Top That Pizza

[Gaspar]

Come in and buy a pizza at Top That! tonight and 20% of your purchase will go to benefit the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation.


http://www.jdrf.org/

[heironymouspasparagus]

Why all the hate on Mazzio's Heir? They're just a local company that's celebrating their 50th year in business. They must be doing something right. I haven't been to top that but I can make the assumption with a great deal of certainty that a $3 pizza cranked out in 2 minutes isn't going to put anyone to shame. Does top that make their own sauce and dough multiple times daily? Do they constantly come up with cool new products? I think you're pumping a pizza shop that you or one of your friends are vested in. Either way, how about just letting the pizza stand for itself. Do you want to bash Hideaway too?

No vested interest at all.  How about you?  Is this Ken?  As someone else asked...  If so, that's fine - would love to talk to him about what has happened to his pizza.  ($3 pizza??  What is that??)

Just a little background... I started eating Ken's Pizza in about 1964 or 65 - right about the time we came back to town after being gone for a couple years.  And have been eating Mazzio's ever since they started (late 70's or early 80's if memory serves).  Worked and lived near 15th and Sheridan and went to that Ken's for DECADES.  First on the east side of the street, then the west.  Up until the last 6 or 7 years ago, there was a family tradition that went on for a long part of those decades where the entire family would go in the evening as a group one afternoon/evening a week.  Mostly Sunday, but sometimes Tuesday (seems like I remember a 'buffet night' way back when - old now, so memory sometimes fuzzy).  Sometimes other nights if those two weren't convenient.  For years, I would get everyone on the bus and we would all drive to the place as an event (did I give away too much information there?).

Sometime in the last 5 to 10 years, they started slipping.  A lot!  Started out small - little things that just weren't right with the flavor, food, etc.  (They are another one of those places that seems to have the 5:1 ratio of soft drinks "adjusted".)  I have had a few occasions in the last 5 years to stop at Ken's in Chandler and it is still very much a Ken's.  Pretty good pizza.  No, it ain't New York, or Jersey, or even Massachusetts, but it is good pizza.  The stuff Mazzio's is selling now AS Ken's original...ain't!  They are trying to get close, but it just isn't the same.  (Can anyone spell "cost reduction"??)

You asked why all the hate.  It is NOT hate, as should be obvious from the history above - I and the family have always like Ken's/Mazzio's a lot.  Since the mid-sixties anyway.  If anything it is betrayed love!!  It just irritates me all the more because I remember how much better it used to be,... and now isn't.

I cannot tell you exactly what they have done to change things.  I guarantee you the Harvard MBA types running the show and doing their cost/value analysis can.  If they will tell me what they have changed, I will guarantee you that I can tell them how to make it right again!  (Hint; undo the changes to the food.)  This is a slow motion, glacial version of what Coca-Cola did with New Coke.  The changes made here were done slowly so that it took a long time for the net effect to take hold.  (Remember the story about putting a frog in hot water and he tries hard to get out?  But put it in cold water and turn the fire on low, he will be happy to sit there for a long time.)

[dbacks fan]

 This is a slow motion, glacial version of what Coca-Cola did with New Coke.  The changes made here were done slowly so that it took a long time for the net effect to take hold.

New Coke was introduced in April of 1985 and the original was discontinued. Classic Coke was re-introduced July of 1985 because of the backlash.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke

[Gaspar]

New Coke was introduced in April of 1985 and the original was discontinued. Classic Coke was re-introduced July of 1985 because of the backlash.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke

I like Coke Zero with gobbs of vodka!

[zstyles]

No vested interest at all.  How about you?  Is this Ken?  As someone else asked...  If so, that's fine - would love to talk to him about what has happened to his pizza.  ($3 pizza??  What is that??)

Just a little background... I started eating Ken's Pizza in about 1964 or 65 - right about the time we came back to town after being gone for a couple years.  And have been eating Mazzio's ever since they started (late 70's or early 80's if memory serves).  Worked and lived near 15th and Sheridan and went to that Ken's for DECADES.  First on the east side of the street, then the west.  Up until the last 6 or 7 years ago, there was a family tradition that went on for a long part of those decades where the entire family would go in the evening as a group one afternoon/evening a week.  Mostly Sunday, but sometimes Tuesday (seems like I remember a 'buffet night' way back when - old now, so memory sometimes fuzzy).  Sometimes other nights if those two weren't convenient.  For years, I would get everyone on the bus and we would all drive to the place as an event (did I give away too much information there?).

Sometime in the last 5 to 10 years, they started slipping.  A lot!  Started out small - little things that just weren't right with the flavor, food, etc.  (They are another one of those places that seems to have the 5:1 ratio of soft drinks "adjusted".)  I have had a few occasions in the last 5 years to stop at Ken's in Chandler and it is still very much a Ken's.  Pretty good pizza.  No, it ain't New York, or Jersey, or even Massachusetts, but it is good pizza.  The stuff Mazzio's is selling now AS Ken's original...ain't!  They are trying to get close, but it just isn't the same.  (Can anyone spell "cost reduction"??)

You asked why all the hate.  It is NOT hate, as should be obvious from the history above - I and the family have always like Ken's/Mazzio's a lot.  Since the mid-sixties anyway.  If anything it is betrayed love!!  It just irritates me all the more because I remember how much better it used to be,... and now isn't.

I cannot tell you exactly what they have done to change things.  I guarantee you the Harvard MBA types running the show and doing their cost/value analysis can.  If they will tell me what they have changed, I will guarantee you that I can tell them how to make it right again!  (Hint; undo the changes to the food.)  This is a slow motion, glacial version of what Coca-Cola did with New Coke.  The changes made here were done slowly so that it took a long time for the net effect to take hold.  (Remember the story about putting a frog in hot water and he tries hard to get out?  But put it in cold water and turn the fire on low, he will be happy to sit there for a long time.)

Best reply on here for being off topic from top that.

We bought two pizzas last week as we had lots going on and little time to cook a large meal for 5...

Pizza Hut on Monday Night
Mazzios on Thursday evening

Hands down PIZZA HUT (WHAT!?!?) beat mazzios in taste, quality and appearance and cost LESS! Now I can say that TOP THAT beat them both but we didn't have time to drive there...but its sad to see Mazzios going down hill so fast and concentrating on SO MANY other STUPID THINGS like PASTA and SANDWICHS(I have never once thought about or wanted to order a sandwich from a pizza place)

The week before we ordered a "Kens Special" I actually enjoyed it....

[Townsend]

The week before we ordered a "Kens Special" I actually enjoyed it....

We've been ordering the "Kens" pizza too.  A better taste than Mazzios as far as I can tell.

An issue we've run into is the refusal to take online coupons.

[Gaspar]

we didn't have time to drive there...

That will change soon. . .

[heironymouspasparagus]

Best reply on here for being off topic from top that.

We bought two pizzas last week as we had lots going on and little time to cook a large meal for 5...

Pizza Hut on Monday Night
Mazzios on Thursday evening

Hands down PIZZA HUT (WHAT!?!?) beat mazzios in taste, quality and appearance and cost LESS! Now I can say that TOP THAT beat them both but we didn't have time to drive there...but its sad to see Mazzios going down hill so fast and concentrating on SO MANY other STUPID THINGS like PASTA and SANDWICHS(I have never once thought about or wanted to order a sandwich from a pizza place)

The week before we ordered a "Kens Special" I actually enjoyed it....

I submit the original question about my "hating" Mazzios would be better off topic candidate.

Still love Top That!!  Good s***, Maynard!!

[Gaspar]

Get free samples today from 11am till Noon.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Get free samples today from 11am till Noon.

I bet that is good!!!

Gotta love the Germans!!

[Gaspar]

Add some red onion to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[heironymouspasparagus]

Just saw "hot links".  I would have to leave them off.  Everything else is fantastic!  Still...tough to get away from my mushroom with Angry Red!

[Gaspar]

Top That! Broken Arrow is now open.  This new location is about twice as big as the Tulsa store and has a meeting/party room that will seat about 40. 

Tulsa Hills will open next!

[Gaspar]

Grand Opening Party

EVERYONE who comes will get to reach into the Grab Bag and pull out a prize! Some of you may win FREE FOOD, FREE MERCHANDISE or even FREE PIZZA FOR A YEAR! Everybody wins something!



Top That! Pizza - Broken Arrow
2435 W. Kenosha
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Two more locations in the Tulsa area to open soon!

[sgrizzle]

It's on my calendar.