Two of the largest pizza chains in the United States were founded in the state of Michigan. Domino’s was founded in Ypsilanti, while Little Caesars’ roots are in Garden City. I won’t begin to pretend like I know anything about how they’re received in Michigan. Anecdotally, though, it seems like people generally enjoy that Domino’s puts a whole bunch of garlic powder on their pies, while the affordability of Little Caesars makes it a perfectly suitable option whenever someone has a pizza craving.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were in Michigan on Monday night, as they took on the Detroit Pistons and won, 116-88. It was a solid win for the Cavs against a really good Pistons squad, but the most important aspect of this game happened before it ever tipped off.
Channing Frye — who had a season-high 10 points in the win — discussed the two chain pizza places before the game and said something that was 100 percent true.
Channing Frye while the Cavs were shooting around in Little Caesars Arena in Detroit for the first time: “I’m not going to lie, a $5 Little Caesars pizza is good! Domino’s can be hit or miss … too saucy.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 20, 2017
Frye put an important qualifier on Little Caesars pizza, stressing that a $5 pizza is good. This is an extremely good and accurate take — for $5, you get what you paid for and you get a perfectly solid pizza. It’s not a pie the caliber of, say, some legendary New York City pizza place that’s been around for five decades, but it gets the dang job done, which is all you want when you’re slapping a Lincoln down on the counter in exchange for food.
The Domino’s take seems more like Frye has just lived next to an inconsistent store, but he is right that it can be kind of hit or miss. This is largely because it’s a chain, and chain restaurants are notorious for messing things up every now and then. It is better than Little Caesars when it’s on its game, but when you get a pie that isn’t up to par, it is closer to Papa John’s (the worst of the four chain pizza places) than Pizza Hut (the best, although these rankings are 100 percent subjective). The resolution to Frye’s issue, though, seems to be that he should just order light sauce.
