One Pizza Chain's Stuffed Crust Wins In Flavor And Texture, But Lost Us With The Price

Stuffed-crust pizzas amp up the amount of what makes most pizza special: cheese. The best of these pies have a chewy, well-risen crust sturdy enough to support its filling. Biting into it should give way to a rich, gooey cheese core with flavors and seasonings that complement the rest of the pizza, rather than compete with it. So, when a Tasting Table writer recently tried stuffed crust pizzas from Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Papa Johns to determine which comes closest to achieving the ideal product, it's perhaps not surprising that the winner came from Pizza Hut, the chain that claims to have invented stuffed-crust pizza in the '90s (although some doubt this doughy history). 

However, the Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza from Papa Johns was a close second, pleasantly surprising us with its slightly sweet flavor and fresh, light taste. It had a chewy crust and toothsome texture. Though it wasn't as uniform as the slices from the competition, the crust contained a healthy amount of perfectly molten, gooey cheese. Despite the extra cheese, the crust wasn't greasy, and everything seemed balanced. Unfortunately, it was also the most expensive option we tried.

The pie reportedly rang up at around $22 for a 14-inch cheese pizza. Other chains have less expensive choices, even when you add extra toppings. When combined with online posts and reviews about its stuffed-crust pizza, this finding reinforces why Papa Johns is considered among the overpriced pizza chains that customers say aren't worth it — and such complaints are nothing new.

Years ago, one customer who ordered a 14-inch Epic Pepperoni-Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza took to Reddit to complain about the cost, displaying a bill totaling $26.79 and saying, "Why does Papa Johns cost so much..?" Defending the chain, another Redditor responded, "Your first mistake is not ordering through papa Johns. The DoorDash app or whatever you are using sets their own prices." Nonetheless, a more recent Reddit thread bemoaning the "Stuffed crust crazy price" at Papa Johns echoed concerns about needing to shell out too much dough for the chain's pizza, with a commenter observing that "I haven't ordered papa johns in 4 years due to the prices."

An even more recent Reddit post displayed that ordering a Papa Johns pie with Epic Stuffed Crust incurred a $3 upcharge, as the customer — who claimed to have not patronized the chain for about a year — ranted that even with regular crust, "the same small 6 slice pizza that was about $8.50 is now $14.49 without tax ... how did it increase this much?" In another Reddit post, an avowed fan of Papa Johns pizza complained that, "With tip I'm spending $30 each time for just one pie. I still love it, but don't order as often." It seems that while the quality of Papa Johns stuffed-crust pizza and other products may indeed earn solid reviews, these days folks seem more likely to order from one of the pizza chains where you can still get a whole pie for $10 or less.