I don't really like any of the fast food pizza places. I've heard Marco's is good, but we don't have one nearby. I prefer Pizza Hut over PJ's, but it's probably been 4-5 years since I've had any of these. I haven't tried the "new" Domino's from a few years ago either.

While I wrote upthread that PJ's is one of my least favorite, I think the reality is that all of these pizza places exist for either kids or pizza wastelands. I can't think of a reason any of the rest of us should ever order them.

I find Domino’s and PH pretty edible. With carryout prices of $7-8 for large pizzas, it’s not a bad deal, either. I prefer my local Detroit style pizza, but they’re usually $15-20 for a similar style.

It has been many years since I have had any of the chain pizzas....maybe 4 or 5 years. As I recall, PJ was not as bad as PH and Dominos. Maybe things have changed but I am not sure I want to test the waters to find out. I would rather get good pizza from a neighborhood pizzeria. Or make it. Or from a good restaurant.

Definitely a price difference. If I'm looking at price, I'd make one at home instead for even less than the cheap places, especially when you are tipping a delivery person. They're all edible to me, but not very enjoyable. I didn't mean to insult anyone based on their income, but meant that the chains offer affordable pizzas, at a price that's more appealing to high school and college kids who just want a lot of food. Most adults can be a little more discerning. And also, there ARE some pizza wastelands. My parents used to live in a Kansas City suburb. There were 1-2 pizza parlors within a 15 min drive, but if you wanted delivery your only options were Domino's and Pizza Hut. That's the last time I had Pizza Hut - maybe 5 years ago.

I'm with you on all counts. And I still say that trying to rank crappy pizza places is a worthless endeavor. Let's be honest, whether it's PH, PJ's, etc. we're all really ranking which we dislike the most.

I totally agree about the mom and pop pizzerias it's just not always possible where one is and only the big three are available. PJ's tastes the best and least greasy out of the three.

I have lived in a couple of those wastelands - no chains and the locals places sucked. In Simpsonville, SC circa 1984, the local guy put pork breakfast sausage on his pies. In Tracy, CA circa 1997, the first local pizza place was part of an Indian restaurant. They were using frozen crusts with the consistency of a saltine and their sauce tasted like a curry.

Then perhaps you will appreciate my experience of Papa John's.

A couple addresses ago I lived in the Bay Area. About 6 months after moving into a house, I started getting phone calls (a lot of phone calls) from people wanting to order a pizza from the new Papa John's in town. It seems their new online ad had my phone number in it. I contacted PJ's and requested they take down the ad with my phone number. Local manager was a jackass of the first order, and refused. So I started telling everyone who called to order pizza that the health department had shut down PJ's because everyone who ate there was getting very sick.

A couple weeks of that and I got a phone call from their corporate office asking why I telling people that. I explained that their local had published my phone number in their ad and refused to take the ad down, which is when the profuse apologizing started. Corporate offered me gift cards, free pizzas, etc. if I would stop telling people they'd closed. I declined all of his offers, which resulted in him begging me to accept something (if only he'd offered cash...) but seeing as I'm celiac (which means their pizzas would literally make me seriously ill) and I knew I was moving within 3 weeks, I just told him I'd continue telling people the PJ's had been closed if I continued getting phone calls. I finally ended up hanging up on the guy because he kept trying to persuade me to accept free pizzas.

Knowing that the ad had been corrected (I hope), I would have accepted the gift cards and either given them away as gifts or donated them. Maybe gifts to people I don't like but feel obligated to gift. :)

FWIW, at least now, they offer a gluten-free crust.
I probably would've accepted a large number in gift cards and then donated them to a local charity for their use. They could auction them off, use them to buy pizzas for volunteers or those who use the charity's services, etc.

I kept getting phone calls for PJ's until I moved out of the house and disconnected that number, so I doubt they ever fixed the ad. Accepting anything from them would have meant I found their proposed resolution to the situation acceptable, which I did not. What should have happened was as soon as I contacted the local place and let them know they had the wrong phone number in their ad, they should have taken down or corrected the ad. Instead the guy told me to give out the correct phone number (No, I'm not your secretary) and refused to make a correction. I was getting phone calls until 1 am on a regular basis.

No, they offer a crust made with gluten-free ingredients and prepared in a completely flour-contaminated environment. Net result is a gluten-containing product but they get the benefit of claiming a to have GF product.

I don't think I've ever tried Papa John's... and if I have, I must've been indifferent to it.

Sounds like when Kramer had a phone number similar to MoviePhone. He made the best of it and pretended to actually be Movie Phone. You could have taken orders for pizzas. :p

They offer a gluten-free crust. They just don't claim that it won't be cross-contaminated with gluten.

Hi my name is DeepUG and I am not afraid to admit that I will sometimes buy a pizza and crazy bread at Little Caesars. Maybe it has something to do with me working there for a bit in HS, but that was before the "Hot N Ready" days when it was still a made to order place.