is little caesar's still out there?

A Little Sneezers just reopened here in our sleepy little hamlet. All they have are the $5 always ready pizzas and crazy bread.

Husband says they aren't too bad. The night they got LC's, I got Captain D's. It's not Long John Silvers, but it will have to do. For a cheap pizza, I'll take Domino's or Mazzio's anyday. At least Domino's has good cinnamon bread...

There are a handful of Little Ceasar's in Las Vegas. Most of the ones in the K-Marts here shut down about a year ago with the K-Mart restructuring, but all the others are still around. In fact, some of them are new.

I've worked at LC since 94 - that big pizza you compared to the Hut's Bigfoot was called "Pizza by the Foot" - it was basically two deep dish square pizza pushed together in a long box.

It's been very interesting seeing all the comments on LC poor quality. The biggest problem I have had is with the quality of the toppings. There's nothing I can do to change that so I have just found what toppings I like best and stick with those. LC seems to switch its pepperoni brands around, I'm not sure why. Sometimes the pepperoni is very meaty and turns out quite nicely, other times it is very fatty and you end up with alot of grease in your cheese, making the pizza look, smell, and sometimes even taste, gross. I wouldn't go as far as to say the crust is equivalent to a pizza box, but it isn't quite fluffy either. I would say the closest other chain pizza crust to LC is Papa Johns.

Our local LC has specialty BBQ Meatsa and a Buffalo Chicken pizzas that are pretty good - like, I would purchase them even though I can eat free while working. I would also buy wings, a Hot 'n Ready Cheese pizza, Cheesebread, or Crazy Bread. That's about all I would spend my money on there - everything else I just don't care for. Like I said, the toppings are pretty mediocre. The cheese is real, I can vouch for that - it's a mixture of Muenster and Mozzarella. We receive them in big blocks and shred it in the store ourselves. Since it is fresh cheese, it tends to bubble a bit more than other chains and some people mistake that for bad quality - when really it's not.

I also agree the sauce is bland. I'm going to talk to our store manager about trying some pizzas with the crew that have more spices in the sauce and compare with the regular sauced pizzas to see if we can add more spice to the sauce. Not that this will help most of you all out there - as it would only affect this local store if it is decided to change. Just know your opinions do count and I'm glad I came across this.

We started eating at LC's when we lived in CA. My kids and I loved it. When we moved to TX, the only one we found was in a KMart which later closed down. However, in the past 6 months, TWO independant shops have opened near me. Maybe they are making a comeback!

PizzaGrl, thank you for the inside look at a LC store. I see why I've never been a fan. As far as why they keep changing the pepperoni around, it's most likely a bottom line bean counter move as the price amongst manufacturers fluctuates.

Arizona has them... My fiance used to work at one three years ago (temporary gig) in SoCal... I swear I have always disliked Little Caesar's pizza (at least since they took away the square pizza years ago), but when he worked there he knew exactly how I liked my pizza and cheesy bread and would make it perfect and it would taste wonderful... he also didn't follow their exact protocol when he would make it to bring home (he'd put the dough in with the sauce, cook it a little, take it out, add a little more sauce and seasoning, add the cheese, cook a little, then pull out and add toppings and cook again)... I've tried it a couple times since he moved on from working there and it is NOT by any means up to par, but my 5 year old loves it and it's a cheap quick meal if he just wants a snack... I guess it's all in WHO makes it!

Ours changed the name to just plain "Ceasars" a few years ago. No more 2 for 1. It is not that great, but it is in a good location next to the Big Y supermarket, so my wife brings home a pie now and then. I have mentioned to her that the Big Y pizza is better, but it is certainly not worth fighting about.

The comments in this thread would bother me if I owned a LC franchise. The whole idea of a franchise is the system and the uniform product. For better or worse, all LC pizza should taste the same. A manager who wants to do it his own way should quit and open an independent shop. I have not been to them all, but every independent shop around here is better than any of the chains with the possible exception of Pappa Ginos.

My husband and I love little caesar's pizza and for 5 dollars for someone on a tight budget it's a good deal and good pizza. There is only one non chain pizza place in our area and it's way too expensive for us. Great pizza I'm sure but when you have very little money that means nothing.

Papa Johns actually got put out of business here because of terrible pizza I HATE their pizza and Pizza Pro SO nasty and Pizza Hut is far too greasy!

I usually get a cheese pizza with chicken and mushrooms from LC and it's great everytime hot and fresh from the oven.

Crystal

I have had a few good pizzas from LC but a lot of the time they are very skimpy and bland. If we are feeding a lot of folks and on a budget that is the first place that I think of.

Butch

They still exist, there is one up the street from my mother. It is also right around the corner from the HS I graduated from, they do an ok business. They must, because they have enough money for a kid to stand on a corner w/a sandwich board on him during warmer months (it is currently 19 degrees outside) and advertise their $5 pizzas. My mother & stepfather like them for a quick meal, but I would rather eat bread & water. I don't mind a Rosati's or Mama Mia's pizza, but Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Little Caesar's et al are insulting.

There's LCs all over the place in Richmond. People love their pizzas, but I grew up in Jersey with excellent local pizzerias and fortunately have found a couple of good local ones here so I guess I'll just remain ignorant.

I live in Penticton BC, in Canada. We've got a little Caesars up here. They have those $5 Hot and Ready carry out pizzas. They're only available in Pepporoni or Hawiian. I hear that in the states, the hot and ready Hawiian is replaced with a Cheese pizza. Are our cultures really that different? Do we really need a different pizza? I guess there are alot of men down there too tough to eat fruit on a pizza. That's just how I picture it. I don't get out much.

After reading a few of these threads I'm real confused. "Pizza by the Foot"? I thought it was called the "Big Big Party" or something like that. Did they really get rid of it in '94? Has it been that long?

quote:

Originally posted by scott_partyguy

Do we really need a different pizza? I guess there are alot of men down there too tough to eat fruit on a pizza.

Being an American I don't have to guess, I know. What there is alot of are men and WOmen who flat don't like pineapple on their pizza, hence they are dropping it in favor of a topping that their research tells them will sell. It's all about pleasing the customer.

yes they are.. there is one that's about 10-15 minutes from my house (depending on notre dame traffic). they have the hottest chicken wings of any pizza place i've ever tried and their crazy bread is awesome too. also you can't beat the price $5.00 for ANY one topping large (yes dominos has the 555 deal but that's on mediums).. check out this link -- it will help you find the one nearest you. also - to get a free order of crazy bread go to the kids page link and print out one of the color pages- there's a free coupon on the bottom of each of the pages ( i think they expire 12/05 but they might have more once the new year starts)
the only draw back about little ceasars is that they don't deliver ( at least not in this area) so we have to time our pick up just right when ND is playing home. it's the only pizza we eat during ND football games!!!
good luck and enjoy
~~jerseygirl~~


www.littlecaesars.com

quote:

Originally posted by collections4today

They're still around and headquartered in Detroit. Seems like the aren't as many as there were at on time in the Motor City though. Their latest sales gimmick is to offer a large pepperoni & cheese pizza for $5 and it's always ready. No ordering. Just walk in and get yours, although as most have said, I don't know why you would considering the abismal quality.

I have a friend whose family buys the $5 LC pizza's every single week. That is their pizza of choice because it is the cheapest.

I've eaten it more than I'd like. There are certainly better pizza chains out there. LC is near the bottom (if not AT the bottom) on my list.

~Jessica

They just recently opened one up here in Schertz on FarmRoad 3009
and they moved the one on Pat Booker in Universal City to Kittyhawk Rd. next to the new H.E.B. Their pizza is alright,but i prefer Papa John's which we also have.
H.E.B. stands for Herman E.Butt,who founded the grocery chain with headquaters in San Antonio,for you folks not from Texas.
Godfather's Pizza is still around,but not here anymore.

Are the Butts big in Schertz?

As I recall,Herman had a couple of sisters.

Pizza Pizza....
I like their subs better....

If Little Caesar's had been the first pizza I had ever tasted, I would have sworn off pizza forever. If they are still around, good luck. If they are not, rest in peace. The only thing they had going for them is that they were cheap. And they tasted like it. Yuck.

quote:

Originally posted by enginecapt

Are the Butts big in Schertz?

Tsk Tsk...
LMAO..

Little Caesars closed many years ago in my city but I remember the only times I went there was when I was funding a kid's party. You could feed dozens of them for $20 and no one complained!

The LC's here in Topeka, KS all closed about 5 years ago. We rarely ate their pizza - it was crappy, even for Topeka.

My daughter and her buddies went to LC's all the time when she was in high schoo, though, because it was close and they could get lunch for about $2.

Well, for those that are looking for a budget pizza, there's more locations comming:

DETROIT -- The Ilitch family's Little Caesar Enterprises Inc. says it plans to add hundreds of pizza outlets around the country, reversing a shrinkage that has reduced the number of stores from 5,000 in the early 1990s to 2,000 today.

The privately held company says it will open outlets in areas that include Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington, D.C.

Rest of the story: http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4659381

man Little ceasars takes me back. In the 80s they actually made a pretty good pie. Then all closed near me in north west ohio. I moved to Middletown ohio in 92 and there was one there and Lebanon. I took the management position at the one in Lebanon. Part of why they had a hard time keeping up is alot of locations dont deliver or have dine in. All the ones down here are now closed. Wierd to see they still a part of the big 4, When i havent seen one in prob 2 years.

We have about 10 of them here in Birmingham but for the life of me I don't see how they are still open. We order Papa Johns, they deliver and they have chicken fingers that are pretty good. I hate pizza as I worked my way through college at a joint called Papa Joes, delivery only. I have to admit, we kicked out some great pie! Nothing like a chain, which is why it was so derned good! But now the smell of any pizza is not so hot.

The one's I've seen left seem to be in K-Marts, both in southern California, and NJ...... they look pretty sad to me...

good perhaps for an 8 year old kid who does'nt know any better;

Boring , bland pizza.........

Their Crazy Bread is really good.  The pizza is somewhat bland but it's not bad.  Personally, I like them.

We have three here in the Huntsville area. The grandkids like them so for $5.00 I can go to the drive-thru and get a "Hot and Ready". Not a bad deal.

Hello All,
We have one now...after a disappearance of
about 6 years, here in Harrisonburg, Va..
$5 pizza if you get the ones they have pre-made,
more for one you made special.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

I'm not real big on LC's, but it'll do in a pinch.  I stopped in at our LC's one day to pick up one of the Hot n' Readies and was told it would be about a twenty minute wait.  I thought that sounded a little strange, so I asked them how long it would take me to get  a regular pizza with four toppings.  He said it would take about fifteen minutes. 

From this, I deducted that the $5.00 pizza was probably a frozen pizza that took twenty minutes to cook. 

I have not had a Little Caesar's pizza in probably fifteen years.  But I remember liking them.  It bothers me more than a bit to find myself so out-of-step with so many who have posted on this thread.  Oh well.  This is probably not the only aspect of my life that others find strange (at least that is what I have been told).

Have a great weekend.

Mike Sneddon
Mattoon, IL

jerseygirl127


yes they are.. there is one that's about 10-15 minutes from my house (depending on notre dame traffic). they have the hottest chicken wings of any pizza place i've ever tried and their crazy bread is awesome too. also you can't beat the price $5.00 for ANY one topping large (yes dominos has the 555 deal but that's on mediums).. check out this link -- it will help you find the one nearest you. also - to get a free order of crazy bread go to the kids page link and print out one of the color pages- there's a free coupon on the bottom of each of the pages ( i think they expire 12/05 but they might have more once the new year starts)
the only draw back about little ceasars is that they don't deliver ( at least not in this area) so we have to time our pick up just right when ND is playing home. it's the only pizza we eat during ND football games!!!
good luck and enjoy
~~jerseygirl~~
 
I go there and don't see any free bread coupon???


www.littlecaesars.com

Little Caesars are big in Mem.  Even have folks hanging on their corners playing air guitars.

Don't eat there myself.

Alive and well here in South Carolina.My Grandchildren love them.$5 pizza is hard to beat .My tastes are a little more refined.I'll eat a slice with them , but thats about as far as it goes.

We have the $5 large pepperoni special and it's pretty good. 

Our local Little Caesar's seems to be going strong.  Its local competition consists of Pizza Hut and Papa John's and the grocery store.  We weren't in the mood to cook today and bought a Supreme.  It was under $10 and was actually pretty good.  I imagine the quality varies from franchise to franchise. 
 
Andrea

There's one here in Minot, in the Kmart Super store.  $5.99 pizzas, and also by the slice.  They seem to do brisk business too.

Finally, a real, rational discussion about Little Caesars and what their pizza is like.

I am so thankful that the last few pages of this thread are not hyperbolic at all, like you find on most pizza lover forums like this one.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this thread for not going overboard on how much they hate Little Caesars and ate Captain D's instead of eating Little Caesars, inconveniencing the rest of the family and fueling this great country's economy.

Now I'll have you know I am a fan of Little Caesars, but I appreciate that everyone was rational, mature, and completely realistic when they talked about how much they hated Little Caesars and would rather eat cancer. Thanks

Thanks,
PizzaLoverFredDurst6942099

We have them all over the place in central NY. When they first showed up 15 or so years ago, I remember thinking it was really good, now, not so good. I'd rather pay the few extra bucks for a bigger, better pie from a mom and pop place.

There are a lot of them in the central florida area.

There are a few still around in the Kansas City area.  They came on like gangbusters in the late 1980's here, and over time have died down quite a bit, similar to what happened to Godfather's pizza.  The price is right, but the pizza is not.   I have a hard time deciding which chain pizza is worse: Dominos or Little Caesars.  You get what you pay for.  

I was assistant manager of an independent bookstore in a strip center in the late '80s. We had a Little Caesar next door, the only convenient quick lunch. We always called it "Little Seizure's."

Little Caesars seems to do very well here in Michigan. I've found a lot of  closures, but most of them were actually replaced within a couple years. Alpena had one since the 1970s; it moved about 15 years ago and then became an indie called "Spicy Bob's." More recently, a carryout-only LC's opened on the north side of town. Here in Oscoda, I know our LC's has been open since at least the late 1970s.

I actually like their pizza a great deal. The toppings could stand to be a bit more generous, but they blend well. I like the sauce (which seems to have a little more "kick" to it like it used to in the 1990s; it had gotten a bit bland for a while) and the garlic flavor of the crust.

After not having one for a few years, a new one just opened nearby. I don't plan to visit. The "old" one is still here, they just changed the name to avoid franchise fees. IMO, it is not bad, there are just so many really, really good pizza places around here, that there is no real reason to go.

Many years ago, the only one in the area closed & became a local pizza place, which now has some of the best local pizza around... & name: "Hold The Anchovies." :D

There are still a bunch of them in the U.P...we used to have one in the kmart but that was taken out years ago..i think there's one around here as well..i used to love love the crazy bread.

theres a few around here that sell ready now $5.00 larges.
haven't been to any yet. for $5 & no waiting thats a cheap lunch.

compared to what? roofing shingles?

badbyron722


compared to what? roofing shingles?

good one, badbyron722.

Hey, the Little Ceaser's $5 pizzas are great for what they are.

bill voss


Hey, the Little Ceaser's $5 pizzas are great for what they are.

Or in other words, you get what you pay for.  In that case, I agree.

badbyron722


compared to what? roofing shingles?

wow that sounds familiar ]
you should at least give credit to the person you got that line from