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How exactly does Cici's Pizza make money?

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Skiesofwonder

Walruses, camels, bears, rabbits, tigers and badgers.
For those of you that don't know, Cici's Pizza is a pizza buffet joint with a salad bar, tons of pizza, desserts, and soup. You can eat as much as you want for $4.99. I had a coupon for a free adult buffet, so the GF and I got to eat there for $2.50 a piece.

Yeah I feel like shit now, but it's really not that bad. The pizza is Little Ceaser-quality. The cinnamon rolls are actually really good, worth the price of admission alone. But shit... how does the place operate? Am I eating dog food disguised as pizza?

cici-s-pizza.jpg
 
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speculawyer

Member
I've never heard of the place. But the ingredients of pizza are damn cheap and if your labor and rent costs are low enough, I guess it could work. But it wouldn't work where I live.
 
T

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
The raw materials of the food is probably on the order of $0.25 per pie. You're basically paying the rent, staff, and a little profit. It works because of volume.

Little Caesars' doesn't work as well because it's nearly as poor quality but there's no volume.
 
S

smokeandmirrors

Banned
Because it's fucking garbage masqueraded as food.

My worst bout of food poisoning EVER was from Cici's. The one near by closed down and they fucking deserved it.

I'd rather have Little Caesars or Papa Johns over that garbage.
 
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Skilotonn

xbot xbot xbot xbot xbot
Damn, just for the pizza alone that sounds cheap as hell for just 5 bucks - but with salad and desserts too? That's crazy, even if the quality is fickle.
 
N

Nekofrog

Banned
I forgive Cici's for being absolute SHIT, because it was there that I discovered the glory that is Mac n' Cheese Pizza.
 
G

GoldenEye 007

Member
kirblar said:
Did you pay for drinks? If they serve Alcohol, that likely makes up their margins.
Click to expand...

lol they don't serve alcohol. They're a buffet place like Golden Corral or something, but only serving pizza and having smaller stores. They're usually integrated into strip malls rather than standalone.
 
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Riki

Member
Super cheap to make pizzas that are mediocre at best.
It's not bad for the price, but it's not exactly pushing the culinary envelope.
 
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SpanishExplorer

Member
The CiCi's near my house had a significant drop in quality last time I went years go. It was really worse than cardboard, but I do kind of miss it.
 
N

NEOPARADIGM

Banned
$5.49 + $1.89 for a drink, so that's like $15 for two people. Gratz on the deal?

Anyway, I suspect it makes money the same way any business makes money: their costs are lower than what they take in.
 
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CarpeDeezNutz

Member
I knew a dude who claimed that the dough was made with bisquik so when you ate it, it would expand in your stomach and make you full faster.

Also, for some reason if CiCis ever gets brought up around my dad, he just has to tell the story about the time he was at a CiCi's and saw a kid fucking hurl his guts out lol I think it made other people hurl as well, like a scene out of child's play.
 
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Lotto

Member
Didn't realize Cici's was so hated around here. The one I usually went to near my school was pretty good; hell of a lot better than Little Ceasars. The spinach pizza is yummy.
 
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FyreWulff

Member
Buffets operate off volume. It's called production cooking.

Pizzas already have decent margins, but since they're not being custom made and made on demand, they can cook a bunch at once. Most stuff in a buffet has pretty good margins. They'll often put something very nice in the buffet somewhere that's lower margin, but that higher-value item does a neat thing where it makes you value the rest of the food higher and makes the apparent taste better.
 
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acksman

Member
If you ask they will make you a pizza without the dough. They have a salad aluminum holder that you tell them what all you want it packed with and cook. It's a great paleo meal.
 
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Chezzymann

Member
I like cicis.they have some really abstract toppings. I guess the reason they can profit from their current business strategy is because most food places price gouge like crazy.
 
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shadowsdarknes

Member
I can only imagine how cheap the ingredients must be in that pizza.

I'd really love to see an overhaul of standards for food in this country.
 
A

Apdiddy

Member
Cici's Pizza is absolutely disgusting. Last time I ate there, I thought I was going to die and was in the bathroom throwing up like crazy. Some friends of mine were about to call for an ambulance. Cici's Pizza + beer is not a good combination.

Also, they somehow pay their workers less than minimum wage. When I was job hunting, I went there to inquire about a job and that's what I was told. How they got around that, I don't know.
 
M

Maklershed

Member
I dont have any CiCi's Pizzas near me that I know of but I see commercials for it and in the commercials, where you think it would appear at its most appealing, it looks like the pizza you'd get in school lunches in Elementary school along with a pint of milk.
 
U

Ultratech

Member
Eh? Cici's isn't all that bad.

I do try and eat my money's worth when I go there at least (re: Usually an entire pizza).

I've certainly had worse though.

BeerSnob said:
It is literally the cheapest of all possible pizzas. It's cardboard, dehydrated cheese and happy thoughts.
Click to expand...

I thought that was Domino's before they supposedly changed their shit?
 
S

Skiesofwonder

Walruses, camels, bears, rabbits, tigers and badgers.
The pizza is totally better then Little Ceaser's Pizza. That is straight up cardboard shit. Cici's has some good Jalapeno Pizza.

I don't drink soda. Water is free, join the club.
 
E

Elija2

Member
So many people in this thread are trashing on Little Ceasars but I actually like their pizza. I guess my taste in pizza is that bad, eh?
 
Bumblebeetuna

Bumblebeetuna

Gold Member
Pizza is cheap as hell to make no matter where you're at. Even at places like PH and Dominos they make tons of money on each pizza sold. Now imagine even cheaper dough, even cheaper cheese and less of it, and even cheaper toppings. Then you basically make an extra $2 per customer on soda plus whatever markup on drinks they have (if they serve them), plus all of the employees making at or near minimum wage except management, and there you go.

It's all about volume.
 
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