Za Pizza Bistro
It's rich with ingredients but not overboard. The ingredients weren't exceptional but they
were moderately fresh. For $12, this was
good value for your money.
E-1220 St. Mary's Rd – Five locations across Winnipeg
204-615-0808
November, 2018
Cheap.
That’s the feeling I get every time I walk through the pizza
construction queue.
Much like the ubiquitous sub sandwich counters, you approach construction
line and select your ingredients. The
concept is not new to fast food, although it's a novel approach to
pizza-making. Subway revolutionised the
process when they introduced it to submarine sandwich construction. Similarly at Za Pizza Bistro, you select your
crust, which they flatten from dough on site. Then you choose from a variety of sauces. Next, they offer a selection of cheeses. As you make your way through the counter, you
pass the meat section, then the vegetable section. So how does this differ from a sub
restaurant? The big difference is that
the Subway staff never held back on the amount of ingredients they’re willing
to hand out. Trying to get staff to load
up your pie at Za Pizza Bistro is an ordeal every time. I’m sure they’ve been instructed to go stingy
on the ingredients, but if you’re going restrict the amount you’re willing to
give to customers, don’t present it as a make it how you like it
establishment. Honestly, this is how I
like it:
But I understand that’s a little extreme. However, I do expect that when I ask for an
ingredient, I want more than a light sprinkle.
It wasn't always like this. When
Za first opened, the staff generously piled on the ingredients, but as time
rolled by and their success grew, Za started trucking down the stingy road. Back in its younger days, this is the typical
pizza that I would get:
It's rich with ingredients but not overboard. The ingredients weren't exceptional but they
were moderately fresh. For $12, this was
good value for your money.
A few months later, you asked for an ingredient and the staff counted out
how many morsels you get. You asked for
more and they reluctantly added another sprinkle. I've had occasion where I've asked up to ten
times for more of the same ingredient before I got a satisfying amount.
The last couple of times, they refused to comply. The manager (I assume) came by and told me
that I hit the limit and they're not giving me anymore. When I protested, he told me that if there's
any more, it won't cook.
Wrong, I've had it up to two inches thick in past and they just ran it
through the oven for a longer stretch.
Limiting my portions in a concept of free-preparation is garbage. It's just not worth putting up the battle
every time to have the staff fight back with stinginess.
My companion ordered a pepperoni with mushroom pizza (one of the most
common pizzas in Canada) and left the staff to do their business without asking
for any top-up. This is the result:
Honestly, does this look appealing to you in any fashion at all?
Za Pizza Bistro started out as a fast food joint that got you a good
pizza with plenty of toppings fast. They
used the model to establish a customer base.
After taking the bait, they changed their policy to the cheap concept of
"give as little as you can."
I'm done with this place. It's
not worth the effort to fight for your food every time you come.
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Ray Yuen, Pit Master
Certified Kansas City Barbecue Society Judge - Badge #97736
Canadian Barbecue Society Member
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