Domino's Pizza. Is their pizza any good?

[Owain Taggart]

My landlord installed a light pot above the kitchen sink but I had to buy my own bulbs. I started at specialty bulb shop looking for a LED spotlight to put there but nope.

Walked into a mom and pop shop on a lark. No way should they have had what I wanted, but they did. The couple owners were so nice, so personable, that I did not even blink at the $30 price out of fear of insulting them.

I think that's because mom and pop stores are able to curate their selections more to their communities vs big chains that dictate what's being sold. I've had a number of similar experiences. One of the big chains in Canada is Canadian Tire, which is a store that sells a bit of everything. Our newest location is also our biggest, taking up the space that Target left when when the Canadian operations collapsed. With it being bigger, you'd think better, right? Not necessarily. We found that things they once had at the old location were mysteriously unavailable at the new, and rather simple things at that. There's another chain, but the difference is that they're franchised out, and curated by the owners, and so they have this Mom & Pop feel to them, which is where we eventually found what we needed, and they're the ones who can order it in if you don't find it. With the other store, if you try to do that, they'll just blink at you and give you a reason for why they don't carry such and such a thing and you have to deal with it.

 

[shapeshifter]

I know. I was the only customer in there for 3/4 of an hour! Perhaps all day. I paid for their entertainment more than the bulb. I do not envy their struggle against the big box stores.

 

[fireproof78]

It depends on the store and the employees. I've had some of my best social interactions with chain employees, and been treated like garbage by vendors at farmer's markers or smaller shops. When it comes to pizza, one of the local shops was one of the few places in the small town open for take out. When they started seating guests again they were extremely busy, with limited staff. Very polite staff, and I was willing to wait. But, that isn't always the experience.

 

[Kor]

So for anyone from Detroit, how does Pizza Hut's take on "Detroit style" compare to the real thing?

Kor

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

PH is one of my top 3 chains but this just sounds too gimmicky for me to even try.

Assuming it really is a "style" in Detroit, they figured to take a shot on something different. It was really good, but messier than normal pizza.

So for anyone from Detroit, how does Pizza Hut's take on "Detroit style" compare to the real thing?

Kor

I reckon you'd have to know who originally made that style for a good comparison. There could be a hundred places in Detroit that make it that way, with some being great and others not so much.

 

[Kor]

Yes it is an authentic regional style: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit-style_pizza
But from a quick look at Pizza Hut's page, it looks like they are missing a defining traditional ingredient, the Wisconsin Brick Cheese, which gives a buttery taste to the authentic stuff. PH just says "loaded with cheese" without saying what kind, so it's likely that they just use the same cheese that they use for all their other pizzas.

Kor

 

[Awesome Possum]

It's a lot of cheese and grease, so if you're high enough it's decent.

 

[urrutiap]

a few things from Pizza Hut that I miss from like 18 years ago

their buffalo chicken toppings for personal pans
the late 1990s Bigfoot style pizza
few arcade games and music jukebox they would have now and then. Most of the time the arcade games were pretty much Turtles in Time or a Metal Slugs game

 

[urrutiap]

I dunno if currently if any Little Ceasers let you eat inside or pretty much call and order but Pizza Ranch they have the best chicken, mashed potatoes, baby carrots and chocolate pudding from the buffet

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

few arcade games and music jukebox they would have now and then. Most of the time the arcade games were pretty much Turtles in Time or a Metal Slugs game

Reminds me of the old days with our local Godfather's and Star Castle. Good times...

 

[fireproof78]

I dunno if currently if any Little Ceasers let you eat inside or pretty much call and order but Pizza Ranch they have the best chicken, mashed potatoes, baby carrots and chocolate pudding from the buffet

I don't even know what this restaurant is.

 

[Oddish]

Domino's and Little Caesar are the main pizza places I go to. They're decent fare, but at LC you can literally walk in and say "pepperoni pizza" and walk out with one 30 seconds later. Domino's delivers quickly (usually) and reasonably.

 

[cooleddie74]

I'm a sucker for CiCi's pizza and unapologetic about it.

 

[Non Sync]

I'm a sucker for CiCi's pizza and unapologetic about it.

Cici's pizza is editable, but their brownies and cinnamon rolls are great. It's pizza buffet.

Unfortunately, some locations did not survive COVID. I know of locations in Nevada and Michigan that no longer show up on their list of stores.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I dunno if currently if any Little Ceasers let you eat inside or pretty much call and order

I've never seen any where you can eat in. I think they're just a takeout joint.

I'm remembering now while growing up that as a family we used to go to this pizzeria from time to time, and it was big on atmosphere. I only later learned it was actually part of a chain, called Mother's. They would have Laurel & Hardy playing on TVs that you could watch while you waited for your order. The location that we used to go to closed down in the early 90's, in fact the entire chain went bust, and everytime we drive by that location, the empty building is still there, which makes me sad seeing it like that. Ironically the chain was purchased by Little Caesars at some point before completely closing.

 

[cooleddie74]

Our CiCi's survived COVID and is still in operation but they changed some of the rules on how you get your food and drink refills to minimize contact between customers, food and employees.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I tend to view Dominos as the McDonalds of pizza--if you grew up with it, it's reliable comfort food--if you didn't, there are better alternatives.

I tend to go to Little Caesars because there's a ton of them around me and I could always get a five-dollar large pepperoni within 30 seconds. If I wanted something more elaborate, I could go to a number of local pizzerias and spend a lot more time and money, but I love pepperoni pizza, so Little Caesars works for me, especially on the way home from work.

In Saint Louis, the biggest pizza chain may actually be the local Imo's chain, which has pretty much blanketed the town with a mix of carry-out only kiosks and dine-in restaurants. Aside from sandwiches, salads, pastas, and irresistible garlic cheese bread, the biggest draw may be the "Saint Louis-style" pizza which features a thin, cracker-like crust cut in squares and always with the local provel cheese. Provel can be an...acquired taste for some as it's a processed mix of different cheeses (including provolone), but I find it more flavorful than the traditional mozzarella, IMO.

 

[Kor]

Reminds me of the old days with our local Godfather's and Star Castle. Good times...

The Godfather's I used to go to as a kid had a little booth you could sit in and watch Woody Woodpecker cartoons for a quarter. Good times.

I also remember when the "Pizza and Pipes" fad was more widespread; a pizza parlor that had live music from a big pipe organ. I think some of them also had mechanical novelty gimmicks such as puppets set to move around while the music was going. A cursory online search shows that only a few of these places remain.

Edit: here's one, video from 2018...

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Same place, video from 2019:

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Kor

 

[urrutiap]

well that is why I am asking here/wondering if Little Ceasers is a sit down and eat pizza place or because of everyone still being germaphobes etc because of the covid that you just call and order a pizza and have it delivered.

I've never seen any where you can eat in. I think they're just a takeout joint.

I'm remembering now while growing up that as a family we used to go to this pizzeria from time to time, and it was big on atmosphere. I only later learned it was actually part of a chain, called Mother's. They would have Laurel & Hardy playing on TVs that you could watch while you waited for your order. The location that we used to go to closed down in the early 90's, in fact the entire chain went bust, and everytime we drive by that location, the empty building is still there, which makes me sad seeing it like that. Ironically the chain was purchased by Little Caesars at some point before completely closing.

 

[cooleddie74]

They're just a takeout chain. For a while one in my area offered delivery service but that tanked quickly and the location went back to walk-in pickups. I wish they had indoor dining tables but that's not their business model.