598190 Sat Feb 21 15:50:36 -0800 2009 67 32 Chains 0 4439879 I'm watching a food network pizza special and they're showing a crispy pizza with some burnt spots on the crust, packaged to go with their little paper tent. I used to get this thin crust delight back in the early seventies, and bring it home on my motorcycle. Todays conveyor belt concotions bear no resemblance to yesterday's pie. I was a pure cheese guy, while my mom and brother were cheese and anchovie. Does anyone remember when they used an actual oven and were pretty good, not New York good but not bad at all? Sat Feb 21 15:50:36 -0800 2009 198541 James Cristinian 1 4439894 I never remember when PH was good. Sat Feb 21 15:56:56 -0800 2009 4439879 147961 treb 2 4439993 I second that emotion. Almost 20 years ago when I first got out of college, I distinctly remember eating it with a friend and having a major stomachache from ingesting all that grease. That was the last time I ate it . YUCK! I guess any of PH's glory days were before my time. Sat Feb 21 16:50:18 -0800 2009 4439894 249664 kattyeyes 3 4447610 Kattyeyes, forty years ago when I was in college, Pizza Crud had a Tuesday night all-you-can-eat pizza deal. I got thrown out after my crummy third pie (little guy, big appetite). Never been back, no regrets. What happened to that great pizza place down hill from Wesleyan w/ the outside dining under the grape arbor? Tue Feb 24 09:48:29 -0800 2009 4439993 93538 Passadumkeg 4 4449084 Hey, Passa! I'm sure you now consider yourself lucky they through you out before you "indulged" any more. ;) Giuseppe's is the grape arbor place you're remembering. My all-time favorites in town are both long gone--Giovanni's (used to be near the SNET building on Broad St.) and my uncle's place (Alfredo's Riverside). I didn't realize Giuseppe's was gone, too--here's what replaced it: http://wesleyanargus.com/2008/02/01/restaurant-review-cafe-ology/ Tue Feb 24 16:30:13 -0800 2009 4447610 249664 kattyeyes 5 4449113 Wes is one kick ass school. Who else could produce Timothy Leary, Bill Belachek, and Little Passasmartkeg! Tue Feb 24 16:40:30 -0800 2009 4449084 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4439905 I don't even "remember" them. 30 years ago, PH opened in my neighborhood 2 doors up from a local pizza shop and drove them out of business. I made it a point to never patronize them. Sat Feb 21 16:00:24 -0800 2009 4439879 263884 azveggieguy 2 4440187 umm, no, absolutely not! ;-) Sat Feb 21 18:19:41 -0800 2009 4439905 15599 jan 1 4440369 I remember there was a pizza hut on the drive down the shore. We would stop and I could get my very own individual pizza. It was heaven. Crispy, chewy, and all mine. Recently i was stuck in Newark airport with my boys, and the only food option was Pizza Hut. I bought them each one (at 10 bucks a piece, ouch), and they threw more than half away and declared it disgusting. And these are boys who are not opposed to eating bugs, or dirt, or grass. I guess their new taglne should be "Pizza Hut, tastes worse than bugs!" Sat Feb 21 20:05:11 -0800 2009 4439879 192643 sunangelmb 2 4440511 Back in the early 1980s, Pizza Hut used to have this florentine stuffed pizza that I really loved as a kid. It was my first introduction to spinach and cheese in a pizza and I sometimes wish I could try it again to see if it was as good as I remember. I have never been a fan of any of their other pizzas, but I loved that one. Sat Feb 21 21:41:27 -0800 2009 4440369 19503 shan 1 4440594 I haven't been to one in years and years and years. But when I did order delivery or when I ate at one of their pizzerias (back in the day), I enjoyed their pies. The pan crust was my favorite. The crust had some rise and a bit of color to it. Also, they were pretty generous with their toppings. Plenty of meat! Alas, you did pay for the pleasure the next morning, or later in that evening. Their pan crust combo and even the veggie were by far the greasiest pizzas I had ever tried. I just found it funny that even the veggie pan crust was just soaked in grease from top to bottom. Maybe that's why it was so tasty! Pizza hut pizzas are probably ok for a college student's metabolism (along with a wallop of alcohol), but adults will have a hard time stomaching their tastier/greasier pies. PS: I'm sure quality has plummeted in recent years. They're selling them at little kiosks everywhere they sell taco bell, so the prep is probably extremely fast and therefore very sloppy. I don't understand why these stores are able to proliferate to the same degree that their quality plummets. Sat Feb 21 22:43:12 -0800 2009 4439879 258488 NewDude 1 4440641 You mean when Dodo birds roamed the earth? Sat Feb 21 23:34:50 -0800 2009 4439879 11583 ipsedixit 1 4441113 My coworkers still love them. The other day we all wanted pizza and the girls in the office got to choose. They got a bunch of Pizza Hut's Mama Mia pies. They were oohing and ahhing at how good that pizza was. I was sitting there wishing I had Papa John's. Sun Feb 22 08:37:28 -0800 2009 4439879 76025 mojoeater 2 4447169 I can't stand Papa John's but was stuck at the office without a car the other day and ordered a medium thin crust veggie lover's pizza from Pizza Hut and it was very good. Lots of veggies....all fresh (no canned mushrooms), nicely sauced with a good amount of cheese and delivered piping hot. Tue Feb 24 07:55:02 -0800 2009 4441113 11990 Janet from Richmond 3 4449127 Good NY style pizza is hard to find in Richmond. I remember the PH lunch buffet, with salad, pasta and pizza ( a precursor to Cici's, at least here in RIchmond) - I loved the PH veggie pizza then. Now the crust is kind of grease soaked. Tue Feb 24 16:44:23 -0800 2009 4447169 124908 jeanmarieok 4 4450117 There is a place near my office, Anna's Pizza, on Hull St that has decent NY style slices (and they have the best pepperoni I've had on a pizza, I need to ask them where they get it) and they have a 2 slice one topping lunch special with a soda for around $5...that's my usual lunch pizza place, but unfortunately they don't deliver and I needed delivery that particular day. Wed Feb 25 04:46:36 -0800 2009 4449127 11990 Janet from Richmond 1 4441598 Yes, decades ago....and an even better competitor chain, Pizza Inn. Sun Feb 22 11:50:51 -0800 2009 4439879 12296 steakman55 2 4454137 there is still a Pizza Inn, and Ken's pizza in our region Thu Feb 26 09:17:49 -0800 2009 4441598 165021 Firegoat 1 4447567 I don't recall them ever being good. I feel bad for anyone who lives in a location where there isn't a regular old non-chain pizzaria like we have all over the place in CT. I guess if I never had "real" pizza I'd probably like chain pizza but in my house Dominos and PH will never ever win out when there are tons of better pizza options within both walking and driving distance to my Hartford area home. Tue Feb 24 09:40:28 -0800 2009 4439879 15908 masha bousha 1 4449095 Looks like I'm the lone dissenter. I lived next door to a PH during university in the late 80s. I loved them and their buttery bottoms. Once, I even stopped by nine times during a one week period. I rarely go now, but still find the buttery bottoms nostalgic and yes, good! Tue Feb 24 16:33:27 -0800 2009 4439879 12873 OCAnn 2 4449100 OMG, my stomach hurts just thinking of going nine times in one week. Glad you have reformed! ;) Tue Feb 24 16:35:12 -0800 2009 4449095 249664 kattyeyes 1 4450563 Pizza Hut was good? I have consistently found PH to be the worst of the worst, even among its fellow lousy chains. Wed Feb 25 08:00:36 -0800 2009 4439879 12829 Bob W 1 4452915 i thought it was really good when I was a kid and did their book-it program for the free personal pan pizza. now, i wouldn't say its "really good" ..but sometimes a thin crust with pepperoni hits the spot. Must mention that my only delivery options are pizza hut, dominos, and papa johns. ick. Wed Feb 25 20:24:23 -0800 2009 4439879 97325 MDoodle 2 4453316 Enough to make one drive! Thu Feb 26 03:12:14 -0800 2009 4452915 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4454664 I thought it was great when I was a kid, but then again I also thought spaghettios and canned ravioli were good then too. My taste buds just can't tolerate this kind of stuff anymore, it just doesn't taste "good" to me any longer. Thu Feb 26 11:27:53 -0800 2009 4439879 19518 rockandroller1 1 4455001 I also remember when Little Caesars and Domino's were good! They weren't yet chains just independent pizza restaurants. We had a Little Caesars near my house in the Detroit suburbs that made a decent thin crust pizza...nothing like their product today. Thu Feb 26 12:45:11 -0800 2009 4439879 15039 Tripper 1 4458019 I do remember the paper tent.... and the thin crust bacon bit pizza.... some 30 years ago.... sigh Fri Feb 27 11:00:07 -0800 2009 4439879 165021 Firegoat 1 4459910 No. Sat Feb 28 00:53:57 -0800 2009 4439879 48210 KevinB 1 4462400 Does anybody remember when Pizza Hut used to be good? No. Sun Mar 01 07:12:10 -0800 2009 4439879 253154 Fritter 1 4463708 No. Sun Mar 01 15:20:35 -0800 2009 4439879 149239 juantanamera 1 4463750 excuse my new yorkiness but - NO PH was solely for college/concert road trips when there was literally no other choice. hmmm - still is. Sun Mar 01 15:37:21 -0800 2009 4439879 135229 thew 1 4466479 I do recall that I used to like PH when I was a kid - that doesn't mean it was good though - just means I didn't know any better. Mon Mar 02 12:25:55 -0800 2009 4439879 203338 chicaraleigh 1 4497457 pizza hut was good in the '70s. we always got a special "kick" when a streaker ran through, showing off to us high schoolers after a football game. ;-). Thu Mar 12 08:07:02 -0700 2009 4439879 105717 alkapal 1 4500462 Yes....................................................................Ok, No. -BnF Fri Mar 13 00:19:45 -0700 2009 4439879 125375 Big N Fat 1 4500512 I grew up eating Anna's pizza on Revere Beach and Santarpio in Eastie. When my kids were young we moved out of the City to Southern NH. Pizza Hut was our only choice. Boy, was it horrible. Blech, never good, not even passable. Fri Mar 13 02:34:40 -0700 2009 4439879 15691 mcel215 1 4503276 I remember when Pizza Hut was good. It was when I was 12 years old and had never eaten any other kind of Pizza. It did not last long. Fri Mar 13 19:28:12 -0700 2009 4439879 245049 jenga66 1 4588906 Oh James... yes.. yes...yes. I was only talking about the 1972 Pizza Hut plain cheese crispy base pizza the other day. It was called simply "mozzarella" (meaning extra cheese) and it was simply delicious. The sauce was magnificent and the cheese was not like the gluey mozzarella of today. Sun Apr 12 06:43:31 -0700 2009 4439879 282090 sintch 1 4590224 used to go to one in ohio during college (70's) even by ohio standards pretty poor except the all you could eat nights. but what i did like ,even though they were really lousy , were there subs, they basically took the toppings and put them on a hero and ran it through the oven. most ppl never realized it was even on the menu, 30 yr.s before quiznos Sun Apr 12 18:53:06 -0700 2009 4439879 71745 rich51 1 4603254 I'm not sure "good" is the right word, but I prefer thin crust pizza, and NOBODY makes a thin crust pizza around here but PH. And some nights a Thin 'n' Crispy Supreme just hits the spot. Yes, I could just make my own....well...no, I couldn't. You see, while I am a pretty good cook, me and dough do not get along. No matter what I do I always butcher the dough (no pun intended) and end up with a big mess and no pizza. All the pre-formed pizza shells at the store are thick crust...way too thick. Therefore the only way for me to get a quick fix is PH. It's really not that bad. Thu Apr 16 21:06:01 -0700 2009 4439879 226942 al b. darned 2 4612906 Buca di Beppo has a really good thin crust pizza. CPK has yucky thin crust pizzas. And Z Pizza is only meh. Mon Apr 20 16:31:52 -0700 2009 4603254 12873 OCAnn 3 4688730 Thanks, but none of them are in my area. Sat May 16 00:28:21 -0700 2009 4612906 226942 al b. darned 2 4613069 I don't make my dough, but buy it. Most bakeries and even pizza places will sell pizza dough, and it's cheap. And it would be much better than PH, blech..... Mon Apr 20 17:23:03 -0700 2009 4603254 15691 mcel215 3 4688733 As I said... >>> Yes, I could just make my own....well...no, I couldn't. You see, while I am a pretty good cook, me and dough do not get along. No matter what I do I always butcher the dough (no pun intended) and end up with a big mess and no pizza. <<< Sat May 16 00:29:39 -0700 2009 4613069 226942 al b. darned 1 4676133 PH did indeed used to be good, and if the right staff was in the back making them, it could sometimes be great. However, over the years, in an effort to increase speed they've lowered the quality to the point you're better off with frozen. I couldn't put my finger on what all they messed up but eventually figured it all out. First, they 'went natural' with their vegetables for the pie. This sounds good but it's still out of a can like it used to, only in larger hunks. The smaller vegetables you could spread out on the entire pie. These big ones dominate a slice to where if the onion slice is on it, the whole piece tastes like that onion. That's the first thing. The second thing is they changed the amount of sauce they put on a pie. one scoop of tomato sauce and it doesn't even cover half the pie. Ordering "extra sauce" is therefore a must at PH, although people don't know that option exists. Extra sauce is even free. The third thing is they lowered the amount of every topping that goes on each pizza. There is a chart showing how many ounces of each topping goes on what pizza. However, they've lowered these amounts. They've also lowered the amount of cheese that goes on so ordering extra cheese for 99 cents is a must as well. PH is not alone in this. Pizza Inn, Mazzio's, Domino's...all the chains have lowered their amounts the same way. Papa John's seems to be slowly doing the same. About the only good thing you can say is "It would cost too much to make my own". I used to work at a Pizza Hut in the late 80's. Back then, you could still get a Priazzo. I wish those were still around. Tue May 12 06:53:57 -0700 2009 4439879 292005 Shadowcran 2 4685760 i didn't know pizza inn still existed. when i grew up in sw florida, their pizza was tastier than pizza hut's. Thu May 14 23:57:33 -0700 2009 4676133 105717 alkapal 2 4685821 Shadow, Sorry to disagree with you, but I have never found PH to be good. Perhaps it is me though, since I grew up on Santapios, Annas and Bianchis pizza. Then, experienced culture shock when I moved to Derry, NH, in 1978. We only had PH there, and we took the kids once a week. Each time we went, I kept wondering why PH was in business. The pizza dough was awful and the cheese was horrible. After a few months, I started making my own at home. We did finally get a Papa Gino's in town, and that was closer to what I was used to. I do think I was too used to a very thin crust and that is why I could never stand eating at PH. Fri May 15 02:55:17 -0700 2009 4676133 15691 mcel215 1 4686605 the only thing I ever enjoyed at Pizza Hut was their Priazzo, which they had for maybe 6 months then dropped - it was literally a pie (stuffed - one variety was spinach and cheese) with traditional pizza stuff on the top layer. It was really good. These days, their actual pizza isn't even meh. I'm not sure how they stay in business. Fri May 15 09:01:08 -0700 2009 4439879 21474 Marvin 1 4687459 My grandfather owned a restaurant, and moved, selling the building that became the first Pizza Hut in Wichita (this historic building now resides on the campus of WSU). As a child, i do recall having some delightful pies at the Wichita location. I enjoyed Shakey's more and was fascinated by the odd fellow playing the banjo. As for Pizza Inn, they still exist in small numbers in the city of it's birth, Dallas (also home of Mr. Jim's and now Pizza Hut). The thin crackery crust is gold to me, and I even enjoyed one of these pies in probably its most bizarre location... Ho Chi Minh. Fri May 15 13:19:58 -0700 2009 4439879 277493 DallasDude 1 4699054 I grew up in Wichita Kansas in the 1960's ... back when Pizza Hut was new. (It may have even originated in Wichita, but I'm not certain here.) My folks would take me there as a special meal out from time to time, and we all loved there pizza. Maybe my memory is affected by some sort of nostalgia, but I distinctly remember it as being really good, and not something that would ever be mistaken for the crap they make now. Tue May 19 19:21:23 -0700 2009 4439879 146763 Plankwalker 2 4701772 I always preferred the authentic Sicillian taste of Straw Hat and Shakey's pizza. The PH Priazzo "pie" was actually interesting. I'd just moved to LA in 1984, flat broke and jobless, eating Top Ramen while watching all these food commercials on TV, food I couldn't afford. A couple of weeks later, I scored my first job out here, and the first place I went was Pizza Hut for the Priazzo pie, the spinach-florentine one. My how times have changed. Wed May 20 15:22:09 -0700 2009 4699054 113190 CucumberBoy 1 4701903 I think folks that come from areas w/ a high Italian-American population, grew up w/ great local places and never thought Pizza Crud was good. Sorry to be such a wet blanket, but there are hot spots of great local pizza joints in the US. Wed May 20 16:09:11 -0700 2009 4439879 93538 Passadumkeg 2 4701943 Yeah but there weren't many great local places in the midwest in the 60's at all. When Pizza Hut arrived we thought it was the greatest thing ever. Wed May 20 16:20:20 -0700 2009 4701903 243172 Samalicious 2 4702017 Nor were there many great local places in Southern California in the 70s. Wed May 20 16:49:02 -0700 2009 4701903 12873 OCAnn 3 4702118 Thart's what I mean. When I return to my mom's, I still get pizza at Coffarro's where I got it in high school 45 years ago or Spezzi's or.......etc. Wed May 20 17:32:12 -0700 2009 4702017 93538 Passadumkeg 2 4702555 The same can be said for most food. Where I live, it is no problem getting good Mexican or BBQ, going back to the 60's when I was a kid. Certain regions do some food better than others. From what I've read on Chowhound, many folks have little choice but resort to chains for Mexican, BBQ, seafood, and even fried chicken. Fortunately, where I live there is now some decent pizza, and I don't have to resort to chain pizza, although Pizza Hut back in the 60's and 70's was far better than it is now. Wed May 20 21:49:13 -0700 2009 4701903 198541 James Cristinian 3 4702761 This is so true. I moved to Charleston, SC for two years in 1968 and I couldn't even find Ricotta cheese for my lasagna in any grocery store. Coming from Boston and a Italian-American neighborhood, it sure was a shock to my system. Pizza places? None. Chinese restaurants? Nope. Thu May 21 03:10:34 -0700 2009 4702555 15691 mcel215 4 4702768 Very true, My best choundhound friend is a native Texan, lives in New Haven, the epicenter of better than great American pizza and is nonplussed. He does, however, have a hard time finding good TexMex or Q. I never ate Mexican until I was 22 and moved to New Mex and I sure as hell have a hard time finding it in Maine. Many Mainers know only concience store pizza and mob our local Hut, wile 1/4 mi away is Finelli's a greeeaat NY style "Za w/ a terrific selection of local and imported beers. I guess this is what makes a hound. In search of the eternal food buzz. I will be going to Korea next month and am humerously looking forward to their interpretation of pizza. Heard some wierd stuff. Carpe Chow, Keg Thu May 21 03:22:44 -0700 2009 4702761 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4720842 PH was good for the first few years in the 70s and early 80s you could get thin and properly cooked. Now they are a big thick sweet cake with chunks of garbage on top and never fully cooked. Their oven is literally a conveyor belt - so it doesn't matter how it's dressed it will still get x minutes. I know a guy who worked there in the 90s and he will not touch it unless its less than 30 min old for health safety reasons. That's not good. I've got some friends from China who told me that they line up for hours there for PH like fine dining and pay like $60. Brutal! Oh Well, I ate chinese at the mall in the late 70s when that started, so I guess we're even. Wed May 27 21:03:49 -0700 2009 4439879 322871 jamielikestocookandeat 2 4722020 Could you explain how a pizza that is safe when it's less than 30 minutes old suddenly be unsafe after 30 minutes? Thu May 28 09:57:29 -0700 2009 4720842 10832 Humbucker 3 4727058 Explain why it's free after 45 min and you have your answer. Fri May 29 21:18:57 -0700 2009 4722020 322871 jamielikestocookandeat 4 4727195 I think Hum asked a fair Q and answering an with another Q isn't very chow-friendly. Fri May 29 23:35:00 -0700 2009 4727058 12873 OCAnn 4 4727358 marketing? Sat May 30 05:12:09 -0700 2009 4727058 135229 thew 1 4720858 As far as I'm concerned, Pizza Hut _never_ made good pizza. Then again, I was spoiled by great pizza in the NY/NJ area. But when I attended college in Iowa 39 years ago, I often ate at the Pizza Hut in Storm Lake, but I certainly never ate the pizza (after trying it once...it really did suck), but they made a decent sandwich with various meats and cheese, melted in the oven and drizzled with a faux Italian dressing. It really wasn't bad, and at the time the closest thing I could get resembling a sub. And they did always have a dark beer on draft. But the pizza was bad then, and it's bad now. Wed May 27 21:12:38 -0700 2009 4439879 116047 The Professor 2 4727448 HA HA HA..."faux Italian dressing"--gotta be among the easiest things in the world to throw together, yet it was "faux." Thanks for the chuckle. Sat May 30 06:25:08 -0700 2009 4720858 249664 kattyeyes 3 4731277 glad you enjoyed that...it was indeed bizarre, vaguely tasting like a kind of creamy italian, yet with something inherently evil about it. Thinking back on it some more, I guess I have to admit that I would never order one of those sandwiches until I had three beers. Sun May 31 19:40:28 -0700 2009 4727448 116047 The Professor 1 4727723 I think I remember it being good, but I can remember a lot of other things being good in my youth. I have a hard time pinpointing how much of this is nostalgia or created memory. It really has to be a function of two things: 1) As chains expand and go through their life cycle they get farther away from the values on which they were founded; new management principles are put in place which stress the bottom line resulting in smaller portions and cheaper ingredients. Easily replicable management and staffing structures result in apathetic employees who follow instructions and can't think outside the box. We all know what the end result of this. 2) I am quite aware that my tastes have changed significantly since my youth, and this may play an equal or larger role to point #1. I have revisited my favorite special occasion restaurants from college and was very let down. So yes, I do remember Pizza Hut being good (or at least better), but I don't know who has changed more, me or them. Sat May 30 09:00:37 -0700 2009 4439879 13687 Gabatta 2 4731969 Hear! Hear! Maybe this is why I can't find the NJ pizza of my youth. "You Can't Go Home Again" Mon Jun 01 06:58:10 -0700 2009 4731943 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4731851 I remember when PH was new to our area, so it seemed good because it was different. Eventually we went back to our local pizza joint because it was better. :) Mon Jun 01 06:06:44 -0700 2009 4439879 65780 jujuthomas