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Pizza Time pizza $3/slice!

Whats up with the price of pizza? I went to Brooklyn to do some pesach shopping so I figured I would get some pizza. One of the Chowhound favorite places is Pizza Time so I figured I would stop by. $3 a slice, $22 a pie WOW. Last I saw in the 5 towns it was $2.25 a slice with Bagel Island charging $10/pie. Must be all that oil they put in the sauce.

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  1. whats up - the price of flour , cheese - oil gas ----- wheat has had its biggest increase possibly ever - oh and tomatoes are up too

    20 Replies
    1. re: coastie

      I guess what I am asking is, "is there a price point where the average consumer will look elseware for take out". I for one eat two slices of pizza, that comes out to $6.

      I usually like to use the Brachs chicken take out special as my yardstick to guage the cost of a takeout meal. Even with the price of feed and fuel increases, so far the cost of a chicken special (1 chicken and a pound of side dish) has been stable at $8. If one eats a half of a chicken that comes out to $4 a person.

      My question is, assuming that one eats two slices of pizza, how high are you willing to pay for what used to be an inexpensive take out.

      Currently $6 ($3/slice) $24/pie
      (A) $8 ($4/slice) $32/pie
      (B) $10 ($5/slice) $40/pie
      (C) Price is no object, I need my pizza fix
      (D) other

      1. re: MartyB

        D) I'm going to buy a pizza stone after Pesach and start making my own pizza .

        1. re: berel

          on 2nd thought I'm going to buy one this week and use for matzah pizza on Pesach

          1. re: berel

            In doing a Google search on Pizza dough, I ran into this video on how to make home made pizza. I may give it a try, doesn't look too hard. The best part is that you can get creative with the topping.


            1. re: MartyB

              my kids who live out-of-town make homemade pizza all the time on the stone, comes out great

              1. re: berel

                Joy of cooking has a decent basic recipe for dough. Stone? hit a tile store for a 12x12 sample or two of granite - it'll even out the heat for a few bucks a pop... and where has the OP been lately regarding food prices in general? It's all insane.

            2. re: berel

              I got to thinking, makes sense to try my hand at making my own. I just placed an order for a 4 piece pizza stone set at Amazon for $20 (less than the cost of one Pizza Time pie).

              Judging from the recipie requirements the major components should be
              (1) Flour, needs 2-3 cups, will have to see how expensive it is.
              (2) Yeast - probably real cheap
              (3) Tomato sauce, just paid 50 cents/can at Brachs, kosher for pesach, some "farchnucte" brand, don't remember which one.
              (3) Cheese
              (4) Gas for oven.

              My gut feeling is that I can save a bundle here.

              1. re: MartyB

                I think Bed bath and beyond has it too for $20, I pick it up there


                1. re: berel

                  Not bad, I bought


                  Since I am a member of Amazon Prime I get free shipping and pay no taxes.

                2. re: MartyB

                  Sure, of course you can; you're not paying for labor, insurance, etc. Generally, I'd say that food costs are only 20%-30% or so of retail prices.

                  1. re: MartyB

                    Tomato sauce in a can? The kind that is just tomatoes, water, salt and the like? If you plan to use that sort of stuff for pizza, I guess you're not really looking for real pizza. It will be cheaper, certainly, but it certainly won't mimic anything like pizza from a professional pizza store. Tomato sauce like Hunt's, or kosher brands, are not what real pizza stores use. Unless you've found something in a can I've never seen. Closer is pasta sauce, like what one uses for lasagna. It has spices, onions, garlic, etc. But that does not come in a can, and it's never 50 cents.

              2. re: coastie

                I work for a bakery. We came close to closing forever this winter - the skyrocketing price of flour, oil and dairy products caught us all by surprise. Flour costs TRIPLED over a few weeks. We all know about the oil - which causes price increases due to shipping and also oil to run our ovens. Dairy is now, thankfully, coming back down and flour seems to have stabilized for now. But it was a hard, hard couple of months. I know that many pizzerias have closed because, as is said below, how much will people realisically pay for a slice of pizza? Same for a bagel. Even though my costs about doubled, who's going to pay $1.00 for a bagel? We still had to raise the price to .65 without butter or cream cheese!

                It's a very hard time for anyone using large amounts of flour.

                1. re: Catskillgirl

                  I was in a pasta store last week, and they had a stack of fliers asking people to contact their senators to help with escalating wheat prices - as did, I then noticed, a lot of bakeries in the area, and the pasta store had a sign saying that they were currently unable to sell customers semolina flour. My husband has recently been selling wheat, in addition to his usual rice, to Iraq, and the increase in prices has been mindboggling.

                  1. re: MMRuth

                    Our local convenience store chain has a sign by the breads saying "The Great Grain Robbery". Which would be funny if it weren't so sad. Yes, semolina is through the roof - I'm glad it's one flour we don't use here!

                    It's very, very scary. My bakery employs about 25 people, me included. And our little town has taken a beating over the last few years with 2 large employers closing. The thought of closing a bakery which opened (in this building) in 1920 is heart-breaking.

                  2. re: Catskillgirl

                    I second and third that , Im in my 5 th year of business. I was just putting my head up and thinking about being a restaurant that makes a profit.Now I don't even know.....I don't think my customers will take a price increase - but I won't make it without one. Im hoping to ride it out awhile so others can adjust their prices. As national chains raise their prices my customers will become more understanding. As an independent , we are already know for having the best...and most expensive pie.

                    1. re: coastie

                      Coastie, we tried for months to "ride it out" and that's what almost closed our doors. Flour prices started jumping in October, eggs doubled in August, dairy I think 30% increase in September... and we waited. and waited. And bled $$. January 1st we finally raised our prices, and while some customers complained, I spoke to as many as possible and explained *why* we had to raise our prices. Basic survival. And they understood. Unfortunately we waited too long to raise our prices, and we're still suffering. I think, now, that we'll make it, but only because Passover is next week (hooray for the big orders!) and summertime is coming, with the seasonal trade.

                      And we, too, are known for our quality products, and higher prices. Lots of customers are willing to pay the price. Otherwise they can buy bread and pastries at the supermarket - I don't care!

                    2. re: Catskillgirl

                      "...who's going to pay $1.00 for a bagel?"

                      We NYers do. Bagels are $1.30 at H&H Bagel in NYC!

                      1. re: Ora

                        In Tokyo, they're $1.50-$2.00 each...when you can find them. :-p

                      2. re: Catskillgirl

                        "Who's going to pay $1.00 for a bagel?"

                        People who like good, fresh bagels.. I don't think Pittsburgh is that much more wealthier than Ellenville NY, but when our wholesale price went from $0.33 per bagel to $0.49 last winter, we bumped our retail price to more than $1.00 (a 1oz. packet of Philly cream cheese included). Sales didn't change at all. I wouldn't worry about it - charge what you need to charge in order to keep yourself whole - or stop making bagels.

                        We get our bagels from what I'd consider the only decent artisinal bakery that makes them (NY style water bagels) and my feeling is if we don't support them, then the entire bagel-eating population will suffer. Bagels are one of those things that if done well are worth a little extra. If not done well, it wouldn't matter if they were two for a quarter, I wouldn't touch them.

                        As far as pizza goes, I'd rather pay more to a shop I like than have the pizza shop start subbing inferior ingredients like those nasty pre-packaged cheese blends.

                        Such is the price of encouraging trade with emerging economies. It's only going to get more interesting and probably worse with some items. For instance, the largest tomato grower in PA has announced they're not planting tomatoes this year because of restrictions on migrant laborers. So they're planting crops that can be harvested by machine. More wheat and corn in the supply chain... but a lot fewer regionally grown tomatoes.

                        1. re: Panini Guy

                          Also in Pittsburgh...Not that long ago you could get a dozen bagels for $5 and change.. We tried a new deli/bakery in our neighborhood and individual bagels w/o anything are $1/$12per dozen. As much as we'd love to support the shop, the prices are just too high. With costs rising (groceries, gas, utilities-agh!) it's easy to understand why the cost of bagels is going up...but we just won't be buying them as frequently, and prob not from the corner deli....

                    3. Maybe one can do what the soda industry did (you know, the 1.5 liter bottles - of which, I am proud to say, I have not purchased one yet!). Slice a pie into 16 slices and charge $1.50 a slice, then they can slowly raise it to $2/slice. Hey this day and age one can fool most of the people most of the time!

                      4 Replies
                      1. re: MartyB

                        Come to NJ. $1.70 a slice and $13.50 a pie (plus tax, of course)

                        1. re: jaickyt

                          Where in NJ? I will have to ask my brother if the huge price hike has infected them in Passaic as well. Maybe NJ is spared because gas is cheaper there.

                            1. re: jaickyt

                              One of my biggest pet peeves about pizza is that many places use too much cheese (it is like getting grill cheese) and not enough sauce. How about using 1/3 less cheese as a pizza option and charging less for this variety.

                      2. Depending on the quality of the pizza, $22 for a large pie can be perfectly reasonable (to me). I happily pay some local places that. But one place charged me $25 for a pie that cost four bucks less elsewhere, and the cheaper pie was as good or better than the pricier one. Which meant that was my first and only time there.

                        And some of the chain pizzarias could sell their extra large pies for $5 and I still wouldn't normally buy them. If I was starving, sure. But the largest chain here has (IMHO) the worst pizza in town. Crust like floor tile and sauce like ketchup. And cheese like plastic.

                        1 Reply
                        1. re: Pincus

                          Yeah, Pizza Hut has their $5/each for 3 medium pizza deals and I have no interest. My beloved local chain is ~$17 for a large cheese pie and I find that to be a a better deal when you consider taste/quality.

                        2. Have you been to DiFara's lately? Home of the $4 dollar slice and the $2 can of soda? Last month it made national news. I truthfully don't know if it's the rising cost of ingredients or the fact that all the tourists go there after reading message boards and hipster magazines heralding it as the best slice in NYC.