Better pizza: Pizza Hut or Papa John's?

24 years ago I worked at pizza hut..I was a certified pizza maker (that meant you were skilled enough to make the dough not just top the pizzas). I was in school and it was a great job, with co-workers who really took pride in our product. We used to make the doughs completely from scratch (although a couple items were pre measured). We'd set timers and throw out dough twice a day and re-make it.

Then they had real italian sausage (although the pork topping was aready the cr** it is today). By the time I had left that job they stopped using real sausage...too many law suits. The also stopped using pizza ovens and switched to a conveyor belt ovens where every pizza cooked for exactly 7 minutes. That then changed what kind of toppings they could put on it, everything had to be done in the 7 min..

Each time Pizza Hut got bought and sold the new owners made "improvments" that took the product one more step away from a good product.Unforunately I think ALOT of it's choices were driven from their legal departments.

While on vacation last month we ate at a pizza hut and I have to say it was worse than any pizza I've ever had! The thin crust appeared to be a premade crust like you can buy at the grocery store. You couldn't tell what the meats were.

For me it's sad to see what has become of Pizza Hut. It was a great place to work when I was a kid!

As to your orginal question which is better....the independents are always the best until law suits ruin them too.

Around here, Pappa John's is best. We do have an independent that makes some really good stuff from time to time. Quality control is sometimes lacking. :D

Usually, if we are getting pizza I will opt for an independent for local chain. Here in chicago we have a number of great choices. If I am stuck ordering from a large chain though I will always choose Papa John's or even Domino's over Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut is the worst pizza out there. The crusts usually taste stale or are so soaked with grease and their sausage is terrible. Seems that all major chains have really bad sausage. I wonder why.

I lived in Kenosha, Wisconsin for 18 years, and that is a pizza-lover's town to be sure. You could have a different pizza every day of the year: wine in the sauce or not; fennel in the sausage or not; thick crust, chewy crust, thin crust.... you get the picture. Ah, for a few slices of Ruffolo's pizza now! Mmmmm....

[ April 23, 2001: Message edited by: Mezzaluna ]

Someone I know swears up and down about SHAKIES.

Who knows anything about that one?

And in answer to your question, NEITHER!!!

:eek:

[ April 27, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]

Shakies or Shakey's? Shakey's used to have quite a few outlets in CA. Mezz..your descriptions of all the pizza choices make me want to take a side trip to Kenosha..

[ May 01, 2001: Message edited by: SeattleDeb ]

Ooo, we used to have a Shakey's in our neighborhood and I think their pizza is definitely the best. I don't think we have one in the state now though :(

I'm pretty sure it's SHAKEY'S!

Although I'm sure I see Shakey's through the haze of my college days--it was a college hang-out and a place to drink beer--it also had some of the best pizza I have ever had and it had a wonderful ambiance about it. I sure miss Shakey's! The crust was really thin and crisp.

PHIL

[ May 01, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]

*jumping up and down*
Papa John's Papa John's Papa John's


however, that is compared to Pizza Hut.......

The best pizza I've ever had is at a local Italian place. They have a proper oven and use actual "real" toppings.


Svadhisthana ;)

My first 7 years were spent in Sacramento Cal and Shakeys was the pizza of choice...the original is in Sac.
Little Rock Arkansas has a Shakeys also, not as good but better than most.
Bruno's Little Italy had a great pizza pie...hand tossed in a kid window....

Shroom,

Phil (my hubby and fav guinea pig for advanced recipes) says:

:D

Yep it was/is a chain, their crust was wonderful....crisp and big air bubbles....desirable when you're a kid (or kid at heart)
So I wouldn't be surprised if it were one and the same company.

Shroom, if that was the Sac mid town section Shakeys (close to fab 40s..kind of)..we lived close to it.

Well I was born at Mather and lived in Rancho Cordova for my first 7 years...my Dad's lived in Sac for the past 20.

OK, the best pizza is one I've made myself. That aside, we usually order Pizza Hut because we re not in the delivery area of the local Papa John's.

Sometimes, it's not about "good" pizza, it's all about "bad" pizza - a little greasy and thin. There used to be a chain in IL called Hungry Howie's. You could get a giant pizza for something $5 and it was bad. But it went really well with a beer and a tight budget (they were found primarily near colleges). They're all OOB now (went under before we moved to CA - where, Mr. Puck aside, there is no good pizza to be had)...sometimes I really crave a Hungry Howie's pizza.

So if we want good pizza, we make it or go for one at a local restaurant. Sometimes, though, we want junk food and Pizza Hut is certainly that if nothing else.

I agree on two fronts: Pizza Hut used to be a lot better, and the independents are the only one's who care even a little about what they are doing.

DeBord: Remember Pizzeria Uno BEFORE it became a chain? As a kid, I once waited in line for an hour to get in there. Now I can get it in the frozen section at Kroger. Except it ***** .

Pizza is best when it is made by a person who truly cares, has real passion, and not only uses fresh ingredients, but precious few of them. True Neopolitan pizza blows the doors off anything America makes, sad but true. Only homemade (with extra love) even stands a chance in comparison.

Peace,
kmf

Pizza Hut is horrible. We usually do Domino's though I'm not crazy about it either. There's a real NY pizza place out here in L.A. called Joe Peep's, the best here so far. Up in Seattle, there's a shop called Pagliacci's, amazing stuff.

Okay, let's just face it. There's no good pizza (Neapolitan style, at least) anywhere west of New York City. I grew up there and ate plenty of good and bad pizza. Whenever I felt a "pizza panic" I would buy a slice wherever I happened to be. They were all independent neighborhood places. And the pizza had to be eaten there so that the crust is cripy. I'm really peevish about soggy/saggy crusts.

he first time I ever went to a Pizza Hut was in college in PA. Yuckie. Took other people's words that Domino's was worse so I never had it. I very rarely eat pizza after moving away from NYC. If I have to eat pizza now, I usually go to this place in Oakland that makes their dough from organic flour. Although that aspect is attractive, I go simply because they make the pizzas in a real pizza oven.

I know I'll be getting lots of flack for my first statement. So lay it on. I'm a native New Yorker and I know what I'm talking about.

OK even though I am a purist, especially when it comes to pizza, I must pass on this little tidbit of wisdom:

Pizza is just like sex.

When it's good, it's really good.

When it's bad, it's still pretty good.

And it all depends on who's makin' it.

;)
Peace,
kmf

Monpetitchoux, there is at least one place that serves good, authentic Neopolitan pizza (pizza vera Napoletana, as they call it) West of NYC. It's here in St. Paul, MN of all places. They use fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes for the sauce and use the same cooking methods and procedures as restaurants in Napoli that are certified by a local association as serving authentic Neopolitan pizza. Sorry to tease you with knowledge of this place that, while closer to you than NYC, is still a bit far from the Bay area. If you're ever passing through, though, it's only 15 minutes from the airport. It's called Punch Neopolitan Pizza (Punch, or Pulcinella, is a character from the Comedia del Arte used as a symbol to denote restaurants in Napoli that serve certified authentic Neopolitan pizza). Ask for John Sorrano, the owner. The man can tell you more about pizza than I can, and I was his sous chef for over a year.

OMG! I wished you had told me this back in January. I was on a red-eye to New York when suddenly, at about 3AM mountian time, the captain came on the loud speaker and urged everyone to fasten their seatbelts. The plane was jolting. We had to land in St. Paul. When I finally reached the counter, I demanded a refund and a return trip back to San Francisco. But I was stuck in that airport for several hours. I wished I had known about Punch back then. It would have calmed me down and made a terrible situation better. It might even have given me the strength to continue onto New York. Thank you for letting me know about this place. The airlaine gave me a voucher. Maybe this time, I'll end up in St. Paul on purpose.

I agree with kmf:

Homemade pizza takes time so we try to plan our "pizza urges" the most we can. We became so fed up with mediocre restaurant pizza!!

:eek:

P.S.: I just ordered Pizza Napolitana!, Pamela Sheldon Johns. Here's a small quote from the publisher:

Can't wait!

[ May 21, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]

Good for you, Kimmie! Napoli-style really is the best way to make pizza!

Monpetitchoux, if it makes you feel better, the restaurant was closes at 9 or 10pm, depending on the day. You would have had to break in and the police would have arrived long before you could get the oven up to temp! I'm pretty sure, though, that pizza Napoletana is a valid defense in court for breaking and entering. Or in this case, breaking, entering and building a fire. If not, it should be.

Hey Manny: Check out the personal weird food combo thread in cook's corner. :D My days of defending myself from accusations of food snobbery ended when they discovered the stash of instant noodles in my cupboard. But of course, you have to understand that the noodles are really good quality ones from Asia (Neoguri, Mama, Sapporo Ichiban...) And then they are garnished with really nicely cut vegetables, appropriate herbs, poached egg, sometimes left over meat (sliced leftovers like roast beef, turkey, grilled salmon). :D Hee Hee. It's the fanciets bowl of instant noodles you'll ever see.