thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 24, 2011 14:03:12 GMT -5
We went out for dinner on Friday to a pizza joint that we hadn't been to in probably 5 years, if not more. We had several "situations" come up with them, and opted to not frequent them anymore, but we got a gift card and had always loved their pizza - so we went.
They were making a big deal about their new menu. A lot of it looked the same, as far as I can remember, but they were stressing a few things
1) A gluten-free, extra thin crust 2) Lower prices
I will say that I feel like we got a pretty deal, but I can't remember how much they charged for pizza 5 years ago. (Yes, I do remember a lot of things about their menu.)
Later, I heard another place advertising on TV about their new lower prices. I think it was another local pizza chain.
So, what's the deal? Did pizza prices go so high that they priced themselves out of the market? Did these two stores finally have to do something to compensate for their notoriously horrible service? Are they responding to down economy, hoping to bring people in that are trying to save a buck? Are food or labor prices decreasing?
Have you guys noticed any places around you lowering prices?
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Jan 24, 2011 14:08:23 GMT -5
Lots of 2 for ones and lower prices.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2011 14:18:55 GMT -5
Pizza places are always advertising lower prices. It's like the places that are always going out of business.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2011 14:22:25 GMT -5
I read an article today on Yahoo that said restaurants were hit hard by the recession. Outback closed recently in our area as did one of the many O'Charley's. Our favorite meat & veggie place has stopped opening for dinner. I asked the owner if she was going to enjoy having her evenings off. She said they were losing money on dinner.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 24, 2011 14:32:11 GMT -5
I find that true of national chains, but not of local chains or individual shops.
This isn't a coupon or a special deal - this was a "We reprinted the menu and changed our prices."
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jkapp
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Post by jkapp on Jan 24, 2011 14:34:29 GMT -5
I notice Pizza Hut in our area (maybe all areas?) is advertising deals for a large pizza for $10. I remember when I worked there (eons ago, it seems) they were the most expensive pizza in town. I think that finally caught up with them when people started cutting back and budgeting/looking for deals. Now they tend to be in the middle as far as prices in our area.
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doxieluvr
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Post by doxieluvr on Jan 24, 2011 14:37:22 GMT -5
Papa Johns is offering lower pizzas. They are still pricey in my opinion.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jan 24, 2011 15:01:58 GMT -5
DS just told me that he went and got a Little Caesars pizza the other day. He said the pizzas went up from $5 out the door to over $6 and that they have gotten smaller. Apparently they didn't get the memo.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 24, 2011 15:09:40 GMT -5
Little Ceasars was $6 20 years ago - weren't they?
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jan 24, 2011 15:15:45 GMT -5
Little Ceasars was $6 20 years ago - weren't they? Nope, until recently it was $5 out the door where we live in CA (HCOLA area).
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The J
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Post by The J on Jan 24, 2011 15:36:58 GMT -5
Pizza prices jumped up a couple of years ago when gas prices did.
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jkapp
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Post by jkapp on Jan 24, 2011 15:49:08 GMT -5
Little Caesars out here just recently raised to $5.99 from $5.00...however, they still send out coupons for $5.00 for a large. Still the cheapest pizza, while retaining good quality, than the other chains in the area.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2011 15:54:57 GMT -5
Ikea is lowering prices. A children's easel that cost $25 a few years ago is now $15.
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Post by soon2bmomof3 on Jan 24, 2011 15:59:31 GMT -5
Remember when Cici's was $2.99 for the dinner buffet? I think they're $5.99 now.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 24, 2011 16:05:51 GMT -5
I'm glad you said that. Usually I don't pick up the pizza, but a couple years ago I remember thinking that it seems like we were spending more on pizza than we had in previous years. We weren't going more frequently. I was having trouble gauging it - but I do remember thinking, more than once, "Holy Pepperoni, pizza is expensive."
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reader79
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Post by reader79 on Jan 24, 2011 16:22:53 GMT -5
I remember a Pizza Hut large going for $17.99 or thereabouts back in the 90's. Now, they are $10, as is Papa's. My BIL said the one near him has a walk-in price of $7.
We have two main independant shops in my hood, one has good quality, and reasonable prices. They always have a hour plus wait for delivery service. You basically call them, then make a sandwich to hold you over. The other guys have great food, but are way, way overpriced. I only ordered from them once by accident. It was $40+ for a pie with three toppings, a hero, some garlic knots and a 2-liter. Never again.
I think that the chains realized that people (my brother,) will order from them two or three times a week if it's cheap enough, versus going once every other month or so as a treat.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 24, 2011 16:29:34 GMT -5
The national chains are definately cheaper, but there are probably a lot of reasons for that. Many of them have no seating, and if they do have seating it isn't very nice. But my local places are all eat-in or take-out. Even if 75% of their business is take-out, they still have the eat-in crowd. My local places also offer other things - pasta, sandwiches, beer, etc. Papa John's - you can have anything you want, as long as it is pizza. I also think the local places are just plain better. I think they start with flour, instead of pre-packaged dough. I think they shred the cheese, instead of it coming pre-shredded from some corporate warehouse.
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8 Bit WWBG
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Jan 24, 2011 16:37:00 GMT -5
Most people don't even know good pizza anyway, hence the abundance of "pre-frozen cardboard" places.
...:::"this was a "We reprinted the menu and changed our prices.":::...
Gee, usually the verb in that sentence is "raised", not "changed".
We get our pizza from a local place and its always been pricey. Its NY style so you can just get it by the slice though. Its seeming more and more like a better deal to buy a whole pie though. For just a few dollars more than buying 4 slices, we can take half of it home.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 24, 2011 16:45:22 GMT -5
Actually, the verb was "lowered"
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8 Bit WWBG
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Jan 24, 2011 17:06:18 GMT -5
...:::"Actually, the verb was "lowered" ":::...
That is even more astounding! I'd imagine that the cost of printing all those new menus alone is tough to bear.
I'm going to a place tonight that I haven't been in a year or two. I wonder whether the entree I like has increased in price.
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Post by stillontheroad on Jan 25, 2011 10:47:59 GMT -5
Little Caesars out here just recently raised to $5.99 from $5.00...however, they still send out coupons for $5.00 for a large. Still the cheapest pizza, while retaining good quality, than the other chains in the area. Dang, I'll bet it went up here too. I'm surprised it stayed at $5 for so long, though. I agree with you on the bang for the buck...it's at least as good as a $5 frozen pizza from the supermarket. We generally only ever get Little Caesar's around here, in fact. Being from Chicago, the stuff they call pizza in Wisconsin is not worth the money. And the other chains aren't worth it, either...I'm not a big fan of Pizza Hut and every few years I lose my mind and order from Papa John's, then remember that it's terrible.
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doxieluvr
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Post by doxieluvr on Jan 25, 2011 10:54:32 GMT -5
DS just told me that he went and got a Little Caesars pizza the other day. He said the pizzas went up from $5 out the door to over $6 and that they have gotten smaller. Apparently they didn't get the memo. They have been $6 out the door here for a good 2-3 years.
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Post by justwhoever on Jan 25, 2011 16:23:10 GMT -5
We make our own pizza when we want pizza. About 4 yrs ago we ordered from Pizza Hut and all of the dipping sauces they sent us were out of date...by a few years! I don't care if they offer $1 pizzas, I will never eat at a pizza place ever again.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 25, 2011 16:52:59 GMT -5
Don't judge all pizza places because you went to pizza hut. I swear - that is poor people pizza - that place sucks!
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Post by justwhoever on Jan 25, 2011 19:37:44 GMT -5
thyme, lol that is our ONLY pizza place. And yes it does suck. About 10 yrs ago we had another place, Hometown Pizza or something like that. It closed when the owners got a divorce. Their pizza wasn't that great either, but man oh man were their cheese sticks to die for!
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Jan 25, 2011 19:47:23 GMT -5
Pizza isn't one of my favorite foods so I seldom buy one. Godfathers is our favorite but none near home, it is all he will buy so he gets one on the way home from work sometimes. I just don't see the big deal about pizza it is bread with toppings. I don't care for fancy pizza like with artichokes and things that don't go on pizza. Papa Murphy is fine with me or pizza hut but Godfather is better.
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ihearyou2
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Post by ihearyou2 on Jan 25, 2011 20:05:26 GMT -5
All lower end restaurants focus on price and how they have the lowest prices out there, nothing new. Econo food chains excelled during the recession based on this focus such as Mickey D's.
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dcmetrocrab
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Post by dcmetrocrab on Jan 25, 2011 23:07:19 GMT -5
I remember a Pizza Hut large going for $17.99 or thereabouts back in the 90's. Now, they are $10, as is Papa's. My BIL said the one near him has a walk-in price of $7.
I remember the same thing. Pizza Hut used to be PRICEY! For some reason, I remember Little Caesars used to always come in twos, 2 for $8? "Pizza, pizza." I haven't had pizza of this caliber in a while though.
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Jan 25, 2011 23:20:51 GMT -5
Our pizza places have been lowering prices and giving lots of two-for deals. The nicer restaurants are not lowering prices but giving cards to fill out for free appetizers or desserts. And of course the privately owned places are sending out a lot of coupons in our little local magazines and newsletters. And some are doing specials at reasonable prices lately.
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Post by stantonjane on Jan 25, 2011 23:55:46 GMT -5
I think that PizzaHut has lowered their basic prices, but I also think they've lowered the amount of toppings. We will order from there occasionally (our Friday night splurge) and there's not much cheese going on, and sometimes you can't even see the sauce.
We have another local favorite pizza place which we like, which has actually raised their pizza prices, and I don't begrudge them the extra buck, except when we bring it home I keep looking at the pizza and thinking it must have shrunk by 2 inches.
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