Pizza Hut Versus Pizza Ranch Pizza

My family is very frugal when it comes to money. One of the ways we have chosen to eat cheaply is by not eating out. However, every once in a while, we like to splurge a little bit and eat out, which usually means pizza. In the town we live in, we have a local eatery, Casey's General Store, Papa Bello's in Wal-Mart, Pizza Hut, and Pizza Ranch. On any given night, one can find a deal in town, and inevitably it will be a different pizza place every time. Price, therefore, will not be much of a factor. Toppings also vary per price per eatery, and so will also not be considered. Finally, since both have different menus and restaurant design, those will not be considered. In this article, I will compare Pizza Hut pizza and Pizza Ranch pizza.

Pizza Hut pizza was a staple in my family growing up. Every time I came back from college for a weekend or our family had some remote reason for celebrating, we would bring home four boxes of Pizza Hut pizza (henceforth, "Hut"). One thing I have always felt about Hut pizza is that the pizza is bigger than pizzas from other restaurants. The pie itself seems to have a larger circumference, but the pizza itself seems thicker, which means that one can only get a few slices down before feeling full. For the longest time, I was stuck at the two-slice margin when it came to Hut pizza. In recent years, perhaps due to healthier eating, I cannot eat Hut because of the way my stomach feels afterward. If this is a mystery to you, look at the cardboard box after you eat a Hut pizza. It will be wet with grease, which is why nowadays I think twice before ordering Hut. My wife has wised up and she blots her Hut with a paper towel before eating it. The sauce is usually well hidden by the toppings. The veggies are usually smothered in cheese, which is the best part of Hut.

Pizza Ranch pizza (henceforth, "Ranch") was introduced to me while I was in college. Since we have one in the town in which we live, when one of us at work has a birthday, we all go to Pizza Ranch for the lunch buffet. As an aside, the Ranch buffet is better stocked than the Pizza Hut buffet in town, though I cannot say how universal that trend is. Ranch pizza is thinner than Hut pizza (and most others, besides a Jacks), but still feels thick. The crust has a very doughy center, which is dry, in a good sense. It doesn't seem soaked with grease, even when topped with lots of meat. The sauce is almost sweet, which balances well with the thin layer of cheese. As another aside, Ranch has a more eccentric menu, and I am constantly reminded of my vow to never again have the Alfredo pizza, which has chicken, Alfredo sauce, and broccoli on it. Never again! Ranch pizza is much smaller in circumference than a Hut, and so it takes more Ranch to fill a family up than a Hut would. To break my rule once more, I will say that the Pizza Ranch Cactus Bread is one of the most delicious desserts you can buy at a restaurant.

Pizza Ranch's Ranch card is a tremendous impetus to return, since when you buy ten pizzas of the same size, you get one free. Pizza Hut, to my knowledge, has no incentive program for adults. They do, however, have the "Book-it" program, which is how they get families such as mine addicted to it. Pizza Hut is also nationwide, whereas Pizza Ranch is mostly a small-town Midwestern chain, with most of its restaurants in Iowa. Pizza Hut usually spends it's time fighting the big dogs: Papa Johns, Domino's, and Little Caesars. I personally think it's nice to see the little guy take a slice out of big business.No pun intended.