The Facts:
Pizza: Guys Pizza 81
Business Category: Regional Chain (2 locations, both in the Anderson/Clemson area)
Website: https://guyspizza81.com/
Location: 3622A N. Highway 81 in Anderson, SC (beside Carolina Fresh Farms)
Date of Review Visit: October 18, 2020
What I Ordered: Large (14") pizza with pork sausage and pepperoni
Price: $14.34
The Micro:
Crust: The crust at Guys Pizza has medium thickness. It has a soft chewy texture and a fresh bready taste. Normally I don't like this style of crust, but this crust is better than most for what it is. Score: 8/10.
Sauce: The sauce has a slightly sweet, fresh tomatoey taste, and it is not overspiced. The sauce appears in high quantity. I really like this sauce. Score: 10/10.
Cheese: This pizza is slightly undercheesed, but it still produces a lot of grease. I am not particularly fond of this cheese. Score: 4/10.
Toppings: The pepperoni has an intriguingly spicy taste, but the spices are not overwhelming. The pork sausage is of the tasteless pellet variety, and it is among the worst sausage I have had recently. Both toppings appear in high quantity. Score: 6/10.
The Macro:
Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The abundance of toppings dominates the pizza's appearance, and the pizza is cut into 10 slices rather than the usual 8. I ordered take out, but they have a small but nice dining area. The service was fine after it took them a few minutes to find my order. Score: 8/10.
Value: The price is about average for a large 2-topping pizza, and the quality is slightly above average. Therefore, the value is above average. Score: 7/10.
Taste: I really like the blend of sweetness in the sauce with spiciness in the pepperoni, but the bland sausage really holds the overall taste back. They have a large number of other toppings (including an Italian sausage), and I will try anything other than the pork sausage next time. Score: 16/20.
The Final Judgment:
Almost a Papa John's clone, but for some better sausage this pizza would be a real winner. Maybe I can find a topping combination I like, and then I can become a real Guys Pizza guy. Score: 59/80.
