite your tongue amigo! Pizzeria Uno… or Giordiano’s… Edwardo’s… all quality Chicago Pizza joints. We prefer it not flat and tasteless and eaten on the go like you New Yorkers…
Being in Atlanta i settled long ago for okay only… local chain here Mellow Mushroom and Fellini’s do pretty good…
I like some Round Tables but find they vary quite a bit from location to location. Papa John’s is ok but I want to shoot them every time they put a tub of butter in the box and tell me I’m supposed to dip my pizza in it.
Good local places are great. But in my experience on average local places are worse than the chains 9so when in doubt there’s a fair chance I’ll go with the known entity of the chain), though once you find one of the good ones it is something to be treasured.
I’m fine with whatever type of crust and style of toppings are offered. I don’t consider New York pizza better or worse than than Chicago style. Just different.
Foodie/indie elitism at work here, folks. Consider that the average American Doper gets dry heaves when they think of random-crap-on-the-walls chain restaurants like Applebee’s. See … there they go!
Chain pizza in the US varies, but it’s generally consistent within the chain. Places like Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and the like are all about … well, average. Not bad, but not great. They’re good, and Dopers that claim to be sickened by the thought of them are likely exaggerating. Pizza buffets like CiCi’s …meh, it’s edible. High-end chains like California Pizza Kitchen and Pizzeria Uno are pretty good.
Rule of thumb: in a city with a large Italian-American population, and a strong local pizza tradition (NYC, New Haven, Chicago, and Buffalo come to mind), the chains aren’t going to be as good as a typical independent corner pizzeria or local chain, comparatively speaking. In smaller cities and towns, rural locations, and generic Midwestern and Southern cities, the big national delivery chains are often better than a typical local pizzeria, although there’s often going to be one or two local pizzerias in town that are fairly decent.
It really comes down to “authenticity”. In many parts of the country, “authentic” local pizza is quite mediocre, so the delivery chains are really good by comparison. However, some foodies value “authenticity” over quality.
What in the world do you mean by “authenticity” that admits a statement like this?
Ok, so now I’m curious. I love pizza, but frankly most of my experience has been with either chain or homemade stuff. Anyone one know of a good local place in or around St. Louis? I went to a good wood-fired place in Clayton about a decade ago, but I don’t know what it was called or if it is still there.
I know! The word effectively has no meaning in that sentence.
100 locations in 15 states isn’t that local. There is one within a mile of my house in central Indiana. Everyone (myself included) seems to think they are local originally though. They did originate in Athens though.
“Authentic” doesn’t always mean “good”.
I’m asking you what you think the word does mean.
I’ve heard Foodies throwing it around a lot to describe food that’s made by hand with fresh ingredients, and not as part of a sort of “assembly-line-cooking” process.
Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s “shit”. It just means your tastes are different to those who shop there.
So say I, a man who doesn’t really like food.
Nah. Chicago-style pizza is a once-in-awhile treat. Everyday Chicago pizza is the thin crackery crust that’s cut into square. Both have their place on the pizza echelon, but I prefer the thin stuff by far to the thick stuff. And Giordano’s sucks.
NY Pizza can be fantastic and it can be terrible. It’s not all great pizza. But the best NY pies are anything but tasteless (I’m thinking Grimaldi’s, Patsy’s, etc.) Until recently, you couldn’t find such fantastic flavorful crusts here in Chicago. (Chicago cracker crusts have a nice texture, but don’t have the depth of flavor a good NY crust has with its poolish [starter dough] and charring). However, now things have changed and you can get great examples of many styles here in our fair city.
Anyhow, as to the OP. I hate to say it, as I really try to judge everything in its own category and not try to compare it to other similar products aiming at a different market (for example, comparing Neapolitan pizza with Chicago deep dish, or Old Style beer with Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, although I like all these in the right situation), but I simply do not like any of the major chain pizzerias. The only one I can somewhat stand is Pizza Hut. Domino’s is awful (although I haven’t tried the new recipe. Last time I had Domino’s was about 15 years ago.) I don’t like Little Caesar’s. Papa John’s is terrible. Actually, it’s been 15 years since I’ve had any of those. (More like 20 for Little Caesar’s).
So are they “that bad” as in inedible? No, of course not. But there’s no reason I would eat them with so many options around.
Domino’s really was that bad (haven’t tried the new version). The only two times I can remember throwing out food are once when I let strawberries get rotten, and once when I ordered Domino’s pizza. I figured it wasn’t healthy and it tasted bad, so the waste of money was more palatable than the pizza. Domino’s themselves admits it was terrible. Their current advertising is “we’ve changed, our pizza isn’t gross any more!”
Pizza Hut and Round Table taste OK to me (after all, it is hard to make pizza bad), though I would certainly never confuse them with the good pizza places I frequent.
And lest I be unfairly maligning the chains, I should say that I don’t like about 85% of the pizzas at local pizzerias here in Chicago. There is just a lot of shit pizza out there. Just because it’s locally owned doesn’t mean it’s good. The idea that there’s no such thing as bad pizza is simply crazy to me.
It’s not that they’re “crap”, it’s just that they’re much worse than good local pizza places (in cities that have good local pizza places). To some people, though, anything that’s not the really good stuff might as well be crap.
Personally, I’d never choose pizza from one of the big chains over any of my favorite local places except for reasons of cost or convenience (there are chain places closer to where I live so they deliver faster). However I still enjoy the big chain pizzas when I don’t have a better alternative. I have eaten pizza I don’t enjoy . . . believe me, you can find much worse than Pizza Hut, Papa Johns or Dominoes.