What happened here?? It had once been really great. Great crust, toppings that were well balanced and flavors really popped, fresh, simply dressed salads or veg. We went Monday and the only good thing left is the ice cold birra Moretti’s on tap. There wasn’t even a line which is a big sign. The pies were wet and goopy. We had the special which was vongole and the angry bee which was to be their spicy one. And the broccolini. Nothing was good. First, in the line I noticed that they were placing small rectangular planks of mozz cheese on the pie. I want to think I recall they once tore the mozz as they placed on pie? Maybe not but those little logs didn’t bode well. And they used a lot. The special had maybe 3 claims all chopped up with other spices and sprinkled on the pie. And the angry bee should be renamed honey bee - it was so sweet and not in a good way. The crust was a miss on both pies - nothing like it once was. Since neither was vaguely spicy I went up to request their calabrian chilies. I was told that they were completely out of the chilies - which was interesting as it was listed as an ingredient on the angry bee. I said ok how about some red pepper flakes? He said - “you can bring your pie up here and I can put some black pepper on it.” I declined at that point realizing there was no saving this disaster of a meal. After a while - both pies had been out - I went back up to check on the broccolini. Going back up isn’t that easy now since it’s completely crowded by all the people waiting for their take out orders. I asked about the broccolini. They looked at me with dead eyes and said “oh - here it is” it was in a box to go. I said, a little ticked at this point, “hey! we ordered everything for here!” they said sorry, and opened the box and dumped contents on a plate and handed it to me. I walked back speechless. You can see from the picture it looks a bit like birds eye or jolly green giant. Horrible.
They say you have your pizza in 90 seconds! We would have given them a whole 5 minutes to make something worth eating. What a shame. It’s now just like a dorm room Dominos. Replete with pizza oven staff grinding to the music with the pizza line girls BECAUSE NO ONE IS IN LINE WAITING FOR A PIZZA! We won’t be back but wondering if others have noticed the decline or know why?
I’ll try to post pics - not sure how here.
-LM
You’re talking about the place in Santa Monica?
Westwood
Oh, it’s a chain. What a strange bunch of locations. Probably a victim of expansion.
The one in Pasadena has been sloppy and goopy since at least mid-2015. Service was ok though.
Stopped going after a couple of visits. Went back to SetteBello or Blaze for my pizza fix.
Agree w/ the decline. I had posted about it either here or on CH a few mos ago.
I also had the vongole (on Monday at the Santa Monica location). The crust was actually improved from my first few visits at the SM location. I had perhaps 1-2 clams per slice… Hard to tell b/c the clams were so tiny that they were hard to see, let alone taste. For $14, I’m not expecting perfection, but I do want a noticeable proportion of the surface to have clams.
Totally agree w/ the “dead eyes.” I can’t blame the employees themselves, though. They seemed really stresed out (despite the fact that it wasn’t hugely busy). I assume management is pushing them hard…
Pizza itself tasted okay, but, for $1-2 for the entire pizza, I think I’d rather order to-go from Milo and Olive.
Excellent deal for $5.45!!! 
No wonder you’re hooked.
“Costco food court syndrome” - I know it’s bad for me to have this everyday but how can you resist at those prices???
Basically. I was walking back from Staples Center and even the danger dog vendors want $5 for a danger dog.
This is my 3rd POTD in 3 days and my 4th in 7.
I won’t argue w/ you about quality/price when it comes to the POTD. The vongole, though, just isn’t worth $14. So, for me, maybe that’s the moral of the story… Go to 800 Degrees when the POTD coincides w/ what you normally like to order. ::sigh::
Mildly off-topic: if you live near a Gelson’s, a half sandwich (made to order) + 2 small sides of salad (under $11 only) is only $6.49. I think it’s spectacular, as far as QPR goes…
Actually there is one close by - good to know. Thanks! Always on the lookout for non-fast food good QPR options 
Yes, just make sure you stick w/ the made-to-order one at the deli counter; the bread of the pre-made ones in the case is usually really mushy.
The two Gelson’s I frequent (Century City and Encino) both have a employee taking sandwich orders only during the busiest part of the lunch rush. You can also call in your order.
One of my favorite things to do is to see if there are any deli salads on sale that day (b/c those may qualify for the under $11 cut off). 
And, yes, I have this down to a science (the Encino employees actually know me by name and can recognize my voice over the phone). ::sigh::
Its always been sloppy and gooey. Never liked it.
Westwood is dreadful now.
No idea about other outposts.
Too soon, @TonyC, too soon. 
::snort::
It’s just kind of sad b/c I remember it being SO good (even at the $10-$15 mark) when they first opened… ::sigh:: I guess you can never go home again…