10 Overpriced Pizza Chains That Seriously Aren't Worth It

Like pretty much every food item in the country, pizza has been getting more expensive in the last couple of years. Thanks to a combination of inflation, supply chain disruptions, and labor and packaging costs, what was once a reliably cheap meal has become pricier than a lot of people would want. And while certain chains like Domino's and Pizza Hut have been dubbed as "inflation-proof" (via NPR), customers have found that this isn't quite the case. The reality is that virtually every pizza chain around has had to keep up with the rising cost of everything by nudging up their prices, and people are starting to notice.

In some cases, though, it really feels like they've gone too far. Certain pizza chains now sell pies for way more than they used to just a few years ago, and diners are increasingly feeling that the price of their menu items doesn't adequately reflect their quality. As a result, chains like Papa John's, Round Table, and (you guessed it) Pizza Hut now simply don't feel worth it, even if they offer vouchers or offers that can bring down the price. Which are the worst offenders, though? Well, we've got them all right here.

Of all the pizza chains that currently feel overpriced, none of them stand out as much as Round Table. This restaurant, which was founded in California, just can't seem to get its price-to-quality ratio right, and in March 2026, it was named as the chain that receives the most complaints about how much its pizzas cost in an analysis from ACE.com (via Fox News). The website analyzed nearly 250,000 Google Reviews left for multiple pizza chains to assess which ones get accused of being too pricey most often, and Round Table was far and away the "winner," with 71 reviews per 1,000 saying that it was too expensive.

We'd have to agree. A basic large pepperoni pizza from Round Table can come in at well over $30, and that's before you add any extra toppings (which cost $2.50 each). Add in sides, and you can end up spending an extraordinary amount. Call us old-fashioned, but it all feels way too expensive for what you're actually getting — and while the pizza may be good, customers can't get on board with it anymore. "I honestly love Round Table but the prices are too high for me to justify it," said one person on Reddit, who is far from the only person to voice their feeling that this place has lost its way.

You know that a pizza chain has been getting a lot of complaints about its prices when it actually has to speak out acknowledging the problem. Back in 2023, then-CEO Rob Lynch said in an earnings call, quoted via CNN, that "some of the pricing ... had gotten out in front of where the consumer was willing to spend." He then went on to indicate that this pricing could well have resulted in a drop in the pizza restaurant's sales.

With all that in mind, you might think that a couple of years down the line, Papa John's had dropped its prices to reflect what it clearly knows. Sadly, if it has, it doesn't seem to be felt by customers. People still feel that Papa John's is way too expensive for what you get, with some feeling that it's barely better than frozen pizza, but with a premium cost. The chain, like so many others, offers a lot of discounts, but when those discounts simply bring its prices down to what any other chain would normally cost, are they really that good? Throw in some wild delivery charges, and Papa John's isn't giving its customers what they really want: Pizza that feels truly worth it.

Papa Murphy's feels unique in the pizza space, and that's down to one reason: You have to cook the pizzas yourself when you get home. The idea behind this concept is arguably that it gives you fresher pizza than what you'd get at any other chain. The problem, though, is that customers frequently feel as though they're paying for a customized step-up from a frozen pizza (and remember, guys, you can pick up frozen pizzas with great-quality ingredients these days). This might be okay if people had the sense that its pizzas were significantly cheaper than the pies you'd get from other places, but they don't. "Their pizza is the same price, if not more, and you have to cook it. They're so expensive, the quality isn't any better, and they never have coupons," said one customer on Reddit, summing up a sentiment that many hold.

Papa Murphy's gluten-free options can also feel overly expensive, and customers can also end up with poorly made pizzas that they then have to try to salvage. The chain has been in trouble recently, having to close a swathe of underperforming stores. It could be that its prices have just got too high for most people to justify.

Mountain Mike's Pizza has carved out a name for itself as a competitor to the likes of Domino's and Pizza Hut — but unfortunately, its prices are getting the better of it. That's according to customers, at least. The 'zas from Mountain Mike's can feel way too expensive for what you actually get, and charging for extras like sauces can add insult to injury. Customers have reported paying $30 or more for individual pizzas, and that's before you consider a tip or delivery charges. It can all add up very quickly.

This wouldn't feel so bad if Mountain Mike's were a premium affair, but it just doesn't seem that way to the people who are dining on its food. This chain positions itself at the higher end of the delivery pizza spectrum, but customers can end up with burnt food, pizzas with barely any toppings, and items that don't look anything like their promotional images. All of that, and you're still paying top-dollar? You may well be better off going elsewhere and spending your money more wisely. Sorry, Mountain Mike's, but the court of public opinion isn't in your favor on this one.

One of the main points of a buffet is that it should offer value for money, and it feels like it's pretty hard to go wrong on that front when it comes to pizza. This food has mass appeal and doesn't cost that much to make, and so any buffet that offers it should be both popular and affordable. Pizza Ranch is, objectively, both of those things — so how does it still manage to feel like it's overpriced? It's because its food falls seriously short of expectations, so much so that its low price point of around $15 per person for its evening buffet still feels like you're paying too much. Yikes.

The overriding problem when it comes to Pizza Ranch is that its food quality is, according to customers, perilously low. Not only that, but standards around the food are also rather poor: The cleanliness of its restaurants leaves much to be desired, its pizzas are often not restocked quickly enough, and its ice cream machines are left broken and unfixed. Pizza Ranch also finds ways to raise its prices considerably for its gluten-free customers, making their meals way more expensive, without offering much value in return. Its base price may make it seem like a good value, but it just doesn't live up to it. There are far better pizza buffets across America to go to, guys.

There may have once been a time when Pizza Hut was worth it, but now, that no longer feels the case. As one of the most prominent pizza chains around (even though it's been shuttering hundreds of locations), there's a sense that it's been comfortable raising its prices to levels customers can no longer justify. Now it's dogged by accusations of being too expensive. For its diners, the quality-to-cost ratio at this restaurant just doesn't feel worth it, and people increasingly feel as though they're paying more for inferior ingredients. Although Pizza Hut has tried to offer corrections to higher prices through a bunch of discounts and deals, it's not enough for its patrons.

Plus, over the years, Pizza Hut has started to sneak in additional costs and raise the price of its extra toppings or modifications, which can make a simple pizza way more exorbitant than it should be. Delivery fees are a particular bugbear for customers, who now find that they can pay 50% more for their order once everything else is folded in. It may have name recognition that other pizza chains envy, but as far as the mood goes around it, Pizza Hut's not on top.

MOD Pizza's prices are out of control. That's if its customers are to be believed, anyway — and a lot of them are saying the same thing. When this pizza concept first appeared, it offered a sense of comfort in its pricing model: No matter what you added to your pizza, you'd pay the same price, regardless of how much you loaded it up with toppings. Now, though, it's both altered its model and raised its base prices, bringing it way more in line with other pizza restaurants and, above all, moving it into "not worth it" territory.

Over the last year, these rises have been especially head-spinning. Customers have noted that MOD Pizza's prices have gone up by $4 per pizza in around eight months, which is dramatic enough for some people to step away from it entirely. "It was such a stark increase that they lost my business. I emailed corporate about it. Still waiting to hear back," said one person on Reddit. Bear in mind that for those extra $4, you're paying for exactly the same pizza size, with exactly the same access to toppings. Come on, MOD. That's just not gonna cut it, especially when it's already struggling to stay open. 

For a long time, Jet's Pizza has managed to retain a feeling of its pizzas being worth it, thanks to the quality of the food itself. This Detroit-style pizza chain is a word-of-mouth success, and there are plenty of people out there who claim it's the best around. Sadly, though, that number seems to be shrinking, due to some recent moves by the chain that have shifted its quality-to-price ratio into the red. Now, people are increasingly calling out Jet's Pizza for being too expensive for what you get, and looking elsewhere for their pies.

The problem seems to be twofold: Jet's Pizza has elevated its prices while making its pizzas smaller. In some cases, the cost of individual pizzas has gone up by $5, and for that, customers get less. A chain making pizza that feels mass-produced and anonymous might get away with this for a while. However, because of the regional specificity of Jet's and the fact that there are so many local, mom-and-pop pizzerias that can do the same thing, it's in danger of its customer base shifting to smaller businesses that can still offer a good deal.

Sbarro has been called one of the most overpriced pizza chains around. To be honest, given the spot it occupies in the culinary landscape, it's not hard to see why. This disappearing fast food chain specializes in on-the-go pizza sold by the slice, and it's often located in tourist hotspots or travel hubs, where businesses generally demand a higher price — and it's not exactly known for its quality or customer service.

However, even with that in mind, the amount it charges for a simple slice of pizza in some places is baffling. One customer, who bought a single slice of cheese pizza at the Aruba airport, was charged $10 for the privilege, before any extra toppings. Over in the U.S., things aren't much better. On Google Reviews, an especially scathing reflection called Sbarro's pizza "Terrible chain food that is overly expensive, thick, and inauthentic," and that feeling is shared by many other customers. If you want value for money, this might be one of the worst places you can go.

There was once a time when Hungry Howie's felt like a solid choice for a cost-effective pizza, and for a while there, it managed to avoid raising its prices to unnecessarily expensive levels. Well, sadly, that moment has passed. Now, Hungry Howie's has begun to seem way too expensive to its customers, who haven't failed to notice that they're paying more, and not necessarily feeling the benefit in their food. In some cases, the cost of its pizza has spiralled to wild proportions: One Instagram reviewer reported paying $33 for a simple Detroit-style pie from the chain, which had little more than pepperoni and jalapeños on it. Come on, guys.

If Hungry Howie's was renowned for having the best pizzas around, then maybe this wouldn't feel so bad. The problem is, it isn't. It's not exactly known for being gourmet, and not only that, but people feel that its quality has been going downhill for a while. Essentially, you're now paying more for a worse meal. Forgive us for not being excited by that prospect.