tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption

CHAIN -- Pizza Schmizza
Owner -- Privately held
Primary Operating Region -- Pacific Northwest, with Utah, California, Colorado, and Idaho supposedly coming soon
Number of Locations -- 29 (2006)

The name comes from a snide comment.  "Pizza schmizza.  Get a real job." So said the father of Andre Jehan, founder of Schmizza.  The name stuck.

Schmizza does it by-the-slice or whole pies.  The pies are of the exotic variety with toppings that include red potatoes, wine-marinated meatballs, spaghetti, spinach, artichoke...you get the idea.  The Coney Island pizza tastes a lot like my own Chili Dog pizza.  At the same time, you can still just get a slice of boring old Pepperoni.  It's fine and clearly liked by the locals because they're popping up all over town, but if I'm in town I'd still just assume head up to NW 23rd and have the decidedly non-chain Escape from New York slice, especially on Mushroom & Black Olive day.

It's working, though.  Schmizza is franchising and they seem to be popping up all over the Portland metro and beyond.  I have to say it's my favorite name for a pizza place.  If the product is decent, perhaps the name creates enough curiosity to fly.

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