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7 Pizza Chains That Just Aren’t Worth It Anymore

Customers have an upper limit on how much they'll pay for a pizza.

By Cassandra Yorgey , Edited by Sara Albertelli

Updated April 27, 2026

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Friday night pizza is changing as Americans tighten their budgets and belts, against rising costs of living. Pizza used to be an inexpensive way to feed the family on nights when you don't want to cook, but ordering delivery is more expensive than ever, which is a problem if you're looking to stretch your restaurant budget further.

There's still nothing like a freshly made pizza pie dripping with melted cheese delivered to your door, but that's not always what pizza chains are delivering these days. The increased cost and lower quality have more people turning to frozen pizzas to make at home, or to local independent restaurants that make a fresh pizza.

Some pizza chains are just not worth it anymore, and these are the worst offenders.

Editor's note: Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location.

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Sbarro

The price of a single slice is $5.19, which is more than it costs to buy a whole frozen pizza, so it's no surprise Sbarro just isn't worth it anymore for many folks. The high cost is justified by the pizza chain's location footprint, which predominantly focuses on high-traffic areas where hungry people need a bite to eat, such as shopping malls, department stores, truck stops, service areas, and casinos.

Sbarro has expanded that footprint for four consecutive years, according to National Law Review, but as consumer discretionary spending swiftly shrinks, that could change.

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Papa John's

This year, Papa John's is closing roughly 200 locations, and another 100 next year, according to CNN. What the pizza chain calls "underperforming stores," everybody else calls "too expensive." A basic large pepperoni is $16.49, and that's just too much for eight slices for those on a budget.

Papa John's boasts of better quality, but it doesn't often end up tasting better than every other overpriced pizza, no matter how much garlic sauce you dip it in.

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is also shuttering "underperforming" locations this year, and expects to close about 250 locations, as reported by TheStreet. Plenty of people have nostalgic memories of getting a free personal pan pizza for reading books, but now a basic pepperoni pizza costs $16.99, and a personal pan is $6.29. At that price, a frozen pizza at home and a good book from the library sounds like a better deal.

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Domino's

Domino's wants to put some distance between itself and struggling pizza chains, but consumers aren't impressed. The pizza chain implemented a multi-year strategy they call "Hungry for MORE" that focuses on improving their technology with things like AI and an upgraded pizza tracker, but customers want a good, cheap pizza, and AI isn't doing that.

They are similarly priced to other chains, charging $19 for a large pepperoni without any deals. The "deals" have kept customers around, but as economic worries hit more families, those deals just don't seem as good anymore. People don't want to need a coupon to afford the occasional pizza delivery.

MOD Pizza

Made On Demand is a nice concept for a pizza, but in practice, the MOD Pizza chain has been struggling for years. In 2024, they faced rumors of bankruptcy but managed to avoid that fate by closing 44 restaurant locations, according to USA Today. Later that year, it went on to sell itself to Elite Restaurant Group.

The chain recently restructured its prices to address customer feedback, but a large pepperoni is still about $15. The price point seems better for those who like to pile on the toppings, because the "unlimited toppings" deal is only about a dollar more.

Chuck E. Cheese

Like many businesses, Chuck E. Cheese filed for bankruptcy in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its parent company, CEC Entertainment, reported losing almost $29 million in 2019, according to CNN.

They were able to emerge and return to pre-pandemic numbers by 2023, reports USA Today, but consumers don't have a positive outlook for the children's arcade and pizza place. Ordering a large pepperoni pizza is over $20, and is only worth it when making use of the arcade. It was rated as the worst pizza chain in 2024 by The Takeout.

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Pizza Ranch

According to reviewers, the worst pizza comes from Pizza Ranch. A Mashed comparison rated Pizza Ranch absolute last out of 30 pizza chains, and it's not all because of the price. Customer complaints are about the buffet being devoid of food, or the restaurant being dirty, or all the pizza being cold.

Basically, even a good pizza could be ruined by other factors in a restaurant setting, securing it as the worst offender of pizza chains that aren't worth it anymore.

Bottom line

It's hard to make truly bad pizza, but it is a lot easier to overcharge for mediocre pizza that makes customers think twice about ordering again.

Customers are gravitating towards frozen pizza made at home to save money on groceries, or ordering from local independent pizzerias that offer lower prices, higher-quality pizza, or both.

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