The Pizza Haters

I get it. The Highlands has too many pizza places. St. Matthews has too many pizza places.

Guess what? All of America has too many pizza places. Most of small town america has at least one pizza place. Pizza is everywhere. I lived in Enon, Ohio population of 2,414. Well, we had two pizza places. Talk about too many. I get tired of it just like a lot of you, but let's be honest for a moment..... when it's good, it is something to enjoy eating while relaxing with a tasty beer.

I am not here to defend all of the pizza places popping up in the highlands, but they all seem to be busy (except maybe DiOrios). I mean from Za's to Bearnos, Wicks to Mellow Mushroom, it is often hard to find a table at prime time (6-8) on the weekends. And with myself living in the Highlands, I still see the chain delivery cars from Dominos, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, and our own local Spinnelis roaming up and down the neighborhood.

Bottom line is, if I wanted to start a restaurant that was consistently busy, I might just open a pizza joint myself. Haters are gonna hate, but pizza lovers are always going to eat pizza.

Just some thoughts.

Cordially,

Jason H.

Pizza is awesome.

That's the beginning and end of that conversation, as far as I'm concerned.

[Robin Garr]

Pizza is awesome.

That's the beginning and end of that conversation, as far as I'm concerned.

This.

For the record I'm not a pizza hater. I freaking love pizza. Its just that a lot of the good new non-pizza places are downtown or highlands or Clifton and st Matthews is closest to us. Sometimes I don't feel like driving all the way downtown for dinner just to come back to st Matthews to have a few drinks. I'm lazy sorry lol.

Still a lot of good options in st Matthews don't get me wrong, but pizza is clearly king right now.

Ever since we got one of those baking steels, we tend to make pizza at home. That product is the real deal. But when we do go out for pizza, Post, Garage Bar, and Coals cover the bases pretty well.

I enjoy pizza like anyone else. I also enjoy a good craft beer. Of course, in my case, anyway, I burn out quickly on the same foods and drinks. I like to bounce from pizza, to Indian, to Vietnamese, to baguette and cheese sandwiches, etc. So the pizza places will only get so much of my money.

My concern is not necessarily the pizza/craft beer boom, but rather the lose of unique places like our Philippine, Argentinian, French (La Coop), etc.restaurants. I'm also concerned about replacing ethic and other such local and family run restaurants and cafes with generic, corporate types. For example, Blaze Pizza. The place has no character. It is an assembly-line production that has no community feel. I'd say the same for Quedoba, Chipotle, Panera, etc. Places such as generic, corporate-owned noodle shops may have a wide range of sélections, but they lack the community feel, as well. They can't replace a Vietnamese or Korean family-run joint that brings together the community members, has postings on the bulletin board of cultural events, tries variations of the menu, etc. And no matter how hard McDos, Wendys, and others reinvent themselves, become more "artisan" redesign their dining rooms and menus, they are still the same.

Getting back to pizza. If the places have funky design and art, cool workers, creative beers and other selections (such as many bourbon choices), I can live with that. Compared to many other cities, we may actually have a cooler pizza scene.

. For example, Blaze Pizza. The place has no character. It is an assembly-line production that has no community feel. I'd say the same for Quedoba, Chipotle, Panera, etc. Places such as generic, corporate-owned noodle shops may have a wide range of sélections, but they lack the community feel, as well. They can't replace a Vietnamese or Korean family-run joint that brings together the community members, has postings on the bulletin board of cultural events, tries variations of the menu, etc. And no matter how hard McDos, Wendys, and others reinvent themselves, become more "artisan" redesign their dining rooms and menus, they are still the same.

The thing is James, places that you mentioned like Blaze artfully not going after the same market share that the majority of the pizza places are looking towards. They have a place in the marketplace for people who want a quick meal, usually at lunchtime. These people don't have the time to wait for service at Coals, DiOrios etc. for some meals. I'm assuming, maybe wrongly so, that they would prefer other places but time just does not allow them that luxury. There are many niches in the food industry, not only for types of food but also for types of service.

. For example, Blaze Pizza. The place has no character. It is an assembly-line production that has no community feel. I'd say the same for Quedoba, Chipotle, Panera, etc. Places such as generic, corporate-owned noodle shops may have a wide range of sélections, but they lack the community feel, as well. They can't replace a Vietnamese or Korean family-run joint that brings together the community members, has postings on the bulletin board of cultural events, tries variations of the menu, etc. And no matter how hard McDos, Wendys, and others reinvent themselves, become more "artisan" redesign their dining rooms and menus, they are still the same.

The thing is James, places that you mentioned like Blaze artfully not going after the same market share that the majority of the pizza places are looking towards. They have a place in the marketplace for people who want a quick meal, usually at lunchtime. These people don't have the time to wait for service at Coals, DiOrios etc. for some meals. I'm assuming, maybe wrongly so, that they would prefer other places but time just does not allow them that luxury. There are many niches in the food industry, not only for types of food but also for types of service.

I hear ya, Mark, and don't dispute your observation. And these places have their niche--with me included at times. And that is fine as long as we don't tip the balance. I'm all for a McDos on the Champs-Elysee, for example. It adds to the food diversity. I don't have a problem with several national chains along Bardstown Rd in the Highlands. But let's be vigilant, for the slope can be awfully slippery.