Pizza Hut: Pan Pizza

Basic Information:

Pizza: Pizza Hut

Number of Locations: many worldwide

Location: 1647 E. Greenville Street in Anderson, SC (near Publix)

Website: www.pizzahut.com

Date of Review Visit: December 2012

What I Ordered: Large (14’’) pan pizza with Italian sausage, plus a regular order of breadsticks

Price: $14.98 (pizza and breadsticks only; no drink or tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust used to be a real strength of Pizza Hut’s pizza, but I could not say that at present, even with all of Pizza Hut’s gimmicky crusts (stuffed, cheese bites, etc.).  Good crust does not need to be gimmicked up.  Of their “ordinary” crusts, I always have preferred the pan, and I still do. The pan crust is golden brown on the outside and chewy on the inside, but when you pinch it orange grease oozes out.  That’s not a pleasant sight.

Sauce: The pizza has sufficient sauce, but the sauce has no spices.  Also, the sauce tastes canned rather than fresh.  I have certainly tasted worse sauce, but there is room for improvement.

Cheese: The pizza is slightly undercheesed, as evidenced by some of the bare spots that are absent any cheese.  Also, something on this pizza makes it taste very salty.  The breadsticks dipped in pizza sauce do not suffer from a salty taste, so I am thinking it is the cheese.

Toppings: The pizza has sufficient toppings, but the pellet-style sausage has very little flavor.  Both the pork sausage and Italian sausage used to taste quite good here, but not any more.  Also, adding more than one meat topping makes the pizza very greasy; I know from experience.

Overall Taste: The salty taste overrides almost everything else on my tongue and really brings this score down.  This is not the worst-tasting pizza I have ever eaten, but it is a far cry from the best.  Truth be told, the breadsticks taste better than the pizza.  How many times will you hear that?

Pizza Appearance: The pizza’s appearance is quite good except for the bare spots of crust and sauce. 

Dining Atmosphere: depends on the location.  Many locations, including the one for this review, have a nice no-frills casual dining room, but some locations are carry-out only.

Customer Service: again, varies by location.  I still have not forgotten the evening I waited 1 hour in the lobby of a Pizza Hut in Lynchburg, VA for them to hand me my take-out pizza that I had paid for as soon as I walked in.

Monetary Value: At $10 for a large 1-topping pizza, the pizza alone offers good value: average quality for a cheap price.  The side items, on the other hand, are all overpriced.

The Final Judgment: 

Some people really like Pizza Hut while others really hate it.  I think it is OK at best, and I do not like it as much as I used to.  My fond memories of getting free personal pan pizzas through Pizza Hut’s Book-It program might make this review a little more positive than it should be.  Score: 68/100