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Why would anyone is Jersey even consider trying this garbage. WHY????? People down here love it, but what the hell do they know about pizza? Ah, I need to move back north.
I agree.
I've had a Cici's in FL, and though it's cheap, I might as buy wal-mart brand frozen pizza to cook and hate. The pasta was pitiful as well.
The only thing good about that place was the soda.
Why would anyone is Jersey even consider trying this garbage. WHY????? People down here love it, but what the hell do they know about pizza? Ah, I need to move back north.
I went to this one in E. Rutherford. Prior to this, I had been to one in Tampa over 5 years ago. I figured I'd give it a shot and if it was decent for $5 it might be worth it.
When I went, it was 80% teenagers, 15% families with young kids, and 5% me. It became clear why that was the crowd it drew - 3 reasons came immediately to mind:
1. Cheap
2. Unlimited, all-you-can-eat,who-cares-how-good-it-is-cuz-it's-free-and-unlimited junk food
3. It's $5! Cheap!!!
So I figured, hey, if this business provides a certain target customer with the value they like, then why should I begrudge them making money, or begrudge the people getting what they wanted to pay for? More power to them all.
However, you're right - as pizza goes, it's pretty crappy, and it's kind of a gross scene. Not dirty, but just pizzas that are not very good to begin with and sitting out, getting stale (the heat lamps don't help much), and the atmosphere sucks with the rambunctious kids (not to mention the staff is 90% teens, also, and it show through).
So I would never recommend it to someone who wants some of the great NJ pizza we have all over the place here, but I might recommend it to a bunch of 15- or 16-year-olds who don't have a lot of money and don't care if the food's the best but want to pig out and be loud and unruly, because they will find everything they're looking for there.
And another thing, even though we have awesome pizza all over NJ, sometimes people want something different, even if not as "good", a guilty pleasure, sort of, and for less money or some other reason... That's why Pizza Hut and Domino's do fine here, and that's why ShopRite and A&P sell Elio's and other frozen pizzas with no problem. Sometimes, good pizzeria pizza is just too much money and hassle as opposed to popping a frozen thing in the microwave or oven for a couple bucks, or going to Pizza Hut where the kids will like the buffet and the weird pizzas they have, and the family can sit down and be waited on for less than most "sit-down" places.
But overall, you're right, when it comes to good or decent pizza, Cici's doesn't really fill a need there.
east rutherford definitely has plenty of italians. as is the case with most of southern bergen county, italians represent the largest ethnic white group in town. wallington is the primary exception in south bergen, as it has long been dominated by the polish community. garfield and elmwood park also have a lot of polish mixed in with a sizable but declining italian community.
i agree with bcjohnny's premise about cici's, pizza hut, and domino's filling a certain niche (i.e. value over quality), but as someone who places a high priority on good, well-prepared food, i could never bring myself to eat at those places. to me, it's not only indicative of people wanting more quantity for their money, but also of declining standards for pizza/italian and food in general. too many people are ok with processed fast food and cheap imitation rip-offs with inferior ingredients rather than authentic dishes with high quality (or even slightly above average) ingredients.
it's pretty sad when places like cici's and domino's can thrive in the supposed pizza capital of the u.s.
the concept is a 180 from your mom and pop place. It's high-energy, friendly, a little-loud. geared for a family with children. It's not a place you go to get gourmet pizza, but all the ingredients are fresh, and it's very inexpensive. It's an alternative to mcdonald's or pizza hut. You can make any pie you want, any ingredients, and style, any size and it's included in your buffet price, not to mention all you can eat salad and desserts. the cinnamon buns and brownies are worth the trip alone.
it's like any place, there are good ones and bad ones, but I manage the #2 store in the carolina's and I've been eating there since I was a kid. made some great memories for me and my folks and I'm sure it'll find it's niche in jersey too... not all franchises are bad, up until a few years ago most people in my town thought the local cici's was a mom and pop.
the concept is a 180 from your mom and pop place. It's high-energy, friendly, a little-loud. geared for a family with children. It's not a place you go to get gourmet pizza, but all the ingredients are fresh, and it's very inexpensive. It's an alternative to mcdonald's or pizza hut. You can make any pie you want, any ingredients, and style, any size and it's included in your buffet price, not to mention all you can eat salad and desserts. the cinnamon buns and brownies are worth the trip alone.
it's like any place, there are good ones and bad ones, but I manage the #2 store in the carolina's and I've been eating there since I was a kid. made some great memories for me and my folks and I'm sure it'll find it's niche in jersey too... not all franchises are bad, up until a few years ago most people in my town thought the local cici's was a mom and pop.
*sucks teeth*
Wow..................... Come on man. Sell that line to people who don't know pizza. Iowa might be a good forum to peddle your white bread & canned tomatoes pie.
You might as well be trying to see Pizza Hut in Italy.
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