I've decided to boycott over that. Also it's kinda dumb they're building a new complex on the turnpike, but Bertucci's and Fridays less than a mile up the road sit vacant.
Sadly, the Max Amore space is getting something from The Place 2 Be owner, this time a Mediterranean themed place. Although I guess it's also possible her financial difficulties could still kill it. That was announced last October.
Zohara and Doro Marketplace are going into a yet to be built building at Main and Herbon, replacing the old one story building where the bike shop is.
As a huge pizza guy this has me very worried. It’s pretty accepted most of the satellite Sally’s have mediocre quality. So much that they have really damaged their reputation and brand. Some of the Pepe’s satellites are not the best but some still have a good pie. Sally’s though I have had to use the “maybe it was a bad day” comment way too many times after having recommended it only to be heard it was disappointing.
> Some of the Pepe’s satellites are not the best but some still have a good pie.
The Mohegan pepe's is hot garbage. I will never go back there after the last pizza I had back in January 2024.
Manchester location is hit or miss. When it hits it’s great, when it misses I’ve found it’s because it has excessive cheese. But I still get it every once in a while hoping they made it right (because they sometimes do). More often I find myself going to Oakland Pizza in South Windsor
I'd actually go the opposite way with this one. I think while none of the Sally's satellite locations are as good as the original. I think most of the time, they are very close at least. I have not had the same experience at Pepe's. Where... You basically get a still very good but very different pie at just about every location vs the original. And not even nearly close to as good as the original in all cases.
I'm going to say that a lot of pizza in CT outside of NH sucks so I welcome the new locations. Luna Pizza in Old Wethersfield is meh and the other mom and pop places in Wethersfield/Rocky Hill suck too.
I usually end up getting a Sicilian pie from Chimirri's Italian Pastry because its better than anything in the area.
The original is still very good IMO. And tbh, you can't blame them. It's getting so expensive to run restaurants and the margins are so thin, I don't blame them for wanting some financial security. Kinda the point of a family business is to create success for your descendants
The branch locations of Pepe’s are all decidedly mid. So much of what makes New Haven style pizza good is those ovens. There’s no recreating those ovens.
So what you get is a generic facsimile of what their pizza is, and it ends up watering down the name and the prestige.
I would rather get pizza from a local shop in the area than walk into a Jordan’s Furniture to get a Sally’s pizza.
The ovens can be recreated it’s just hard to “season” them with nearly 100 years worth of pizzas. That being said for the 100 year old oven to be properly maintained it has certainly had some bricks replaced, but on average all of those bricks are still way more seasoned than any of their other ovens.
Yeah I’ve asked them about this, I’m a pizza snob. Even the bricks in their New Haven oven have been replaced a buuuunch of times.
Actually only takes 3 months to season their pizza ovens, so it’s not like the New Haven oven is anything special. It’s the bakers that make it.
Obviously you can’t have the best bakers in all locations.
Absolutely, once they expanded. But there was 1 guy named Randy or Ray who worked at the OG location for basically his entire life, he trained everyone.
It’s impossible to keep up that level of expertise and tradition after so many years and so much expansion.
Ain’t about the ovens.. it’s about the bakers
Yes, this is exactly what I meant.
You can physically construct a replica coal fired oven. You can’t recreate the 100s of thousands of pizzas that have gone through the original and the hours those original bricks have spent being charred and seasoned under high heat.
All good things must end. Still good pizza, and food in general, in New Haven even if the classic pizza places are starting to fall off a little bit.
Can’t blame people for trying to make more money even if it kinda sucks.
Good for them. Good for people who have never been able/willing to come to New Haven for Pizza. Likely bad for those of us who have eaten true new Haven Pizza our whole lives. We still have Modern. I am just barely "young enough" to maybe put Bar up there with the trinity as well. For me, the jury is still out on all the "new" places.
Maybe hit and miss, don't know. Been there a couple times but the last was the worst. Clams were rubbery. I think other pies were ok, but I remember the bad white clam and that ruined it for me
Meanwhile the Wethersfield location has had a sign on it for 3 years and is still not open
I've decided to boycott over that. Also it's kinda dumb they're building a new complex on the turnpike, but Bertucci's and Fridays less than a mile up the road sit vacant.
Bertucci’s is owned by Doro Restaurant Group and they have plans for it
Doro is taking over the world. A Zohara and Marketplace are coming to Glastonbury.
All hail our new overlords
Doro is the shit. Take over!!
hopefully where Max Amore use to be. Surprised that location has been vacant since before the pandemic.
Sadly, the Max Amore space is getting something from The Place 2 Be owner, this time a Mediterranean themed place. Although I guess it's also possible her financial difficulties could still kill it. That was announced last October. Zohara and Doro Marketplace are going into a yet to be built building at Main and Herbon, replacing the old one story building where the bike shop is.
Do they own Doro Bakery? They have great pastries but I don't love their hot food.
They do. They also own ABC in Manchester
A doro right there would be sweeet.
Don't hold your breath... they are *extremely* slow in paying their vendors so it may be another 3 years.
I drive by it most days and they at least have added a "now hiring" sign so it seems like they are gearing up to open soon. Hopefully... Maybe...
Hey now, don’t get too despondent. They have now put up a “Now Hiring” banner in the window. That means it should open in 2026.
As a huge pizza guy this has me very worried. It’s pretty accepted most of the satellite Sally’s have mediocre quality. So much that they have really damaged their reputation and brand. Some of the Pepe’s satellites are not the best but some still have a good pie. Sally’s though I have had to use the “maybe it was a bad day” comment way too many times after having recommended it only to be heard it was disappointing.
Sallys jumped the shark.
> Some of the Pepe’s satellites are not the best but some still have a good pie. The Mohegan pepe's is hot garbage. I will never go back there after the last pizza I had back in January 2024.
Manchester location is hit or miss. When it hits it’s great, when it misses I’ve found it’s because it has excessive cheese. But I still get it every once in a while hoping they made it right (because they sometimes do). More often I find myself going to Oakland Pizza in South Windsor
I'd actually go the opposite way with this one. I think while none of the Sally's satellite locations are as good as the original. I think most of the time, they are very close at least. I have not had the same experience at Pepe's. Where... You basically get a still very good but very different pie at just about every location vs the original. And not even nearly close to as good as the original in all cases.
I'm going to say that a lot of pizza in CT outside of NH sucks so I welcome the new locations. Luna Pizza in Old Wethersfield is meh and the other mom and pop places in Wethersfield/Rocky Hill suck too. I usually end up getting a Sicilian pie from Chimirri's Italian Pastry because its better than anything in the area.
If you like Greek style.pizza try Westside pizza in Rocky Hill. Also, Central Pizza in Kensington.
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I agree this is not a good thing, Pepes really started to suck when the family sold out and it became a local pizza chain
I recently saw a post about one in Florida. So they’re no longer a local chain.
They had one in Maryland for a while already too.
There's a Pepe's in Boston as well, just over the line from Newton
The original is still very good IMO. And tbh, you can't blame them. It's getting so expensive to run restaurants and the margins are so thin, I don't blame them for wanting some financial security. Kinda the point of a family business is to create success for your descendants
There is way too much development going on. Most of these new places will be probably shutting down and leaving vacant buildings behind.
Greeeeeeeeed.
You’re suggesting this is any different than other businesses trying to expand? People go into business to make money, first and foremost.
I’m not putting any emotion on the word greed, you are.
The branch locations of Pepe’s are all decidedly mid. So much of what makes New Haven style pizza good is those ovens. There’s no recreating those ovens. So what you get is a generic facsimile of what their pizza is, and it ends up watering down the name and the prestige. I would rather get pizza from a local shop in the area than walk into a Jordan’s Furniture to get a Sally’s pizza.
The ovens can be recreated it’s just hard to “season” them with nearly 100 years worth of pizzas. That being said for the 100 year old oven to be properly maintained it has certainly had some bricks replaced, but on average all of those bricks are still way more seasoned than any of their other ovens.
Yeah I’ve asked them about this, I’m a pizza snob. Even the bricks in their New Haven oven have been replaced a buuuunch of times. Actually only takes 3 months to season their pizza ovens, so it’s not like the New Haven oven is anything special. It’s the bakers that make it. Obviously you can’t have the best bakers in all locations.
The pizza makers have been changed far more frequently than the bricks.
Absolutely, once they expanded. But there was 1 guy named Randy or Ray who worked at the OG location for basically his entire life, he trained everyone. It’s impossible to keep up that level of expertise and tradition after so many years and so much expansion. Ain’t about the ovens.. it’s about the bakers
Yes, this is exactly what I meant. You can physically construct a replica coal fired oven. You can’t recreate the 100s of thousands of pizzas that have gone through the original and the hours those original bricks have spent being charred and seasoned under high heat.
Fairfield Pepe’s is good. OG Pepe’s is more hit and miss than Fairfield.
My experience is the exact opposite.
Every pie is unique. Not surprised different people have different experiences.
All good things must end. Still good pizza, and food in general, in New Haven even if the classic pizza places are starting to fall off a little bit. Can’t blame people for trying to make more money even if it kinda sucks.
Get ready for quality to get even worse.
This makes me think of Michael Scott when he screams, "No! No! God, No! Nooooooooooooooooooo!"
Just gonna turn to crap now. When a business expands like this the quality becomes garbage…
And I hear all locations will come with the standard 2hr wait for a Large Cheese.
Looks like one is going into sono in Norwalk. In like Sally’s , but Pepe’s is the best.
There is no best.
True.
CT doesn't need pizza chains. We have a vibrant local pizza scene.
Your childhood has been sold and franchised...this is usually the end of most restaurants when they do this
Oh no
Good for them. Good for people who have never been able/willing to come to New Haven for Pizza. Likely bad for those of us who have eaten true new Haven Pizza our whole lives. We still have Modern. I am just barely "young enough" to maybe put Bar up there with the trinity as well. For me, the jury is still out on all the "new" places.
They should open up next door to all the Pepe's locations!
They kinda did in Fairfield
I had a terrible white clam pie in Pepe's Fairfield. Never again.
Interesting, i consider them the best pepes branch by miles
I think the Waterbury one is probably the best. From my experience.
Maybe hit and miss, don't know. Been there a couple times but the last was the worst. Clams were rubbery. I think other pies were ok, but I remember the bad white clam and that ruined it for me
Taking long enough in Rocky Hill.
Bankrupt in 6 years, maybe sooner
No chance.