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I drove all the way to Hickory last night to get my Papa Murphy's fix (and to talk to the owner). The pizza is as good as I remembered. I don't know how they formulate the dough to come out so good in a non-commercial oven.
Anyway, I know I won't be able to discuss it here once the papers are signed, and we're still not sure we're doing it. It's allot of money and the break-even analysis isn't looking great with the data we have so far. Owners are saying that for some reason Carolinians aren't "getting it," although it's really popular in the west and midwest.
I think the clues to success for any pizza establishment in Charlotte are: a) must be owned by someone from New York. b) give out huge greasy slices for less than it costs to make it and c) be willing to pander to the hordes of transplants who will only darken your door if a and b are in play. You can check out the MANY threads here on this board for reference and verification. I wish you good luck in any event. I actually met the owners of the previously mentioned Papa Murphy's in Ballantyne and while I honestly find pizza disgusting regardless of its lineage, they were good people who tried hard to make it a go.
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Originally Posted by jlat
I think the clues to success for any pizza establishment in Charlotte are: a) must be owned by someone from New York. b) give out huge greasy slices for less than it costs to make it and c) be willing to pander to the hordes of transplants who will only darken your door if a and b are in play. You can check out the MANY threads here on this board for reference and verification. I wish you good luck in any event. I actually met the owners of the previously mentioned Papa Murphy's in Ballantyne and while I honestly find pizza disgusting regardless of its lineage, they were good people who tried hard to make it a go.
I think that the name is a disconnect. Papa Murpheys sounds like a great place for corned beef & cabbage.
I think that the name is a disconnect. Papa Murpheys sounds like a great place for corned beef & cabbage.
I'd agree with this.
Also, Bobo, there are pizza joints on every corner here...granted, most of them are NY style...(SIGH) but, still. Take-home-and-cook concepts have not seemed to work well here...does anyone remember the small explosion of places where you could buy meals that were pre-made (or buy the ingredients and make them at the store) that was supposed to be the next big thing? All gone now. Not quite sure the take-home-and-bake pizza concept is a huge seller.
Sam's Club & HT both offer those...guess I am suggesting speaking with people at those stores to see if they are popular....another thing to take into consideration is the demographic of the location...would the demographic be one that might be likely to appreciate and actually buy the pizzas???
Never heard of Papa Murphy's before, but how much do their pizza's cost? If it's more than $5, I can't see myself going to a standalone store to get a pizza that I still have to cook, when I can either 1) buy a frozen pizza for $3-$4 from the grocery store when I'm already there buying groceries, or 2) order a pizza from Domino's for $6 that I don't have to cook. (yes I'm from NJ and I eat Domino's, shoot me)
I see those take and bake pizzas at Harris Teeter all the time and wonder who buys a pizza for $8+ that isn't even cooked, and doesn't even look that great anyway.
I think the clues to success for any pizza establishment in Charlotte are: a) must be owned by someone from New York. b) give out huge greasy slices for less than it costs to make it and c) be willing to pander to the hordes of transplants who will only darken your door if a and b are in play.
I think you can add hot dogs, greasy chicken wings and bagels to this list too. None of these places with NY or infer some Italian cultural connection in the name ever seem to last that long. I haven't tried this place but I probably wouldn't pay much for a pizza that wasn't cooked in a real pizza oven. There is walmart for those kinds of pizzas.
If it's more than $5, I can't see myself going to a standalone store to get a pizza that I still have to cook, when I can either 1) buy a frozen pizza for $3-$4 from the grocery store when I'm already there buying groceries, or 2) order a pizza from Domino's for $6 that I don't have to cook. (yes I'm from NJ and I eat Domino's, shoot me)
I agree 100%. As a native NJ guy, I have had all kinds of terrific NY style pizza from all over the tri-state area. But even those guys that come down here and open NY style shops can't seem to duplicate its goodness. But kudos to them for trying AND I'll gladly patronize them rather than eat the junk that is served by Dominos, PH, or Papa Johns.
In fact, I'd rather go in my freezer and cook a $5 DiGiorno's pizza rather than buy from a chain. If someone offered me a Take & Bake for more $ than a DiGiorno's, I'll politely pass. I'm not going to fetch and then have to cook too!
Your post made me remember some days gone by though. In the mid 1970's the first Domino's location at the Jersey shore opened on Rt 37 in Toms River. We used to drive 30 min's to get there, order, sit on the curb and wait for it to cook, and then eat it right there in the parking lot. It was a treat then. Now, I wouldn't cross a street to get to a Domino's (well, maybe for some BBQ wings... they're not bad.)
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