Favorite National Pizza Chain

[PoS]

Ah yes, it's the man of self-declared "refined tastes", showing us more of same.

LOL I made that comment as tongue in cheek but it doesnt surprise me that you took it seriously. :lol:

This thread is about national chains- its not a thread about the greatest pizza either you know lol

Does anybody still have a Shakey's Pizza around? It was kind of a treat to go there as a kid because they showed old cartoons on a movie screen.

Ive actually seen more Shakey's franchises outside of the US than I have locally. It seems a strange quirk that the franchise has staying power overseas but is largely gone from the US local scene.

Round Table blows all other chains away. Either the all meat or combination are my favorites. They used to have a really good steak pizza, don't know if they still make that.

I have to admit that I havent eaten Round Table since the 80's when I was a kid and back then I wasn't impressed with it. Maybe they remade their menu and pizzas so I cant judge them at this time...

 

[DifferentDrummr]

Round Table was good 45 years ago. Last time I went (20 years ago), it sucked.

They use more salt than they need to or should, but they still are considerably better than the other big chains.

 

[Iamjesus]

My own pizza is My favorite and definitely the only one I will put in my mouth.

I haven't eaten pizza from a chain for over 20 years. Not after my teenage nephew worked at one.

 

[Zyphlin]

Right now, Pizza Hut has probably jumped into my "favorite" category. I have a soft spot for their Pan Pizza, as plain cheese pan pizza from Pizza Hut was my go to as a kid. They just do everything "solid". Price is great, not the best. Taste is good, not the best. Breadsticks are good, not the best. What run me over to them recently however was their new sauce/crust options. While I can eat pizza weekly if I could, my wife easily gets sick of it. So being able to still do pizza in a pinch, but making one BBQ, or an alfredo garlic white sauce, or even the spicy siracha sauce, is really handy.

I REALLY liked Domino's a few years back when they changed their sauce and crust. The crust had some nice spices on it and the sauce specifically was wonderful with this great backnote of cayenne pepper in it. But apparently people bitched and complained and they dialed it back, leaving it pretty standard sauce.

Now I'll usually do Pizza Hut if I'm going for a national chain, substituting Domino's in occasionally when I want to be a bit cheaper or just need a change of taste. I do Papa Johns the least as it's the most expensive, but every once in a while I start tasting their bread sticks and their garlic dipping sauce.

Not a national chain, but a regional one: Anyone who ever visits the DC/Maryland/Virginia area has got to try out Ledo Pizza.

The College Park kid tosses up the most over rated local pizza joint

Ledo's isn't bad, but typically leaves me kind of "meh". Then again, I'm not a huge toppings guy, so it may be that their toppings are of high quality or something. I swear, Ledo's and Crab Cakes, I don't get you Marylanders.

Does anybody still have a Shakey's Pizza around? It was kind of a treat to go there as a kid because they showed old cartoons on a movie screen.

I don't know. Last one of them I saw was created out of Stem Cells...........

 

[molten_dragon]

Little Caesar's. The quality is mediocre at best, but so are most of the big chains, and Little Caesar's prices can't be beat. Plus their crazy bread is awesome.

 

[truthatallcost]

LOL I made that comment as tongue in cheek but it doesnt surprise me that you took it seriously. :lol:

This thread is about national chains- its not a thread about the greatest pizza either you know lol


Ive actually seen more Shakey's franchises outside of the US than I have locally. It seems a strange quirk that the franchise has staying power overseas but is largely gone from the US local scene.



I have to admit that I havent eaten Round Table since the 80's when I was a kid and back then I wasn't impressed with it. Maybe they remade their menu and pizzas so I cant judge them at this time...

You should give Round Table another shot. Their cheese and toppings taste so much better than Pizza Hut or the other chains.

Shakeys was fun to go to as a kid. There was one in San Leandro that felt ancient, there was an organ playing that looked like it was from the 30s. And it was the only pizza place I've ever seen that served fried chicken with pizza.

 

[Moon]

Does anybody still have a Shakey's Pizza around? It was kind of a treat to go there as a kid because they showed old cartoons on a movie screen.

Last one I saw was in Singapore about 20 years ago.

 

[Tuatara]

They use more salt than they need to or should, but they still are considerably better than the other big chains.

I don't know all those chains but Dominos, Pizza Hut and Liitle Caesars are horrible pizza places.

 

[StillBallin75]

Right now, Pizza Hut has probably jumped into my "favorite" category. I have a soft spot for their Pan Pizza, as plain cheese pan pizza from Pizza Hut was my go to as a kid. They just do everything "solid". Price is great, not the best. Taste is good, not the best. Breadsticks are good, not the best. What run me over to them recently however was their new sauce/crust options. While I can eat pizza weekly if I could, my wife easily gets sick of it. So being able to still do pizza in a pinch, but making one BBQ, or an alfredo garlic white sauce, or even the spicy siracha sauce, is really handy.

I REALLY liked Domino's a few years back when they changed their sauce and crust. The crust had some nice spices on it and the sauce specifically was wonderful with this great backnote of cayenne pepper in it. But apparently people bitched and complained and they dialed it back, leaving it pretty standard sauce.

Now I'll usually do Pizza Hut if I'm going for a national chain, substituting Domino's in occasionally when I want to be a bit cheaper or just need a change of taste. I do Papa Johns the least as it's the most expensive, but every once in a while I start tasting their bread sticks and their garlic dipping sauce.



The College Park kid tosses up the most over rated local pizza joint

Ledo's isn't bad, but typically leaves me kind of "meh". Then again, I'm not a huge toppings guy, so it may be that their toppings are of high quality or something. I swear, Ledo's and Crab Cakes, I don't get you Marylanders.



I don't know. Last one of them I saw was created out of Stem Cells...........

Dude Pizza Hut is turrible. At least the ones I've been to recently. Just based on my experience I don't know how anyone can even throw that out as an option. Domino's and Papa John's are for the most part not bad but pretty generic. For me Ledo isn't about the toppings necessarily, the cheese and the sauce just taste good. I swear to God every time I go even consider going to Pizza Hut it's for the bread sticks and not the pizza.

 

[radcen]

OK, I purposely did not include mom and pop places as well as regional pizza stores in this poll because that is what everybody would be voting for and there wouldn't be enough poll buttons for it.

So let's hear it, what is your favorite chain and why!

Round Table is regional, but of those listed it is by far the best.

 

[Dragonfly]

Wow...a little surprised at the results here.

#1) I've never even heard of Round Table or California Pizza Kitchen. Might be a national chain, but they are not in Delaware.

#2) Domino's hasn't made decent pizza in decades

#3) from a pizza chain point of view, Papa Johns wins in my area

#4) perhaps it's time for me to try Pizza Hut again, but 20 years ago the ones near me were awful - greasy mess. Maybe they've changed....

#5) Little Ceasar's is about on par with frozen pizza from grocery store

If I'm going with national chain pizza, it's Papa John's without question.

 

[radcen]

Wow...a little surprised at the results here.

#1) I've never even heard of Round Table or California Pizza Kitchen. Might be a national chain, but they are not in Delaware.

#2) Domino's hasn't made decent pizza in decades

#3) from a pizza chain point of view, Papa Johns wins in my area

#4) perhaps it's time for me to try Pizza Hut again, but 20 years ago the ones near me were awful - greasy mess. Maybe they've changed....

#5) Little Ceasar's is about on par with frozen pizza from grocery store

If I'm going with national chain pizza, it's Papa John's without question.

Random stuff to your comments...

- Round Table is regional, west coast. Farthest east they go is Utah, I believe. Still the best of the bunch listed in the OP, by far.

- Grocery store frozen pizza is better than Little Ceasar's.

- I cannot abide Papa Johns.

- Pizza Hut actually used to be pretty damn good, a few decades ago. They claim to have not changed their recipe, but I don't believe them.

 

[Dragonfly]

Random stuff to your comments...

- Round Table is regional, west coast. Farthest east they go is Utah, I believe. Still the best of the bunch listed in the OP, by far.

- Grocery store frozen pizza is better than Little Ceasar's.

- I cannot abide Papa Johns.

- Pizza Hut actually used to be pretty damn good, a few decades ago. They claim to have not changed their recipe, but I don't believe them.

As with any chain, there's always a regional aspect to everything. I know of two McDonalds about 15 miles apart. One I would eat food from if the desire was there, the other I would rather suck on my 4 year old grass cutting shoes in the garage before I'd eat there.

My families last Pizza Hut experience was not good. Not good at all. Again, that was 20-ish years ago and involved just the one Pizza Hut closest to our home at that time.
Same goes for Domino's.

It's quite possible that the Pizza Hut pizza in California is far superior to the Pizza Hut pizza in Delaware.

 

[radcen]

As with any chain, there's always a regional aspect to everything. I know of two McDonalds about 15 miles apart. One I would eat food from if the desire was there, the other I would rather suck on my 4 year old grass cutting shoes in the garage before I'd eat there.

My families last Pizza Hut experience was not good. Not good at all. Again, that was 20-ish years ago and involved just the one Pizza Hut closest to our home at that time.
Same goes for Domino's.

It's quite possible that the Pizza Hut pizza in California is far superior to the Pizza Hut pizza in Delaware.

Agreed that variations can occur within the same chain from location to location, though I think that's somewhat of an exception. Most are pretty similar, which is one of their primary goals. Branding and consistency is what they market.

 

[Dragonfly]

Agreed that variations can occur within the same chain from location to location, though I think that's somewhat of an exception. Most are pretty similar, which is one of their primary goals. Branding and consistency is what they market.

I just noticed your Felix Unger quote....:lamo