Pizza Prowl: Memories of "Blondie's"

Flashback to 1996. A small little store at the Powell cable car turn around. A small counter where you can get a big slice of thick crust pizza and a coke for $2.50 or get the special of the day.

Flash to 2008. A wide open store with down stairs seating. You can still get the pizza/drink special, but it costs you $4.00. The crust is thinner. They still have a special of the day. But there's more than just pizza - Mexican food, BBQ, frozen yogurt.

The memories of Blondie's. Too bad they're gone. Blondie's today resembles little of what made this store great. I'm a crust-aholic. The bigger and thicker, the better. Blondie's had great crust. I asked the counter when they changed their crust and was told that it's the same as always. Bull crap. A slice today is smaller and thinner. I had the special pizza of the day, "The Wheat Crust Vegetarian," ($3.25 a slice) a mix of vegetables (green pepper, olives, something else) on wheat crust. The crust was good, if not a little grainy. The vegetables were decent, not great. I then had the Cheese Slice Special (slice and small drink). The cheese was oily, gooey and runny. The crust had little crunch to it. At $4.00, it ain't worth it. But the tourists will go for it.

Blondie's made the mistake of menu over expansion. Why in the world would they think they would be the place for Mexican food, BBQ Chicken, or Sweet and Sour Chicken? Business basic rule #1: Do what you do and do it well.

It's sad when you see a past fave go away. But we'll always have the memories.