Fast Food Critic - Reviews, News and Nutrition Information about Fast Food.

Good cheesy bread — Not so good pizza.

I don’t know what else to say. It’s not a Pizza. The similar item from Subway is not a pizza either, in my opinion, but let’s move forward. The Schlotzsky’s pie is 8 inches in size, the same as Subway’s personal pizza. It actually looks quite attractive. There’s lots of cheese. It’s cooked properly. It’s made from decent ingredients. But it’s still not a real pizza. It looks like one — but it doesn’t taste like one, and it doesn’t feel like one.

I’m using the Subway personal pizza as a reference, because the two products are direct competitors, similar in content and price, and I’ve had them both recently.

The crust on the Schlotzsky’s pies tastes better then Subway. First off, it’s sourdough. Some may find that unusual for pizza crust, but it’s quite good. When cooked properly (which this was) there’s a nice combination of chewiness with a bit of crispy snap. Secondly, it’s baked fresh in the store along with the company’s other buns and baked goods each day, as opposed to the frozen pre-made crusts which Subway uses.

The cheese tastes better than Subway’s version, but there’s more of it, so I cannot accurately distinguish whether this is the result of a Quality or Quantity issue. I suspect it may be both. Either way, the mixture of Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses is very tasty, and it’s piled on thick. Along with the crust, it serves as highlights of this pie.

The pepperoni is on par with Subway’s and here lies part of the problem. When I order a pepperoni pizza, I expect that one of the main flavors will be — Pepperoni. Not here. What are these sandwich shops doing? Why is their pepperoni so bland? Maybe since they are not a “Real” pizza place, we are not supposed to notice, or care about it. Perhaps they figure enough cheese on top will distract us. Sorry, I noticed and I care.

The sauce is another big issue, with both Subway and Schlotzsky’s pies. I would do a direct comparison between the two, but the Schlotzsky’s pizzas have so little sauce, it’s not even possible for me to get a good sample. You will see in the photo, the cheese is good and thick, but peel back that layer of dairy, and you’ve got yourself a nearly naked crust staring back. Dry (except grease) and bitter, that crust is ANGRY.

It’s so disappointing, at least to me, that after my 3rd pie with the same results, I called one of the stores my order(s) came from, and asked them about the sauce, and the amount used. They described the sauce as being “very rich” and the proportion they use as being “kinda small” so it doesn’t “overpower the pizza”. OK fine, thanks.

At this point in the review, I’d like to take a 5 minute break to pound my face against the keyboard repeatedly. Was it my dumb question? Or their unsatisfying response?

Schlotzsky’s Pepperoni and Double Cheese Pizza is a confusing item. Great bread and good cheese. Bland pepperoni and almost non-existent sauce. What’s the deal? If somebody were to serve this to me blindfolded, telling me it was “cheesy-bread” or “cheese-sticks”, I would probably be happy and satisfied. But it’s not a very good pizza. That said, it earns a higher score than Subway for superior crust and cheese.

Price: $5.40 / Website: Schlotzskys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: C

Click here for rating system details.

Nutrition Facts - Schlotzsky’s, Pepperoni and Double Cheese Pizza.

Calories - 685
Calories from Fat - 267
Total Fat - 30 grams
Carbs - 74 grams
Saturated Fat - 13 grams
Trans Fat - 1.0 grams
Cholesterol - 71 milligrams
Sodium - 1740 milligrams

When you pay $4.49 for a pizza, you don’t expect much. That being said, you can still find a bargain on a decent tasting pie, like the $4 pizza from Domino’s. With semi-low expectations, I decided to try Subway’s Pizza. Yep that’s right, the sandwich house that Jared built is serving a mini-pizza at some locations. To call this pie small would be an understatement. Subway calls this a ‘personal’ pizza. Measuring in at only 8 inches in diameter, and having only 4 tiny slices, I would say that description fits perfectly.

First, just a quick note about the preparation. The base of the pizzas (crust, sauce and cheese) are prepared off-site, with the crusts being lightly baked. They get frozen, wrapped in plastic and shipped to the individual store locations. When you order, you will see a Subway employee grab one of these pre-made cores from a compartment next to the sandwich fixings, then add the meat or veggie toppings you desire. It gets toasted in their “speed oven” for approximately 90 seconds, sliced and served.

The crust is thick, almost like a deep-dish. It’s not bad tasting, but it’s too chewy. I’m not sure if this is the result of being cooked, frozen, thawed and then re-toasted, or if that’s the way it was intended. And while it was golden brown on the top, the bottom of the crust appeared barely cooked at all. It reminded me of the strange and uneven results I often get when making frozen pizzas in the microwave at home.

Like the $4 Domino’s pizzas, I found the sauce to be bland and in limited quantity, making parts of the pizza too dry. I’ve heard the price of tomatoes has gone up again recently, but really — we need more sauce! The amount of cheese is one department where the Subway pie beats the cheap offering from Domino’s, at least per square inch. It was fairly thick and evenly distributed, reaching the far outer edges of the crust. The taste was decent, with a blend of Mozzarella, Parmesan and Romano. It was rather weak though, and almost seemed like I was eating low-fat cheese.

The pepperoni was OK, but clearly not as flavorful as Domino’s, and much smaller in number. In fact, I counted only 10 of the semi-spicy meat circles on my pie. Granted, there’s not a lot of room to work with, but it still seemed ‘lite’ on the meat topping. There is a healthy sprinkle of Italian spices (garlic, oregano, basil) on top, and they do help the overall flavor, but they are not enough to save this pizza from Blandville.

The plain cheese pizza will cost you $3.99, with a meat topping adding .50 cents extra. Veggies are free. Prices may vary depending on location. The Subway pizza is 2 inches smaller than Domino’s cheap pie, and my pepperoni version had barely half the meat. Not to mention, the pizza from Domino’s tastes better. In a head to head comparison, the Subway product is no match. In fairness to price, you have to order 3 pies for $12 total from Domino’s, while you can purchase Subway’s individually.

The Pizza from Subway was disappointing. It’s not a very good pizza, and it’s not a very good value. It will satisfy your craving if there’s not a real pizza place around, but in a world where Dominos’s, Pizza Hut and others offer bigger-better pies for the same price, it’s just not good enough. For that matter, I’d rather purchase a frozen DiGiorno at the supermarket and cook it at home. Subway should stick to sandwiches.

Price: $4.49 / Website: Subway.com

Fast Food Critic Score: D

Click here for rating system details.

Nutrition Facts - Subway, Personal Pizza, with Pepperoni.

Calories - 790
Calories from Fat - 290
Total Fat - 32 grams
Carbs - 96 grams
Saturated Fat - 13 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 60 milligrams
Sodium - 1350 milligrams

Does a pizza priced cheap as dirt — taste like dirt? Today I discovered the answer.

I’m talking about Domino’s highly publicized 444 promotion. That’s 3 pizzas for $4 each, a total of $12. The pizzas are 10-inch one-topping pies. I ordered a variety, one with Pepperoni, one with Grilled Chicken and one Beef. Nothing else added, no extras. Just the basic advertised deal of $12. I used Domino’s website and ordered online.

My order arrived at my doorstep 24 minutes after being placed at their website. That’s impressive for my part of town. The entire online component of their service is solid and well developed. The pizzas arrived hot, fresh, and on-time. I invited a friend over to eat dinner, and share in the bounty of cheap food that Domino’s had prepared.

Opening the boxes, I was greeted by three small but attractive pizzas. I expected stripped-down naked looking pies, but they had some decent sized meat toppings. They looked to have a fair amount of cheese, but there was more crust than anything.

First I tried a slice of the Pepperoni. It seemed to have the most toppings of all. Whether that’s by design, or just the luck of the draw today, I don’t know. The meat was flavorful with a fair amount of pepperoni punch, and some were cooked so the edges were slightly crisp. The cheese was OK, but it didn’t have much flavor. I also realized there was less than I first thought. It was thicker towards the center of the pie, but much thinner towards the outer portions. The same can be said for the sauce, which is reduced dramatically as you move out from the middle. And since these are small pies, you get small slices — 2 or 3 good bites, and you’re left with the outer crust.

I can see where a few corners have been cut to make this deal so affordable, but it hasn’t diminished my overall satisfaction with the frugal purchase. The sacrifices are only with the size of the pie itself, and amount of toppings, not the quality.

The Beef and Chicken pies were pretty good, but had less flavor. That’s probably because the pepperoni has more flavor to begin with, and also out-numbered the other two toppings. There were some nice little chunks of the grilled chicken, and I was pleased to find they had the taste and texture of real diced meat from solid pieces, instead of mashed up parts. The quality of the toppings appears to be the same as their regular pizzas — you just get less of them. That makes sense.

The crust was tasty and remained chewy and soft, even on the very edges where it got slightly burnt. It was a solid foundation, especially considering the price. The tomato sauce was the weakest part of the experience for me. It was thin and it didn’t have much kick or flavor. It wasn’t bad sauce, it was just bland.

The $4 Pizza and Domino’s 444 Deal is a good overall value. The pies are small, and the toppings are light, but there’s still plenty of pizza eating enjoyment to be found. Instead of trying to compare these to a more expensive full-size pie, just think of them as large fancy bread-sticks with pizza toppings. It’s a lot of food, and not a lot of money. Hot, freshly baked, decent tasting little pizzas delivered to your front door for $4 each. Looking at the grand scheme of things, that’s got to be considered a winner.

Price: $12 for 3 Pizzas ($4 each) / Website: Dominos.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B

Click here for rating system details.

This product is new, Domino’s has not published nutrition information yet, but I contacted them and got facts for the 10-inch $4 Pepperoni. Thanks Stacey!

Nutrition Facts - Domino’s 10″ Pepperoni, Per-Serving (Slice)

Calories - 210
Calories from Fat - 80
Total Fat - 8 grams
Carbs - 25 grams
Saturated Fat - 3.5 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 15 milligrams
Sodium - 480 milligrams