Typical of the national chains, you can only get a GF crust in a small pizza
BachelorontheCheap.com
Gluten-free is a big deal, it’s in demand as more people become aware of the benefits of going gluten-free. The number of restaurants putting GF items on their menu is ever-growing and you’re seeing a lot more GF products in the grocery stores.
I did a Best Pizza in the Wichita Metro Challenge a few years back, but it wasn’t gluten-free. So using those same judging criteria and updating my Best Pizza in the Wichita Metro List (sadly, some of the restaurants noted in that Challenge have since gone out of business), here’s the latest Bachelor on the Cheap Challenge: Who makes the best gluten-free pizza in the Wichita Metro?
Cranking out a good GF pizza crust isn’t easy. And finding out who makes the best one around is THE focus of this challenge.
As I sample and review in conducting this Challenge, I consider customer service, time to order, price, appearance, and toppings, but the most scoring weight will be on the crust. And unlike the previous pizza challenge, I will be evaluating national chains and their gluten-free crusts in addition to the local and regional restaurants.
Today’s review: Papa Johns
Unevenly baked
I made the typical Challenge order, a supreme-style pizza, pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onion, and green pepper, with regular sauce and a regular portion of cheese. The Papa Johns gluten-free crust is a thin and crispy style, a small pizza. Like other national chains, they don’t offer a medium or large GF pizza.
The online ordering process was easy and the Papa Johns site can conveniently set you up with text alerts on the status of your pizza, from making, to baking, to boxing, to delivery which I opted in on. You can also track the status on the restaurant’s website if you’re that kind of bored. Going for a contactless delivery, with instructions to leave the pizza on the chair by the front door, getting that text of “Your pizza has been delivered” is important. I never got that text. The delivery driver did NOT text me when the pizza arrived. I got all the status updates leading up to the delivery and the contactless delivery instructions were followed, but my pizza sat on that front porch chair for who knows how long… Occupied by a household chore, I didn’t get around to visually checking my front porch until 15 minutes past the max estimated delivery time, a window of 7:15 pm – 7:25 pm. This resulted in a less-than-hot pizza.
Papa Johns makes a less-than-good gluten-free pizza. The crust, the foundation of a good pie, was unevenly baked and chewy. The portions of meat and veggies were a bit unbalanced if not sparse, although the regular amount of cheese provided good coverage. There was no cheese pull, I was eating a lukewarm pizza after all, and the sauce is an average sauce at best. In a national chain comparison, Domino’s makes a better GF pizza which was kind of surprising, but it’s still not saying much.
Costing me $28.62 which includes a delivery fee plus tip for a small pizza, the Papa Johns gluten-free pie scored 47 points out of a possible 63, earning it 3 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars. The score of 47 is the lowest so far in this Challenge. The crust was unevenly baked and even with a proper bake, it’s not a great GF crust, lacking a light, crispy exterior and a flaky, fluffy interior bite. Papa Johns GF pizza is NOT worthy of a repeat buy.
The Papa Johns ordered from on this occasion is located at 7800 E Harry St, Wichita, KS 67207. The unevenly baked crust and the failure of the delivery driver to text the delivery confirmation made this a less-than-stellar gluten-free pizza experience.
$pend Wisely My Friends…
~ Mike
August 2023 – Bachelor on the Cheap
Typical of the national chains, you can only get a GF crust in a small pizza
BachelorontheCheap.com
Gluten-free is a big deal, it’s in demand as more people become aware of the benefits of going gluten-free. The number of restaurants putting GF items on their menu is ever-growing and you’re seeing a lot more GF products in the grocery stores.
I did a Best Pizza in the Wichita Metro Challenge a few years back, but it wasn’t gluten-free. So using those same judging criteria and updating my Best Pizza in the Wichita Metro List (sadly, some of the restaurants noted in that Challenge have since gone out of business), here’s the latest Bachelor on the Cheap Challenge: Who makes the best gluten-free pizza in the Wichita Metro?
Cranking out a good GF pizza crust isn’t easy. And finding out who makes the best one around is THE focus of this challenge.
As I sample and review in conducting this Challenge, I consider customer service, time to order, price, appearance, and toppings, but the most scoring weight will be on the crust. And unlike the previous pizza challenge, I will be evaluating national chains and their gluten-free crusts in addition to the local and regional restaurants.
Today’s review: Papa Johns
Unevenly baked
I made the typical Challenge order, a supreme-style pizza, pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onion, and green pepper, with regular sauce and a regular portion of cheese. The Papa Johns gluten-free crust is a thin and crispy style, a small pizza. Like other national chains, they don’t offer a medium or large GF pizza.
The online ordering process was easy and the Papa Johns site can conveniently set you up with text alerts on the status of your pizza, from making, to baking, to boxing, to delivery which I opted in on. You can also track the status on the restaurant’s website if you’re that kind of bored. Going for a contactless delivery, with instructions to leave the pizza on the chair by the front door, getting that text of “Your pizza has been delivered” is important. I never got that text. The delivery driver did NOT text me when the pizza arrived. I got all the status updates leading up to the delivery and the contactless delivery instructions were followed, but my pizza sat on that front porch chair for who knows how long… Occupied by a household chore, I didn’t get around to visually checking my front porch until 15 minutes past the max estimated delivery time, a window of 7:15 pm – 7:25 pm. This resulted in a less-than-hot pizza.
Papa Johns makes a less-than-good gluten-free pizza. The crust, the foundation of a good pie, was unevenly baked and chewy. The portions of meat and veggies were a bit unbalanced if not sparse, although the regular amount of cheese provided good coverage. There was no cheese pull, I was eating a lukewarm pizza after all, and the sauce is an average sauce at best. In a national chain comparison, Domino’s makes a better GF pizza which was kind of surprising, but it’s still not saying much.
Costing me $28.62 which includes a delivery fee plus tip for a small pizza, the Papa Johns gluten-free pie scored 47 points out of a possible 63, earning it 3 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars. The score of 47 is the lowest so far in this Challenge. The crust was unevenly baked and even with a proper bake, it’s not a great GF crust, lacking a light, crispy exterior and a flaky, fluffy interior bite. Papa Johns GF pizza is NOT worthy of a repeat buy.
The Papa Johns ordered from on this occasion is located at 7800 E Harry St, Wichita, KS 67207. The unevenly baked crust and the failure of the delivery driver to text the delivery confirmation made this a less-than-stellar gluten-free pizza experience.
$pend Wisely My Friends…
~ Mike