America's 35 Favorite Pizza Chains 2016
Last month, we opened a poll asking you to vote for your favorite pizza chains in America. More than 100 chains were considered, from the largest international ones to far smaller regional enterprises with ten locations or less. Hundreds of you chimed in, and while the voting was close, one chain slightly edged out the competition.
America's 35 Favorite Pizza Chains (Slideshow)
If you've ever tried to make a pizza from scratch, you've probably learned that it's a lot harder than it looks to turn out a decent pie; it involves much more than just cheese and sauce on bread. Successful chains have it down to a science. Some pride themselves on still making each pie by hand with all-natural ingredients, a hundred percent of the time. Others turn out a vast quantity of pizzas daily with the help of high-tech machinery. At the end of the day, though, every chain-pizzeria customer has his or her favorite.
What exactly did our voters look for in determining their favorites? We asked them to vote only for chains that they've been to, of course, but also asked them to choose those they truly respect. They were told to take into account the freshness and deliciousness of the product as well as the service, convenience, menu diversity, and overall experience. Some voted based on a loyalty to local chains, while others preferred the big guys.
Note that we're not exactly identifying these chains as America's best. Because this was a simple tally, it's a ranking of America's favorites — the chains that you, the readers of The Daily Meal, are most likely to turn to when you're in the mood for pizza but, for whatever reasons, can't get to (or don't want to bother with) an artisanal pizzeria of the kind whose wares we rank annually in our signature 101 Best Pizzas in America.
From household names like Little Caesars to small regional favorites like Happy Joe's and Pizza My Heart, you, the people have spoken, and these are your favorite pizza chains.