Pizza chain growing & more

March 25, 2008
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Monical’s PizzaMonical's Pizza plans to open new restaurants in Carmel, Fishers and Indianapolis later this year. The Illinois-based chain, known for its thin-crust pies, already has six stores in Indiana: in Avon, Lafayette, West Lafayette, Monticello, Kentland and Delphi. The new locations are: 14099 Mundy Drive in Fishers; 6010 W. 86th St. at Traders Point; and 126th Street and U.S. 31 at Hamilton Crossing Shopping Center in Carmel. The Fishers restaurant is set to open in the spring, and the others are scheduled for summer openings. Anyone tried them?


In other restaurant news: Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Barbeque plans to open its second Indianapolis restaurant near U.S. 31 South and County Line Road. Chicago Gyros plans to take 1,400 square feet along 38th Street just east of Meridian. Teavana, a chain that hopes to become a Starbucks for tea drinkers, has filed plans to open its first local store in the Fashion Mall at Keystone. And finally, Burger King has filed to build a new restaurant at 765 County Line Road.

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  • IndymanMarch 25, 2008 11:20 AM
    I know people will complain about chain's but they need to get a life. I live in Avon and Monical's has been a great addition. Their salad is really good and really large. Maybe a little more in $ than a traditional Pizza Hut or Papa John's but also nicer place to sit and eat than those others. Avon's is always packed and my wife's office always request it at their office staff meetings.
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  • kevin f.March 25, 2008 11:39 AM
    I'm ecstatic about Monical's! I grew up in southern Indiana and we had a Monicals throughout the 70's and early 80's and then they vanished and I never saw one again anywhere.

    I love them and always have. It is definately not for everyone though. The crust is probably a little thinner than Donatos but the overall taste is much better.
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  • mickMarch 25, 2008 3:35 PM
    Yuck - just about the worst pizza in the world !!!
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  • Brick by BrickMarch 25, 2008 6:18 PM
    I'm not a big fan of chaines and I've never eaten there.
    So I wouldn't know how it tastes.
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  • HelenMarch 25, 2008 8:07 PM
    give me bazbos anyday!
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  • spellbotMarch 26, 2008 8:27 AM
    brick by brick: chains
    helen: bazbeaux
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  • JimMarch 26, 2008 8:43 AM
    I agree, Bazbeaux is the one. Keep the chains! I avoid them so that locals can profit. Also, new locally owned in Irvington opened by former Bazbeaux employee, but cannot remember the name. Indyman, I do have a life eventhough I do not like chains. Why be insulting!
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  • Terry KirtsMarch 26, 2008 9:32 AM
    Monical's is the pizza I grew up on in Eastern Illinois. So for me it's sort of the gold standard, fraught with all sorts of nostalgia of eating the Family Pleaser every Friday night in Robinson, Illinois. It's St. Louis-style pizza with a super-thin cracker crust and toppings chopped fine (no big rounds of pepperoni here) and a nice mix of mild cheeses (in St. Louis, they use a soft cheese called Provel, but I don't know about Monical's). And it's square cut. A bit like Pizza King, but I think much better. Monical's is a chain, but only a regional one, and it's a really nice alternative to the bland puffy stuff at most middle-of-the-road pizza chains. Bazbeaux definitely sets the standard for pizza here in Indy, but most of the pizza (except at Puccini's where the respect the crust) in Indy is so overloaded with toppings that you might as well just have a bunch of cheese, meat, and sauce on a plate. Monical's is the kind of place where people who actually understand the virtues of bitting into a crisp and chewy crust can go and not have to worry about getting sauce on their collar. I say let the chains and the local places duke it out. I, for one, am glad to have so many good choices.
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  • indytransplantMarch 26, 2008 9:55 AM
    I also grew up in Robinson, Il (southeastern Illinois) and this place was a staple in our diet. Even though we grew up with this pizza, it's still fantastic even today! It's in a class all by itself. It's different than most pizzas as Terry described above. The crust is crisp and cracker thin(which I love) and it's loaded with toppings. The Avon restaurant is terrific also. Most Indy transplant downstate Illinoisian's will be thrilled to see the chain expand here. The pizza is great! Try one of their Delite or Dexluxe pizzas. Don't listen to Mick above. He must be a meat lovers pizza type guy.
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  • MarkMarch 26, 2008 9:58 AM
    Anyone know anything about the Chicagos Gyros. I visit that Subway and China King II next to it all the time so I've been excited to see this open.

    Speaking of the China King II. It doesn't look like much, but if you live in that area give it a try. Their take out dishes are resuable as tupperware containers all different sizes. I have tons of them, but this is what I was impressed with. Their Crab Rangoon, made on the spot and filled full, not just filled with air like others. Also, I got the moo goo Gai Pan and every single vegetable was freshly chopped I saw them do it and you can taste the difference. In the summer when the MEthodist SChurch on Meridian and 38 host the farmers market, this is where they get all of their vegetables for their meals. Give it a try its delicious!
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  • thundermuttMarch 26, 2008 10:14 AM
    Jim, the place in Irvington is right on Washington in the same building as Legends and Dufours. It is called Jockamos and it's good.
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  • SteveMarch 26, 2008 10:49 AM
    I grew up eating Monical's, and frequent the Avon store, chain or not, it's awesome pizza. I too would like to see more indie restaurants. I just read where local investors have chosen the old Mounatin Jack's location at 465 and west 38th to put in what sounds like a high end steak house with a 3,000-bottle wine cellar. As a previous restaurant owner, I wish them the best, but that's a lousy location, I don't see it succeeding.
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  • BlahMarch 26, 2008 3:54 PM
    I too grew up in East Central Illinois, and Monical's was every Friday night in high school. Monicals is the only restaurant that I've driven to Avon (from Castleton) for. The pizza is not Bazbeaux and in reality, the products are so different that the two shouldn't be compared. That being said the pizza is really very good, and Monicals is a good citizen. They hire a lot of local high school students and try to evoke school spirit of the local high school. I'm not a huge fan of chains, but remember that this one is simply Eastern Illinois, Western Indiana, and now showing up in Indianapolis. It's not Papa Johns or Dominos.
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  • FishersMarch 27, 2008 5:22 AM
    I grew up in Central Illinois, it was a Friday night event. agree with everthing said by those who know Monical's. It will be a nice added choice. I've driven to Avon from Fishers many times to eat at Monicals and always worth the drive.Now one is opening a mile from my house, can't wait.
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  • EmilyMarch 27, 2008 1:34 PM
    I grew up on Monical's too! When I was in elementary school I lived in Urbana and we ate at Monical's all the time. My parents now live in Monticello so it is a must that we eat there when I visit. I now live in Noblesville and have drive my husband crazy because I am so excited that they are coming to the area!
    I graduated high school in Casey, Illinois and had I known there was a Monicals in Robinson, I would have went to it.
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  • kitinMarch 27, 2008 2:12 PM
    There is one in Bourbonnais/Kankakee, IL area ... I went to college there and I now live about 50 miles away and drive all the way there to eat it! You all will love it !!!
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  • brettMarch 31, 2008 8:36 AM
    Monical's- please come to Greenwood or the southside!!
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  • KathyJuly 1, 2008 5:59 PM
    Talking about great pizza...Has anyone tried BJs at Greenwood Mall? They have awesome pizza. I'm a huge bazbeauz's fan but my husband and I liked BJs better. Which is great since I live south and Bazbeauz hasn't made any plans to come south.
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  1. liek the rest of America

  2. These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.

  3. It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.

  4. No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.

  5. whoa!

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