Maine is Home to 4 of the 5 ‘Worst’ Pizza Chains in the US

Maine has a lot of killer restaurants.

Despite being a tiny little state in the armpit of the country, we have some incredible food. That's not really a secret here, or even nationally. Maine chefs have won prestigious culinary awards, many of our restaurants have been featured in magazines and TV shows... We have a lot of clout in the food world.

But like most places, we also have some food that doesn't quite hit the mark. One could argue that a lot of national chains kind of miss the mark when it comes to the best food. Pizza is a food that people love all over the country, and while some say that even bad pizza is still good pizza, some chains just ruin it for some people.

Maine has a lot of killer pizza places.

We really do. Even one you don't like, is probably someone else's absolute favorite spot. But usually those are Mom & Pop spots where subjectivity is king. When it comes to national chains, most will agree that they're not always the best. Not the worst, but not the best. But if you had to pick the worst, people will likely start throwing their opinions out like crazy.

Across the whole country, there are some chains that don't have the appeal that others have. So nationally speaking, these chains don't quite hit the mark. And despite all the killer pizza we have in Maine, like Pat's Pizza, or Otto's... We also are home to 4 of the 5 worst pizza chains in the country. Let's check them out, according to Delishably.com...

#5 Pizza Hut

Say what you want about The Hut, when I was a kid, Pizza Hut birthday parties were the best ever. Pan pizza, breadsticks, giant plastic cups filled with Coke, and a few games of tabletop Galaga, and you were in the zone. But many feel that they just don't have the magic they did in the old days.

#4 Papa John's

If there's one thing that always gets a pass from me when it comes to Papa John's is the little cups of garlic butter for dipping. It basically turns the crust into a breadstick! But there's also a lot of folks who think as whole, PJ's just doesn't quite live up to their favorite local pizza joint.

#3 Domino's

Honestly, one thing that kind of freaks me out, is that Domino's has so many of those weird "meat toppings". Like there's no sausage. It's sausage "topping". Same with ground beef. It's not burger, it's some strange mixture of meat and spices that doesn't quite read as plain, old hamburg.

#2 Little Caesar's

When I was in college, my roommates and I lived on Little Caesar's. I'll never forget the special because we chipped in on it at least once or twice a week... "2 pizzas with ten toppings for $9.99...". There were so many variations on that theme in the ads. The pizza itself could be worse for sure, but people definitely view it as budget pizza.

#1 Chuck E. Cheese

We're lucky, as Chuck E. Cheese no longer has any locations in Maine. I remember seeing the commercials as a kid and desperately wanting to go. And somehow, it never materialized. By the time they were in Maine, I was too old to care. And now they're just gone, so we'll never get to see just why America hates Chuck E. Cheese pizza so much.

Again, Maine has so many killer pizza options that we don't really need all the fancy chains. They serve their purpose for sure, but I usually keep my money local, if I can. Local pizza = better pizza.