People Really, Really Hate Wawa Pizza — For Good Reason

A photo of a Wawa pizza by a Philly resident who posted a negative Wawa pizza review / Photograph courtesy of Adam Schmidt

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Wawa Pizza Reviews Show That People Really, Really Hate Wawa Pizza

People love to love their Wawa. But people also love to hate their Wawa. And the most hated thing about Wawa right now would have to be the new-ish Wawa pizza.

I say this as an astute observer of social media commentary, especially when it comes to all things Wawa, since the company has been part of my beat (well, and my life) for far too many years. And time and time again, I see people admonishing their friends and communities against Wawa pizza.

The latest Wawa pizza review came from Adam Schmidt, founder of Drink Philly and Drink Nation. “I just ate a Wawa pizza,” he wrote on Facebook. “Don’t do that.”

“I think it was possibly the worst thing I’ve ever eaten,” he told me when I questioned him on Sunday about his Wawa pizza review. “It tastes like if you left out a pizza for two days and then ate it. The cheese tasted old, if it’s even cheese. Wawa pizza tastes bad by any standard. It’s not pizza. It’s also not food.”

Well then!

I have seen some people defending Wawa pizza, but only in the context of it being better than Papa John’s, Little Caesars, Domino’s and Pizza Hut. Not exactly a high bar. And Schmidt insists that Wawa pizza is actually worse than all of the above. Not a sentiment I disagree with after trying it against my better judgment, though I haven’t had a Pizza Hut pizza since the 1980s, when they had those sit-down tables with built-in Pac-Man machines in their shops, so I can’t really weigh in on the Wawa pizza vs. Pizza Hut pizza comparison.

Then there’s this critique of Wawa pizza, which I spotted in a local Facebook restaurant group: “Wawa, in my opinion, is extremely greedy adding pizza. putting out all the mom-and-pop shops. Dear Lord, let them make some kind of money!”

Interesting angle. But if all these Wawa pizza reviews are to be believed, the local pizza joints might not have anything to worry about. Would any self-respecting pizza lover from the Philadelphia area actually replace their neighborhood pizza place with Wawa pizza?

It turns out that this actually isn’t the first time you’ve been able to get a pizza at the Philly region’s favorite convenience store. In the ’90s, Wawa partnered with — guess who? — Pizza Hut to have Pizza Hut-branded pizzas in some Wawas. That didn’t work out so well. And then in 2014, Wawa launched personal deep-dish pizzas. Another failure.

Based on current Wawa pizza reviews, I’m thinking its time for Wawa to shelve pizza for good. And then maybe they could put all that pizza energy into fixing their terrible soft pretzels.

Local Talent

It’s been a whirlwind of a career for South Philadelphia chef Jennifer Zavala — from illegal tamale trucks to the infamous vegan meatball controversy to accusations that she’s part of Antifa. But less than three years after opening Juana Tamale in South Philly, Zavala tells me her time in Philadelphia us up. In this heartfelt and revealing interview, she explains why and has a lot to say about lousy employees and her critics.

And on the other end of the political spectrum, I couldn’t help but notice that the Philly Voice — that’s the media outlet that just fired its new Sixers reporter due to a pro-Palestine comment — tapped controversial conservative firebrand Christine Flowers for an op-ed about Israel-Hamas. The Inquirer parted ways with her in early 2020 over her social media presence. Flowers tells me she expects to continue contributing to the Philly Voice occasionally.

By the Numbers

$225,000: Reward offered in murder of the Philadelphia police officer shot and killed at Philadelphia International Airport last week. That’s up from $180,000 on Friday.

$2,500: Fine tarot card readers in Pennsylvania could face thanks to a law I’d never heard of before Friday.

$650,000,000: Minimum that the Navy Yard-headquartered corporation Rite Aid expects to lose this fiscal year. The drugstore chain just filed for bankruptcy.

What Are You Doing for Fun This Week?

There are so many options, from haunted houses to a film festival to art exhibits. Your utterly exhaustive guide here.

And from the Well-That-Sucks Sports Desk …

The 5-0 Eagles played the 2-3 Jets yesterday at MetLife Stadium and held them on the initial drive, then earned a series of first downs that led to what looked like it would be a field-goal try but became a Jets stop at the one on a failed Jalen Hurts run. Eh, hold on! The refs reviewed the play and gave the Birds the TD in a confusing sequence of events. The Jets then took over with two minutes in the quarter and just barely made a field goal.

On the Eagles’ next try, Dallas Goedert fumbled a short pass from Hurts and the Jets recovered, went for it on a fourth-and-five, and were stopped just short for a Birds takeover. A brilliant second effort by A.J. Brown got us to the three, and De’Andre Swift ran it in: 14-3.

https://twitter.com/Sportss_hub/status/1713669844367720509

The Birds smothered the Jets on their following drive, and they settled for a field goal with two minutes and change in the half. We got a big roughing-the-passer call that took us past the 50 — and then a Swift fumble and a big f’ing mess that ended with a Jets recovery at the 50. QB Zach Wilson took them to a first down at the 12, but they were called for holding, and good pressure by the Eagles and an almost-pick by Nakobe Dean meant a third field goal: 14-9 at the half.

The Eagles started with the ball in the third, but the game had a disjointed, uninspired feel. The Jets got a big first down near the close of the quarter, and that’s when Haason Reddick came through with his first sack of the day. James Bradberry broke up a pass into the end zone, and it was field-goal time again: 14-12.

The Eagles took over, and by that, I mean Hurts took over, running again and again on nervous-making plays. He held onto the ball too long and tossed a shaky interception, but the defense stepped up — again! — and when the Birds got it back, Hurts hurled a perfect deep throw to A.J. Brown.

Unbelievable throw, unbelievable catch (hopefully)#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/e3cqCadMkh

— JAKIB Sports (@JAKIBSports) October 15, 2023

The Jets challenged the call, but it stood. After Hurts was sacked at the 20, it was time for Jake Elliott — who missed his second field goal of the year. Thank God for Reddick, whose timely sack got the Birds the ball again. But the offense couldn’t get it together, and Hurts threw one more interception. And just like that: touchdown Breece Hall, and a two-point conversion, making it 20-14 Jets with under two to go. One last damn-near interception on fourth down, and the Jets had their first-ever win against the Eagles. Terrible game. Terrible loss.

And the Phils?

You know what’s up tonight: the first game of the National League Championship Series between the Phillies and the Diamondbacks, in our house, with an 8:07 start. Zack Wheeler gets the start for us vs. South Jersey native (but never Phils fan) Zac Gallen. (Check out our guide to the series here.) Go Phils! And yes, Liam will be in the house:

PSA: LIAM IS ALREADY HOME SCHOOLED BY HIS NANA.

Thank you all for the offers of teaching him, traveling with him back and forth from Florida, and the option of you guys doing his homework for him.

But we’re good he’s here and we’re doing SWELL, happy red October !

— Jess Castellanos (@jessgomezzz) October 13, 2023

How About the Sixers?

Quick quiz: How do you know a bot wrote this story on NetsWire?

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons is arguably the most popular player on Brooklyn’s roster and as such, many on social media care about what’s going with him and what he does on a daily basis.

The Sixers visit the Nets tonight at 7:30, by the way.

And in College Football?

On Saturday, the Temple Owls got their wings seriously clipped by the North Texas Mean Green, 45-14; the Villanova Wildcats slaughtered the Elon Phoenix, 21-0; Ursinus squelched William Paterson, 39-15.; the Penn Quakers nipped the Columbia Lions, 20-17; and the UMass Minutemen got slammed by Penn State, 63-0. Those last two schools should not be playing one another.

The Flyers also played.

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.