Fast Food Pizza Showdown

InfoThis is a summary of the following YouTube video:

I Tried Every Fast Food Pizza In America

Joshua Weissman

Oct 13, 2024

·

Howto & Style

Fast food pizza quality varies widely

  1. In 2023, Americans spent over $40 billion on fast food pizza, with more than half of that amount spent at 12 nationally recognized restaurants. This highlights the significant market share held by these quick service restaurants (QSRs), which are designed for speed and scale.
  2. The article explores whether these fast food pizzerias truly deserve their market dominance by testing various popular chains to find the best one. The evaluation involves tasting two types of pizzas at each location: a baseline cheese pizza and the restaurant's most classic offering.
  3. The first pizzeria reviewed is Papa John's, where the classic cheese pizza is compared to a childhood memory of Chuck-E-Cheese, suggesting a nostalgic but unimpressive flavor. The pizza with the works falls apart easily, and while the ingredients are average, the flavor is described as lacking depth, resulting in a C tier rating.
  4. Jets Pizza is the next stop, known for its Detroit-style pizza. The classic cheese pizza is praised for its cheese quality and caramelization, but the sauce is criticized for being too ketchupy. The super special pizza is less favored, but the cheese pizza earns a B+ rating, with the overall experience rated as B tier.
  5. Blaze Pizza is noted for its visually appealing presentation, though the crust is criticized for lacking puffiness. The cheese pizza is considered good, but the barbecue chicken pizza is undercooked. Despite these issues, the cheese pizza is appreciated for its quality toppings and dough.

Fast food pizzas vary in quality

  1. The flavor of the pizza is noticeable but somewhat flat, with a crisp bottom. The dough is too chewy, and the reviewer suggests reducing the chewiness by 10%. The pizza resembles a flatbread more than a traditional pizza, earning a B tier rating.
  2. Little Caesar's, the third highest-grossing pizza chain in America, is criticized for its undercooked and mushy pizza. Despite having resources to perfect their dough, it lacks salt and sugar. The three meat treat stuffed crust relies heavily on salty toppings like bacon and pepperoni, resulting in a low D rating.
  3. Hungry Howie's is noted for inventing flavored crust pizza. The regular cheese pizza without flavored crust is bland and under-salted. The garlic cheese butter crust adds a nice salty bite, but overall, the pizza is mediocre, earning a SE rating.
  4. Costco pizza, although not a major business for the company, is included for its significance. The cheese pizza has a high cheese-to-bread ratio but lacks flavor. The pepperoni is subtle, and the sauce is unsalted. Despite this, the pizza is considered a good value for $9.99, earning a B rating for its price-quality ratio.

Fast food pizzas often lack quality

  1. The narrator, Maya, is trying fast food pizzas and starts with Godfathers in Houston, Texas. She describes the classic cheese pizza as reminiscent of school cafeteria pizza, being doughy and bready with an imbalanced ratio of cheese, sauce, and crust.
  2. Maya also tries the classic combo pizza from Godfathers, which includes toppings like pepperoni, beef, sausage, onions, black olives, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. She finds it better than the cheese pizza due to the toppings but still considers it a 'C tier' pizza due to the bready crust.
  3. At Papa Murphy's, Maya encounters a 'take and bake' concept where the pizza is not baked in-store. She finds the dough to be of poor quality, under-seasoned, and plasticky, comparing it to a Hot Pocket. Despite good toppings, she rates it an 'F' for the dough's quality.
  4. Maya visits Cece's Pizza and tries a pizza with a frozen crust, finding it texturally soft and lacking crispness. Although garlicky, she criticizes the lack of expected flavors like ranch and Parmesan. She notes the all-you-can-eat buffet as a way to dispose of unwanted food.

Fast food pizzas often lack quality

  1. The review begins with a critique of Sparro, which is humorously described as having a taste reminiscent of chewed food. The reviewer notes that Sparro is not true New York pizza and criticizes its lack of flavor and poor texture, ultimately rating it an F.
  2. Pizza Hut is next, with the reviewer mocking their slogan 'No one out pizzas the Hut.' Despite its popularity and revenue, the reviewer finds the pizza lacking in quality, with a bland crust and a texture compared to Wonderbread. The stuffed crust pepperoni is slightly better due to its cheese content, but overall, it's rated a D.
  3. Chuck E. Cheese's pizza is surprisingly popular in sales, yet the reviewer is apprehensive about its quality due to its association with children's play areas. The pizza is described as flavorless, with a texture similar to cardboard, and the sauce and cheese lacking in taste. The review ends with a negative impression of its quality.

Fast food pizza varies in quality

  1. The review begins with a critique of a five-meat pizza from Chuck-E-Cheese, which is described as having a good taste of bacon, ham, and pepperoni, but the overall pizza flavor disappears quickly. The reviewer gives it a failing grade, noting it as the worst of the day.
  2. MOD Pizza is compared to Chipotle for its customization options. The pizza is described as cold upon arrival, with a crust likened to a thick tortilla. While the sauce is lackluster, the flavor of the toppings is praised. The crust grows on the reviewer, earning it a B tier rating.
  3. Domino's, the highest-grossing pizza chain in America, is reviewed next. The crust is described as having a nice garlic bread flavor, but the sauce is criticized as atrocious. The New York slice has a good crust texture but is let down by the sauce, resulting in a C tier rating.
  4. The reviewer notes that none of the big three pizza chains have reached an A tier rating. Marco's Pizza is introduced as a potential candidate for an A tier, with the reviewer expressing surprise at its quality despite its unassuming exterior.

Marcos is top fast food pizza

  1. The speaker appreciates the pizza's crust-to-cheese-to-sauce ratio, noting the cheese is beautifully browned, indicating care in preparation.
  2. The pizza features two types of pepperoni: a slightly chewy flat pepperoni and a crispy cup pepperoni, which the speaker finds exciting and essential for texture.
  3. The crust is described as light and crisp, with a preferred chew that offers resistance but melts like a nice steak, and a crisp bottom that feels good.
  4. Despite having a commercialized flavor, the pizza's sauce is well-seasoned and balanced, not overly sweet or heavy on oregano, complementing the cheese and pepperoni well.
  5. The speaker compares the pizza favorably to Papa John's, stating it's the best quick-service restaurant (QSR) pizza they've had, ranking it as S tier.
  6. Marcos is identified as the top QSR fast food pizza in America after trying all available options, despite initial skepticism based on its branding.
  7. The speaker encourages supporting local pizza places, especially smaller, family-owned shops, for better quality pizza and to support the local economy.