I’d been curious about MOD Pizza, a chain started in Seattle that has been popping up all over Snohomish County and the nation.
MOD Pizza is in Lynnwood, Lake Stevens, Marysville and Mill Creek, as well as in about 18 states.
A newsroom lunch meeting seemed a good time to try the pie and feed the Herald fam damily.
The MOD website shows 10 pretty pizza pictures in dazzling combinations with cool names: Lucy Sunshine, with mozzarella, parmesan, artichokes, garlic, dollops of red sauce. Calexico, with gorgonzola, chicken, jalapenos, hot buffalo sauce. Caspian, with gorgonzola, barbecue chicken, barbecue sauce, sliced red onions.
Perfect.
I called at 10:30 a.m. on a weekday and asked for a noon pickup. No problem, said a cordial woman who answered all my pizza questions and helped me make choices.
She said an 11-inch pizza ($7.87) served one to two people. I feared not getting enough, so I ordered 14. And two jumbo salads ($10.87).
OK, so I got a bit carried away. How expensive could 14 times $7.87 be anyway?
When I arrived at noon, I was greeted from across the room by friendly workers at the counter. It made me feel special.
But the pizzas weren’t ready. I don’t like to whine, but I had called in the order at 10:30 and assured noon pickup was no problem.
Then again, maybe I missed the point. MOD stands for “made-on-demand.” It’s based on Chipotle or Subway-style customization that lets people order at the counter and select the ingredients on their crust. Go down the line and choose the sauce (red, white, pesto, garlic, ranch, olive oil), protein (meat, chicken, bacon, anchovies), cheese (feta, ricotta, dairy-free) and veggie (there’s a long list). The pie is then put in the oven.
Gluten-free crust is available. A mini-MOD is $4.87. A mega-MOD with double crusts is $10.87.
A nice worker at the register apologized for the wait and handed me a cup for a free drink at the self-serve soda dispenser.
That only made me more worried. I had a 12:30 deadline to deliver the pizzas to Everett. But I chilled as I sat on a metal stool in the large casual dining room that had duct work overhead as a design accent. It’s a sleek bright fun place. I admired the frosty pink milkshake being slurped by a guy at a nearby table.
Customers steamed in, each greeted from someone behind the counter. That is a nice gesture and it didn’t slow down the line of busy workers.
Pizzas were rapidly shoveled in and out of the oven.
Still, it was almost 10 minutes before my order was ready.
It came to $144.85. I added a $21 tip.
Is that enough for a carryout? Let me know for a future story about tipping.
In retrospect, it was my bad to place such a big order. MOD is better for a large group dining in or for smaller to-go orders. It’s a good hangout place with beer and wine while your custom pizza is cooked. Get a pie before a ball game or after a movie. It’s possible for everybody to get a personal pan made the way they like it and at a good price.
I asked the newsroom for their comments about the pizza and received mixed results, including:
“The sauce has a nice, fresh flavor and isn’t slathered on too heavily. I am not a heavy sauce person.”
“The slices of tomato and onion on top of the thin crust was a nice mix of flavors and the pizza seemed fresher and lighter than a lot of other places.”
“Sausage &mushroom: Pretty good, not an overwhelming amount of spice in the sausage.”
“Barbecue chicken: Chicken had no flavor, and I wondered about the barbecue sauce, which would surprise me if it wasn’t store-bought. Didn’t stand out that much, but as a whole, OK.”
“Big fan of the thin crust. Crust is merely the delivery of all the other flavors: mozzarella, tomato, basil, oregano, onion and more. And all of those tastes come through singing.”
I agree with the person who said this: “Overall: 7 out of 10. I like the thin crusts, not too crispy/burned, but not overly soggy either. Sauce and cheese didn’t stand out much, but nothing was unsatisfying or bad.”
Another put it this way: “The pizza was terrible. I ate three pieces.”
Andrea Brown at 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
MOD Pizza
2902 164th St. SW, Lynnwood; 425-745-2209; modpizza.com. Other local stores include Lynnwood Crossroads, Marysville, Mill Creek and Bothell.
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Vegetarian options: pizza and salad.
Alcohol: Beer and wine.
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