There is a LOT to be happy about in life... but with happiness can come sadness.
Exhibit A: Pizza Hut
Back in the day, Pizza Hut was the place we would all go after soccer practice. It was AWESOME. Not just SOME awe... it was FULL of AWE, now it's just AWEFUL. The logo looks like a 5 year old made it with a crayon, and I don't even know what's going on with the new buildings. A strip-mall? What happened? I want the old red roofs back, and the trapezoidal windows... the arcade machines, the green carpets and the red seats. I want the big trays, with the iron dishes, the red cups, picnic table-style table cloths, and cheesy outfits. I also want the awesome pizza buffet back.
Exhibit B: Speed Vision
Why is it gone? Velocity sucks... there's only so much NASCAR I can stand (none of it really, no offense anyone). It was THE place to go watch Formula-1. They also had school bus racing at night. But more importantly, they had race car documentaries like the Speed Merchants. They also had awesome shows like Two Guys Garage... then there were three guys, then occasionally one guy, and then two again, and now none.
I mean, I'm half being silly... but seriously... I want nothing more than to go to Pizza Hut after a Richmond Strikers Soccer Club game, play a round of Asteroids, hit the Pizza Buffet with my soccer buddies, and then go home, ride my dirt bike with the neighborhood kids, then play Solaris on my Atari 2600, throw pillows at my brother, and then sleep in my Empire Strikes Back Star Wars sheets.
Sigh... being an adult is fun... but being a kid has its advantages...
Pizzahuts around me made the switch to a pickup point rather then a restaurant. Me and my buddies used to go all the time. As we grew up, we hung out less. We got ahold of eachother after a while to go to the new Pizzahut (used to be a Blockbuster Video), and were dumbfounded when we walked in. Ended up walking right back out
2 Guys Garage is still around, but with new people. The old guys are still on TV from time to time. None of it is worth watching in my opinion.
[This message has been edited by LitebulbwithaFiero (edited 03-07-2018).]
Pizzahuts around me made the switch to a pickup point rather then a restaurant. Me and my buddies used to go all the time. As we grew up, we hung out less. We got ahold of eachother after a while to go to the new Pizzahut (used to be a Blockbuster Video), and were dumbfounded when we walked in. Ended up walking right back out
2 Guys Garage is still around, but with new people. The old guys are still on TV from time to time. None of it is worth watching in my opinion.
You might be right at the age to remember the Pizza Hut baseball commercials. They were on the Ninja Turtles movies.
There was a house down the road that everyone called the Pizza Hut house. It burned down about at least a decade ago, but I'll check my county assessor and see if it is in the archives.
We still eat Pizza Hut. Is it the best pizza I've ever had? Far from it. It is reasonably priced and consistent. Couple miles from the house so we also save on delivery. We had a "snow" storm 2 or 3 weeks ago and they were estimated 120 minutes for delivery. We didn't want to drive, so we paid. It came around 90 minutes in, but days later I had a free pizza coupon in my email. We ended up ordering another meat lovers stuffed crust, which without any special pricing is close to $20. That is what we had gotten before too, but we had no expectation of such.
Will update if I can locate that house. We still have a couple buildings here that used to be their standalone locations. Our daughter has no idea what the hell we are talking about.
[This message has been edited by ls3mach (edited 03-07-2018).]
Here in Kissimmee, there still is one Pizza Hut restaurant with the big pointy roof. All the rest are little shops in strip malls.
I remember watching the LeMans series and the touring car races on Speedvision. That was good stuff. Then it changed to the Speed channel (aka the NASCAR channel). Meh.
Now I don't even have cable TV... decided it wasn't worth the money anymore.
[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 03-07-2018).]
There is a LOT to be happy about in life... but with happiness can come sadness.
Exhibit A: Pizza Hut
Back in the day, Pizza Hut was the place we would all go after soccer practice. It was AWESOME. Not just SOME awe... it was FULL of AWE, now it's just AWEFUL. The logo looks like a 5 year old made it with a crayon, and I don't even know what's going on with the new buildings. A strip-mall? What happened? I want the old red roofs back, and the trapezoidal windows... the arcade machines, the green carpets and the red seats. I want the big trays, with the iron dishes, the red cups, picnic table-style table cloths, and cheesy outfits. I also want the awesome pizza buffet back.
Exhibit B: Speed Vision
Why is it gone? Velocity sucks... there's only so much NASCAR I can stand (none of it really, no offense anyone). It was THE place to go watch Formula-1. They also had school bus racing at night. But more importantly, they had race car documentaries like the Speed Merchants. They also had awesome shows like Two Guys Garage... then there were three guys, then occasionally one guy, and then two again, and now none.
I mean, I'm half being silly... but seriously... I want nothing more than to go to Pizza Hut after a Richmond Strikers Soccer Club game, play a round of Asteroids, hit the Pizza Buffet with my soccer buddies, and then go home, ride my dirt bike with the neighborhood kids, then play Solaris on my Atari 2600, throw pillows at my brother, and then sleep in my Empire Strikes Back Star Wars sheets.
Sigh... being an adult is fun... but being a kid has its advantages...
Todd,
We still have a Pizza Hut almost *exactly* as you described right here in the Tampa area...OK OK...it's actually up in Spring Hill, FL but that's 30 min. away.
They even have the same great buffet every single day...AND they still have the SANDWICHES that Pizza Hut used to be famous for as well as pizza.
I used to have a hobby of trying to photograph Pizza Hut stores in different countries on my world travels. It was a running joke with an old buddy that writes a pizza rating column for a website. I sent him a photo of the one I saw in Marrakesh, Morocco years ago.
[This message has been edited by randye (edited 03-07-2018).]
Oh yea, touring car racing. I used to try to watch that. Thanks for reminding me of it! I need to try to see if it is on anymore and if it is as good as it was.
Our Pizza Hut is one of those 'Wings Street" things. No ambiance, character, doesn't even have that great 'pizza smell' when you walk in the door. It's almost...'clinical' and certainly boring and non-descript compared to what PH began as, with the big long tables and an almost boisterous atmosphere. Now, just people in booths eating pizza...
I almost forgot. Their pizza ain't all that great anymore either.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 03-08-2018).]
Heh....I haven't eaten at Pizza Hut since the days of the Priazzo!
I worked there in the late 80's/early 90's and that was enough for me to never want to eat it again. Now if I want a crappy pizza I go to Little Caesar's.
BTW...we still have "old school" red roofed Pizza Huts in Colorado. Until I read your post I had no idea that they weren't really doing that any more.
Pizza Hut delivers here in Shanghai. Of course you can’t read the menu. Sometimes what you get doesn’t look like what you ordered. Definitely not like my high school football days (re: Al Bundy)
Please... PH has been bad for 30+ years now and why many stores are Gone in the US. Many stores are PH Express and like most Domino's and Little Caesars have little to no seats to eat there.
Little Caesar's have gotten better in last few years. "Hot-N-Ready‎" pizzas are ok and not sitting around for hours either. The "Mostest" HNR for $6 is good and packed w/ cheese and pepperoni. In this case What you see in many ads are very close to the real pies. If you think PH, LC, etc, are crap... Tombstone and many other are worse. I can't buy even "cheapo" frozen pies and add extra pepperoni and cook them for $6 even at Walmart prices. WM Store Brands "Marketside" pies are $6 to $9 and "Great Value" are ~$3 but even Tombstone is $4. When I go to LC I'm in/out and gone in < 10 minutes while most stores eat a lot more time and cost more money and time/money to cook them too.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
They are sad...I assumed it was because I moved to a big city and hadn't bothered looking for a "real" one, like we had back home when I was young. Back in the day, it was the place to go...second in town only to the one really "fancy" restaurant. Went to PH on many of my birthday's as a kid. About the only place at the time that served pop by the pitcher.
All the ones around here are just outlets, not proper restaurants. The one that had seating got re-done in to one without any. That's going backwards, if you ask me.
Last pie I got from them, for take out, was a pepporoni lovers. Got it home to be disappointed by the pepporoni coverage. Much less then an average pepperoni pizza. That was last year, and I will never give them a second chance again.
I am too young to remember the original TMNT movies, I was born in 1990
[This message has been edited by LitebulbwithaFiero (edited 03-08-2018).]
The one in the town north of us changed to the new design last year or so. We haven't ate there in over a decade I guess.
The one in the town south of us is still the old style building, with new style pizza.. It's not worth ordering. No delivery at either. I don't think either have ever done delivery.
My local hut is the same as it ever has been. The service and staff are of a lesser caliber than they used to be, but the pizza is still good enough. My kids get coupons for free za for reading books every month. Red cups, pointy roofs, arcade games, sticky tables.
I miss the lunch buffet. I don't think they do that anymore, but I have not been out for a weekday lunch in a long long time.
I wonder just what those red plastic like shingles were made of. those have lasted a really long time.
I stopped at a Pizza Hut several years ago on the way home in my Fiero and got a thin crust pizza. My comments back to Pizza Hut was that it was like ketchup on cardboard. The last chain pizza store I ate was a Little Caesar's.. When I drive over to the Central Florida gatherings it is at http://www.papaanthonyspizza.com/ It is a 70 mile road trip one way for me for a pizza.
Life is what you make it The past is the past Nothing stays the same Remember the past Nothing ever changes Look to the future Live in the now Pizza good
Yeah the Pizza hut right next door to where i work is just how you described. Red roof, brick building, 12 tables to sit inside and eat, even has the pasta buffet. Has an arcade machine, sort of.. Its one of those crane/claw machines where you try to grab a stuffed animal.
The Pizza Huts around me used to be packed on Friday and Saturday nights. There was a jukebox... Families with kids, teenagers on dates, baseball teams after the game... The one by my office was crowded at lunchtime too.
Those are all closed now. The one by my office has been empty for ten years at least. Count me among the sad.
Haven't eaten a PH pizza in at least a decade. I have a 'strong constitution', but if I ate their food, I couldn't make a ten mile drive home without extreme discomfort or embarrassment.
The local taverns have excellent food, and wonderful pizza. Why support a franchise establishment when I can support the local entrepreneurs?
[This message has been edited by olejoedad (edited 03-12-2018).]
I know who Wimpy is, and I'm under 50. There's a Wimpy's Hamburger place in Grayling I pass whenever I go home.
I prefer Pizza Hut to the 'new improved' Dominos, but it's largely nostalgia. In the 90's they used to have a school reading program, where you would get a personal pan pizza after so many reading hours. We used to go there and have pizza, and I'd play Sega Outrun arcade machine they had in the corner.
Then in college, the only good pizza in Houghton (and usually accessible by Fiero) was the Pizza Hut. My roommate and I used to get a stuffed crust meat lovers and wings, and watch movies with the other ROTC guys back at the dorm.
The BEST pizza was almost any small independent place in New Jersey near Philadelphia. Most of the residents were of Italian descent, and the food reflected it. Silicon Valley years later, only decent pizza was 'Three Guys Pies', every other place was almost as bad as Little Caesars.
I know who Wimpy is, and I'm under 50. There's a Wimpy's Hamburger place in Grayling I pass whenever I go home.
I prefer Pizza Hut to the 'new improved' Dominos, but it's largely nostalgia. In the 90's they used to have a school reading program, where you would get a personal pan pizza after so many reading hours. We used to go there and have pizza, and I'd play Sega Outrun arcade machine they had in the corner.
Then in college, the only good pizza in Houghton (and usually accessible by Fiero) was the Pizza Hut. My roommate and I used to get a stuffed crust meat lovers and wings, and watch movies with the other ROTC guys back at the dorm.
The BEST pizza was almost any small independent place in New Jersey near Philadelphia. Most of the residents were of Italian descent, and the food reflected it. Silicon Valley years later, only decent pizza was 'Three Guys Pies', every other place was almost as bad as Little Caesars.
I had a wimpy burger down the street from me in Hazel park. That was my kind of burger! I really was sad when it closed. Next trip up north I'm stopping in grayling. Thanks for the heads up.
