Pizza Today - February 2025 - 3

Commentary
Jeremy White
I Said What I Said
W
ith us being only a
month into 2025 and
International Pizza
Expo looming on the horizon, I took
some time off during the holiday season
to rest and recharge. One evening some
friends and I were celebrating the holidays
with pizza, wings and football, and
we exchanged some sports " hot takes "
for a bit of fun. It wasn't long before
that exercise had me thinking of some
of my own personal pizza-based hot
takes. Here are a few.
* Every pizzeria in the country should
have wings - with a variety of sauce
options - on the appetizer menu.
* I will NEVER order a burger in a pizzeria.
Never. I said what I said.
* Soppressata > Pepperoni.
* St. Louis-style is the worst style, and
it's not even close.
* The tap water is not what makes NY
pizza so special.
* Ed LaDou doesn't get the credit he
deserves. Look him up.
* White pies are vastly underrated by
the American public.
* Calzones are delicious, but just give
me a pizza. I don't need it rolled up.
* If you call pizza fast food, we should
fight. (Kidding. Kind of. But you're
WRONG.)
* The sickest burn in pizza history happened
in a television commercial in the
late 1990s when Pizza Hut co-founder
Frank Carney - who had become a
Papa John's franchisee - appeared in
a Papa John's ad and stated: " Sorry,
guys. I found a better pizza. " That was
an all-time epic jab during an intense
legal dispute between the two giants.
* Pineapple unequivocally belongs on
pizza.
* Monster slices are it.
* $9.99 large pies are bad business. We
still talking sub $10 in 2025? C'mon!
* I miss the Domino's Noid. I don't have
any idea what it was, but I miss it.
* Confession: when I order pizza to eat
at home, I eat chips with it. Yes, potato
chips. Don't worry, I still have wings
and breadsticks, too. But I also have
chips. I don't know why, but it's amazing
... so don't judge.
* It is absolutely okay to dip pizza in
ranch dressing if you want. I said what
I said.
* Speaking of ranch, you REALLY should
be making your own in-house.
* Green olives > black olives.
* When I order a pizza for delivery, I
expect it to arrive in 45 minutes max.
When your system tells me it's going
to be 60+ minutes, I don't penalize you
for being busy and order from someone
else. Instead, I change my order to
pickup and just come get it.
* You don't know it, but you're a baker.
Bake fresh bread daily in your pizzeria
if it makes sense on your menu.
* I rarely order dessert in a pizzeria.
Mostly because I have stuffed myself
with other items and pizza. If you want
me to order dessert in your shop,
you've got to have an amazing dessert
and I need to see it on display or your
server needs to rave about it to me.
Feel free to call me an idiot if you'd
like. My e-mail address is below. I look
forward to hearing from you. See you
next month at Pizza Expo!
Best,
Jeremy White
Editor In Chief
jwhite@pizzatoday.com
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VOLUME 43 * NUMBER 2
FEBRUARY 2025
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