Marion's Pizza... Now just like any other (pizzeria, independent)

[kjbrill]

I was just browsing the Dayton forum to see what is going on when I spotted this thread. Very interesting to see how many people are dissing Marion's.

We spent a long time watching the Marion's in Mason being built. Having heard about it's Dayton reputation were anticipating a new treat. When it opened waited a couple weeks so they could get their routine down. Then myself, wife, brother, and sister-in-law went for dinner. We ordered a couple different pizzas to get a sampling. Found having to go to a counter to order and pay for the pizza and then a different counter to get drinks and carry them back to our table to be a bit troublesome, but realized it is a casual dining place. It was quite busy so took a while to get our pizza. When we did what a huge disappointment. We all felt the pizza was terrible, and did not finish eating it. For my brother and I that is certainly unusual, as we rarely leave anything behind. They asked if we wanted a carryout box and we said no thnks.

The first few weeks they had good crowds which is to be anticipated when a new place balleyhooed as much as Marion's opens. But very rapidly it was noticeable how patronage was dropping off. Today the large parking lot is virtually empty all the time. I have several acquaintances who have tried it and said will not be going back.

Frankly we thought the people in Dayton must be nuts if they consider that good pizza. So it is interesting seeing Daytonians complaining they changed and not for the better.

Contrastingly we have a Dominos in town who has been advertising we have changed our product and they have. Last week my wife had three ladies over for lunch and card making in the afternoon. So after her morning stint at the community center they went to Dominos to get pizza. They have a new multi-grained crust which I would say is neither thin nor thick. It is currently only available in the medium size so they got two mediums with a combination of toppings ranging from pineapple to mushrooms to bacon and sausage. They did not chinz on the toppings and we found it to be very good. Certainly changed our image of Dominos.

[kjbrill]

Just this afternoon I was at my favorite watering hole, Bdubs which is across the street from the Mason Marion's. Several guys were saying I bet they won't survive past Thanksgiving. Look, there are no cars in the parking lot. The only cars are at the rear of the building which are obviously employees. When you have more employee cars than customers you are in deep sh*t. If this is happening across the chain, they are more than in deep sh*t, they will shortly be bankrupt.

[Ohioan58]

Kjbrill, I'm a native Daytonian and I grew up on thin crust, square cut pizza like Marion's and Cassano's. I am used to the cattle car serving environment and the cussed non responsiveness of Marion's... what I seek there is an experience that resembles my expectation of thin crusted Dayton pizza, regardless of the spartan dining situation. The pizza I got was, in that context, just plain junk.

I filled out a customer response form on their web site with my opinion of this experience and the person is saying that they were coming off of their 47% off anniversary sale, so their crust was perhaps not well developed since they were out of stuff. They promised to send me some coupons for free product so I'll try it again. I'll give it another chance... I might do the next order at the one in Mason for s***s and giggles. I will report back...

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Ohioan58

Kjbrill, I'm a native Daytonian and I grew up on thin crust, square cut pizza like Marion's and Cassano's. I am used to the cattle car serving environment and the cussed non responsiveness of Marion's... what I seek there is an experience that resembles my expectation of thin crusted Dayton pizza, regardless of the spartan dining situation. The pizza I got was, in that context, just plain junk.

I filled out a customer response form on their web site with my opinion of this experience and the person is saying that they were coming off of their 47% off anniversary sale, so their crust was perhaps not well developed since they were out of stuff. They promised to send me some coupons for free product so I'll try it again. I'll give it another chance... I might do the next order at the one in Mason for s***s and giggles. I will report back...

Unless they do an abrupt turnaround, you won't like that either.

We had an independent Italian restaurant named Petrelli's here in Mason. They decided to move across the street into a larger space which was our old post office. Their original location was taken over by a pizza place called Aponte's who moved from Reading. It is owned by a NJ guy and serves the east coast thin crust style pizza. They were not there very long before I understand business was more than stagnant. So they got the Restaurant Imposible program from the Food Network to design a makeover. Their episode will air this Sunday. The reviews I have read since the makeover and filming say the only thing they can really notice is they raised the prices - $50 for two pizzas.

When I read the reviews some rave about it, saying it is the best pizza in Cincinnati. Others say it is So-so and way over priced. So opinions about pizza definitely vary.

After our experience at Marion's, my brother talked us into going to Dewey's in Montgomery. The food taste was OK, as it damn well should have been for the price. Another place I will not be going back to.

[Ohioan58]

I've read your comments about the Mason location earlier this year with great interest. It amazes me what you're saying in the Cinci group about the parking lot being dead. Marion's in Dayton have ALWAYS been cash machines.

We tried to go to Aponte's a couple of years ago in their current location and we left quickly because it looked like a crowded mess. No way to get anyone's attention, people just crammed into the place. It gave me the vibe of "we're so incredibly successful that you're supposed to be stressed and uncomfortable just getting seated here." So hearing that RI picked the place to do a makeover made me wonder WTF is considered prosperity or failure.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Ohioan58

I've read your comments about the Mason location earlier this year with great interest. It amazes me what you're saying in the Cinci group about the parking lot being dead. Marion's in Dayton have ALWAYS been cash machines.

We tried to go to Aponte's a couple of years ago in their current location and we left quickly because it looked like a crowded mess. No way to get anyone's attention, people just crammed into the place. It gave me the vibe of "we're so incredibly successful that you're supposed to be stressed and uncomfortable just getting seated here." So hearing that RI picked the place to do a makeover made me wonder WTF is considered prosperity or failure.

Yes, we understood that Marion's in Dayton were always cash machines. That is why we obseved with interest the building of the Mason location. Beautiful location, nice building, obviously expensive. But then we experienced the actual product - Ugh.

So I find it interesting when Daytonians are dissing Marion's. Has to be a reason why the locals turn on a local business. Maybe they feel betrayed?

If they are trying to sell the chain, they are going about it wrong. Who wants to buy a dying business? Unless they cook the books noone in their right mind would buy this. Unless they take immediate action they will be bankrupt.

[Ohioan58]

It's not "Daytonians" - it's just me, in the singular. And maybe I'm an edge case. Maybe what Daytonians embrace today is much broader than my narrow, dated view of what constitutes "good Dayton style 'za". It could be that in Dayton this new formulation is accepted just fine by most customers.

Business is about cash flow from feeding the masses, not satisfying picky eaters or "superfans".

My guess is for every one like me there are 20 in the population who'd eat a slurry of flour, tomato paste and cheese served in a trough and accept it as "free form pizza".

Anyway, I got the coupons in the mail. I'll try a couple of locations at different times and see what the product is like. I think I'll do the Centerville location one more time and also I'll see what the Mason location does.

[stdatwmu]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Contrastingly we have a Dominos in town who has been advertising we have changed our product and they have. Last week my wife had three ladies over for lunch and card making in the afternoon. So after her morning stint at the community center they went to Dominos to get pizza. They have a new multi-grained crust which I would say is neither thin nor thick. It is currently only available in the medium size so they got two mediums with a combination of toppings ranging from pineapple to mushrooms to bacon and sausage. They did not chinz on the toppings and we found it to be very good. Certainly changed our image of Dominos.

Can't disagree with you there. I absolutely despised Domino's for years but we've been more than impressed with them since their big "menu makeover" a couple years back. It's still chain pizza but - especially for the price - it's darn good.

[missik999]

I'm working in Dayton area this week, and after many recommendations I made it a point to go to Marion's Pizza for the first time.

I ordered the veggie pizza and it was really good! It reminded me of the Cassano's pizza we had in Lima, where I grew up. Definitely different than my favorite kind of pizza which happens to be deep dish Chicago, but still really tasty.

I do agree with those who mentioned that it was rather expensive. It is so thin that it would take several pizzas to feed the group of family and friends that would be satisfied with a couple of deep dish pizzas. Ounce for ounce, Marion's would be much more expensive.

I was thoroughly disappointed with the salad I ordered from Marion's. It tasted like it was poured out of a bag of iceberg salad mix, nothing original or tasty about it. The dressing tasted like bottled Kraft. I definitely would skip the salad next time.

[SWOH]

Not necessarily on topic, but interesting read on Dayton and Pizza from Dave Esrati.

Although I don't know if I would agree that Dayton is a "Pizza Mecca", I would say Dayton overall has far better pizza then where I live currently.

South Park, the mecca of pizza