CiCis Pizza?
A Cici's just opened here in allentown and I really want to try it. Anyone have any good/bad experiences there?
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coastie
Apr 27, 2009 01:26 PM
Cici's and places like it kill your local independent operator. No mom and pop can ever keep up with those prices. Customer expectations come down as do their willingness to pay for their food. Only eat there if you economically must - otherwise eat from your local pizza guy.
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re: coastie
I would think they hurt the frozen pizza market more than the local pizza places. I can't imagine anyone thinking," I want Pizza, Angelo's makes a superb pie, but Cici's is cheaper."
You either care about good pizza, or you don't.
I don't even think Pizza Hut, Domino's, or any of the others hurt the locals that much. If you aren't willing to pay 15-20 bucks for an incredible pizza, if Pizza Hut was gone, you'd buy a De Giorno.-
re: Bobfrmia
coastie
Apr 27, 2009 04:31 PM
I just sold my pizza place - I can't tell you how many times ( daily ) i had to say we don't have 2 for 1 or additional pies for $5 each. It creates a perception among the uneducated public of which you obviously are not. I was lucky - had created a pie that won awards and was able to sell as opposed to close. But Ive stood there and defended my prices too many times to think people are logical when it comes to paying for pizza. Of course the flip side are people like you - willing to pay for quality handmade food - and glad they can
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re: coastie
Disagree. At my house, the question is either "Who wants good pizza tonight" or "Who wants cheap pizza tonight" - we have room for both at our table at different times. We can easily afford the expensive pizza any time we want it, but choose "pizza pizza" $5.95 bargains or the coupon specials occasionally just for variety. And our local independent operators are doing just fine, despite the competition.
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It's a great place to take kids. While my daughter attended a friend's birthday party at CiCi's, my husband and I ate from the buffet. I can't say the pizza was good but it was passable ( I only tried the Spinach). The apple pizza was dry. Wished I'd tried the cinnamon rolls - I didn't realize they are a tasty item at Cici's. The place was loud and filled with kids, making it the optimum place for a noisy kid's party among all the other patrons.
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studs1j
Mar 24, 2009 02:15 PM
They just opened a CiCi's in Rochester, MN my wife wanted to try it out.You get what you pay for. We won't be going back. This past Saturday the place was busy. The staff was working hard to keep up. The pizzas had almost no toppings and lots of white sauce pies. The taco pizza needs a taco sauce not the marinara that CiCi's uses. I noticed that they did not wash the salad greens before putting them into the salad bowl. Just rip the five pound bag open and dump it. The kids thought the place was too noisey. I felt like I had MSG overload.
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Wonderful advertising. It's advertised on TV here in central NJ but there is not one CiCi's for hundreds of miles (OK, maybe Allentown, if you mean Pennsylvania...but that still is over 75 miles away). So why tempt us?
Same with Sonics...great commercial attraction from TV. But no Sonics anywhere nearby.
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re: Fibber McGee
I've just started see JitB commercials but I do not know of any locations in Ohio. There are no Sonics in Ohio, but Ive heard rumors of them building in the large metro areas. I wasn't impressed the times Ive visited Sonic while traveling, and I've only visited CiCis once and I won't be going back.
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re: Kelli2006
I think those JitB ads are part of a national campaign. Those commericails probably air everywhere regardless of whether they are in that state or not. All those health issues can stay where they are.
Sonic has actually been in Ohio for a while, but they're really now starting to expand.They're opening about 30 in the next couple years in the Dayton area/Miami Valley.
You're not missing anything by avoiding these as their presence grows, Kelli.
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re: aynrandgirl
Calipoutine
Apr 25, 2009 11:13 AM
I totally agree with you. I live in Canada, but there is a Cici's in Port Huron, MI( border town). Its 3.99 right now and I tell you, I wouldnt eat there for free. I can't believe someone upthread likes that Mac N Cheese pizza. It was horrible!!
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we have 2 cicis pizzas here. It is not the best pizza in the world, but for the price it is pretty good. If you get the chance to try the mac and cheese pizza do so! It is totally delicious!!! The cicis here will make any kind of pizza you want, if you don't see it on the line already. They even find out how many slices you want and bring it to your table. The breadsticks are also a must try. They are soft and buttery, and really good. They have a hard time keeping them on the line! The pasta bar is crappy. The sauce tastes like the opened a can of tomato sauce, and heated it up. But the hot fresh from the oven cin. rolls are to die for. The soft brownies are gooey and always fresh. I gotta go, all of a sudden I am very hungry!!!
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Was just there last week, of course during the midday there will be waits and seating will be at a premium but it looked as though all the items were being kept up as well as could be expected...this is an area where buffets have been for a while now so it shouldn't be too hard for the workers to understand. I don't quite get having TVs there, you'd think the main attraction would be the food.
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Firegoat
Jun 10, 2008 06:06 AM
Haven't been to one in a while, but it was definitely a good deal for the money when you were a broke student. The local one here had an annoying habit of having the servers SCREAM WELCOME TO CICI's as you walked in the door. Once you got past that, and all the little kids running around, you could certainly eat your money's worth.
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re: Firegoat
beelzebozo
Jun 10, 2008 01:33 PM
i agree that when i was younger and short on change, cici's tasted pretty damn good. i've since found affordable and better pies in the area, but cici's wasn't so bad once.
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It's cheap, there's variety. As for the pizza itself, it's similar to the Chef Boyardee pizza kit that comes in a box. Edible, certainly.
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podunkboy
Jun 9, 2008 05:57 PM
You get what you pay for and little else. The pizzas are sparsely topped for the most part, the salad bar selection is spotty (I was in Cici's once and they were "out of lettuce" - kind of hard to make a salad that way, huh?) and sometimes the pizza's just old and cold, depending on the time of day. However, the fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon rolls ARE great, the occasional deep-dish pizza offering is hot and tasty, and I really love the spinach alfredo pizza -- the first spinach I would eat in 42 years.
Most places WILL cook you up a fresh pizza (or 1/2 pizza) of your choice, so long as it's not one already out on the buffet. My wife likes to order jalapeno & cheese only pizza or beef and jalapeno. It only takes a few minutes for them to run it through the oven. -
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ccbweb
Jun 9, 2008 02:00 PM
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/496132#3463747
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/32209...You'll find several opinions on those two threads.
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My husband loves the pizza buffet. He used to take the kids all the time when I was out of town, but the kids have pretty much grown up and don't eat out with him as often, so he's always looking for a CiCi's buddy. The pizza is OK, the pasta bar is OK, the salad bar is OK, and the cinnamon buns are pretty good. Well worth the $6.00.
