This pizza chain that doesn't even have ovens was just named best in America (Papa Murphy’s)

Business Insider ^ | April 1, 2016 | Kate Taylor

[EveningStar]

A chain where business is all about moms was just named the best pizza restaurant in America.

Papa Murphy’s ranks as America's favorite pizza chain, according to Market Force Information’s annual quick-service-restaurant study.

This is the third year in a row that Papa Murphy's has snagged the top spot — despite the fact that its sales are nowhere near Papa John's, Domino's, or Pizza Hut's.

[Aliska]

I never heard of them either, but I'll have to see if our store carries them. Doubt it. The veggie or chunk chicken one looks good, also like pepperoni. The store has many different kinds to choose from. I like a little thicker crust but not too thick.

The last frozen pizza I got was ok. I would rather buy my favorite kind, eat part of it, and freeze the rest of the pieces in two or three large pieces per ziplock freezer bag, get 3 or 4 leftover from a large pizza. Then heat at about 400 on an ungreased pan or cookie sheet until they are warmed through, don't need to be thawed unless you fold them which I do sometimes.

I did get the neatest pizza cutter. It is acrylic or plastic and has a huge wheel. It's safe for cutting dough on a silicone or plastic pastry mat but works wonderfully well for cutting pizza. I saw it in a quick shortcut puff pastry recipe with red raspberry filling at King Arthur's Flour. It was used for cutting the pastry squares. I searched at Amazon and couldn't find one, then about a month later, there was one. I think mine the wheel is a little bit larger.

Our midwest pizza which seems kind of special, a recipe got printed in the Washington Post 3 or so weeks ago so I grabbed it. I have to figure out how to get the sausage flavored the way I want; I think the secret may be crushed fennel seed in ground pork or mixed with beef.

Anyway, the pizza cheese is not part skim. The recipe calls for 3% milk fat mozzarella which is expensive and probably hard to find, Costco carries it but we don't have one. Grande mozzarella from WI. Now people are saying it isn't as good any more but there is another kind. In any case, the cheese melts all together, you pile a lot on, it only browns in small spots, it comes out a little pillowy, and it doesn't leak greasy globules.

[cableguymn]

It’s not bad.. Just go to walmart and buy a take and bake.. pretty much the same thing.

[softwarecreator]

Much better than any chain.
In Michigan we are home to headquarters such as Dominoes, Little Caesars, Jets, Buddy's (the best in America) and Hungry Howies ... but I've had them for many years and am always looking for other brands to try. Some, such as Godfather, are nowhere near me and always wanted to try them. Thanks, I think I will try Papa Murphy.

[BlackElk]

Papa Murphy's??? I am partially Irish but that sounds like an abomination. Pizza is not a feature of the auld sod. The Irish have traditionally lived on a diet of seven course meals: a potato and a six pack. Pizza Hut???? Papa John's??? Domino's?????????????? Puhleeze! Next claims will be made for "Chicago style" tomato cheese casserole mislabeled as pizza.

The best pizza is made at Sally's Apizza on Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut. In the days when it was operated by the sainted Salvatore Consiglio and his sainted wife Flo, it claimed Ronaldus Maximus as a customer. Frank Sinatra, when appearing in New York City, would send his limo 75 miles each way to Sally's for enough pizza to feed everyone. Who knew pizza better than the Chairman of the Board. If Don Corleone had been an historical figure, he would have made Sally an "offer he could not refuse" to keep his "family supplied 24/7/365 with pizzas from the sacred brick oven of the Consiglios.

Meanwhile, Slick Willie and the Arkansas Medusa got their pizzas from the brick oven of Sally's lesser cousin down the street: Frank Pepe. Even Demonrats like pizza. Fortunately Obozo has not discovered New Haven Pizza.

New Haven also has the distressingly named but very good Modern Pizza and confusingly Palm Beach Pizza but Sally's is best in show. Then come all those other pizza makers everywhere else but, since Sally's will seal its incomparable product in plastic and ship it anywhere by FedEx or UPS, no research is necessary. Mangia!

[visualops]

We’ve given them a try a couple times because of coupons (in 2 different states actually). It’s okay, but not that great. Not good enough to go back.

[softwarecreator]

We have one near us. It’s good but kind of a hassle. You have to cook it yourself.
I'm okay with baking it, I've cooked several of my own, with varying degrees of success. Thanks for the tip.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

It’s not a frozen pizza and not carried in stores. It’s a pizza shop... but they don’t bake it there. They prepare the crust, add the toppings, wrap it in cling wrap on a baking tray and you take it home fresh and bake it.

[grey_whiskers]

We have one near us. It’s good but kind of a hassle. You have to cook it yourself.

Hassle? It looks like it goes *perfectly* with your tagline...

[KarlInOhio]

Decent, but the good ovens are what pizza restaurants have that I don't. Papa Murphy's is good if you are having a party and want to keep fresh pizzas running through the oven rather than ordering a half dozen from a normal chain. The restaurant cooked ones look pretty sad a couple hours into the party vs. another Papa Murphy's just pulled fresh out of your oven.

[Kipp]

Is it better than a Digiorno or a high quality frozen pizza?

Much better than a frozen pizza. It's fresh dough with tons of toppings. They're very substantial pizzas. When the kids were at home, we'd get them every week or two. Since we've been empty nesters, we just don't get pizzas very often.

[Aliska]

I saw that too late after I finished my post. Sounds wonderful.

[montanajoe]

Never heard of ‘em.

Your showing your age...

[Bubba Gump Shrimp]

There are only 4 types of pizza: Uno’s. Duo’s. Gino’s and Lou Malnati’s.

All the others are just crust, sauce and grease

But being a Chicagoan, I’m biased.

[chaosagent]

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria of DUMBO fame.

Best chain around.

[mountn man]

a Digiorno or a high quality frozen pizza?

It's important for people to note that you could have A Digiorno

OR

a high quality frozen pizza

But that a Digiorno is not high quality frozen pizza?

[Fungi]

Mozza: http://pizzeriamozza.com/
One of the top ten in the US. Perfect crust and toppings are absolutely delicious.

[mountn man]

There are only 4 types of pizza: Uno’s. Duo’s. Gino’s and Lou Malnati’s.

I like Giordano's also.

My cousin was in town last June. Took him and his son to Lou's. I was very disappointed.

My cousin's son has never been out of Michigan, so I wanted to expose him to some of the best of Chicago.

Next time I'll take them into the city, to Uno's.

[Crolis]

One of the interesting things about Papa Murphy is that they don’t sell finished (prepared) food. In states like Texas where there is no tax on groceries or unprepared food, you don’t have to pay 8.25% tax on top of the cost of the pizza since you are baking it at home. It’s effectively like buying a frozen or take-and-bake pizza from the grocery store. Since you pick it up yourself your cost breaks down like this:

A few $$ for Pizza
$0.00 Tax
$0.00 Delivery Fee
$0.00 Tip to Driver

I can see why Mom’s like it. Many locations are in strip malls next to grocery stores or discount hair cut places where Moms will regularly shop.

This plus the absence of ovens means the overhead of collecting sales taxes and paying for energy to run ovens is essentially zero.

[kalee]

We have one near us but we have never been. My husband managed two different pizza restaurants early in our marriage. Since then, he has come up with his own crust and sauce and uses a pizza stone in the oven as hot as he can get it. I think he makes the best pizza! We have been thinking about building an earth oven by the patio for bread and pizza. A friend has two and they work really great!

[Bubba Gump Shrimp]

Giordano’s is OK, my kids like them, and there is one out where they live, so they know I’m a stickler for Chicago style pizza and they humor me and order from there.

I haven’t been to Malnati’s in some years, I used to stop by the one that was in Roselle IL (I think that’s Roselle) once in awhile and grab a pie on the way home, but I don’t really head out that way anymore. I’m a fan of the layer of sausage on the above named places. Some people hate it, some love it, but for me the layer of sausage and extra butter crust... mmmmmm.

But, ANY pizza is better than what Dominos or Little Caesars calls pizza. I have no idea what that is, but it’s NOT pizza. Same with Tombstone (I remember that was all the rage in the taverns years ago).