The crust-chucking Pizza Factory moves into Salinas.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the mayhem that may erupt as a result of the following beautiful truth. I am just doing my job.

The new Pizza Factory in Salinas has pitchers of high-grade suds, such as Kona and Newcastle, for $7.25. Big, classic plastic pitchers for the price of a matinee. There—it’s out. Commence the chaos.

The new South Main Street resident takes the rule that says quality pitchers of beer have to cost $12 and tosses it—like pizza dough. In all calmness, that is inspiring. It is reason enough to visit the Pizza Factory. And there are plenty of other reasons to visit—about as many as there are toppings on the 49er Special. It’s also enough to allow the Weekly to temporarily suspend its policy of not spotlighting chain restaurants. To its credit, The Pizza Factory, which has opened a bunch of stores in the West since its birth in 1978, doesn’t feel like a franchise—they localize the menu nicely, with pizzas like the Salinas High School Cowboys Special (pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers and bacon), and owner Claudia Whitehead has established a homey atmosphere.

While Salinas landed its first branch a few months ago, the Pizza Factory in Carmel has been around for years. It just found a new location, moving from the Crossroads to a spot near Brinton’s and the Cornucopia Market on Carmel Rancho Boulevard. (Sadly enough, they don’t do pitchers. Bottles only.)

Both locations toss their crusts right there behind the counter and make their sauce on the premises. The pizza that results isn’t amazing, but is very respectable, largely because of the available options. We’re talking 23 toppings, including unconventionals like linguica, pastrami and cashews. And a thin-crust pie is also available. The five pizza sizes run $6.70 to $19.80 with three toppings.

The specialty and gourmet pizzas are the way to go, though. The Spicy Fiesta pizza—chorizo, cilantro, tomatoes and jalapeños—looked good, but the hearty 49er combo had too much talent not to draft—pepperoni, salami, sausage, mushrooms, bell peppers, onion and olives ($20.30/ large; $21.30/extra large). Meanwhile, the gourmet Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato ($20/large; $21/extra large) had semi-pro tennis player Nic trying on her game face. (The white pizza and crab pizzas did earn a moment of consideration.) The friendly ladies at the counter happily split the order and added artichokes to the gourmet half. And they tolerated my fainting spell over the beer prices, pouring us a gorgeous 48-ounce pitcher of Kona for the about the price of a 16-ounce beer in the city. (House wine goes $2.50 for a glass and $5.75 for a half liter.)

In addition to the pies, the Factory churns out a full collection of alternative dishes. Unfortunately, the tiny salad bar ($3.75/small bowl; $5.25/large)—where only one visit is allowed—hardly merits that one trip. But there are also calzones, soup, chicken wings, pastas, and a selection of hot and cold sandwiches.

I tried the meatball sandwich ($5.95) and the fresh-baked lasagna ($8.25) later in the week. They were both sizeable, filling, and made with fresh ingredients—the meatball sando enjoyed nice melted provolone, the lasagna a solid foundation of ricotta—but both were pretty plain overall. Stick with the pizza.

As in every good family pizza joint, there is a bank of video games in the back, complete with some sit-down driving games, shoot-em-up bang-bangs and the real McCoy, a Pac Man-Gallaga machine. The nod to vid veterans of another era almost makes up for the 50-cent sticker price to play. A separate room allows for private parties and a handful of flatscreens make the main room a good place to watch the Sharks finally claim the Cup.

The Factory also rolls out some pretty competitive lunch specials from 11am-3pm, with nine choices ranging from $3.75 to $9.25. A half-sandwich and a cup of soup (or small salad) is $5.50, while a mini one-topping pizza with a salad goes for $8.65.

All the lunch specials include a 20-ounce drink, which is probably good, as this discourages the midday pitcher.

>The Pizza Factory

926 South Main St., Salinas • 11am-9pm daily • 758-3227.• 26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd., Carmel • 10:30am-9pm daily • 626-5432.