I worked at LC during this time, and the amount of prep for the launch was intense. They promoted it as the biggest product they had ever introduced. We had to attend special training sessions to learn how to prepare, cook, and package the spaghetti. The sauce (which wasn’t made in stores) and pasta were placed in a long divided pan with water at the bottom, keeping the sauce and noodles separate. They were covered and sent through the oven on the conveyor, just like the pizza. If I remember correctly, the sauce was placed in buckets at the bottom, with a divider keeping the pasta on top. Customers would combine them at home. It sold well initially but eventually tapered off. Personally, I never thought it tasted amazing.
I was really curious about how they were made. Especially if was existing equipment of they brought something new in. That pan sounds really interesting and I am wondering how well is sealed? How deep it was? Thanks for this comment, just makes me have so many more questions.
Some more clarity around the pans. The long pan with the water on the bottom had two smaller pans that sat inside it. One for the pasta and a black nonstick pan for the sauce.
The pans were totally custom for this product and the lids just sort of sat on top over hanging around the edges. There was a slot on the short side that allowed us to pull them out of the oven with the same tool that we used to pull out the pizza pans. The more I think about, we may have added the ground beef to the sauce during prep.
We had at least one Little Caesar’s around here back in the 80s-90s, I think, and I’m not sure when they finally went out of business. I don’t remember the bucket spaghetti there, unfortunately.
There was a local place that opened up in the late 80s that served spaghetti with enormous meatballs (regular or spicy) to go in a big KFC-style paper bucket (with KFC-style bucket lid!) for a reasonable price.
Once we discovered it existed we ate there at least once a week. Mmmmm!!! I wish I had some bucket spaghetti and giant spicy meatballs right now!
I found this online. Not sure if it’s real, but there is a place called By The Bucket which looks pretty good!
Little Caesar's has several locations in my hometown of Winnipeg, but they came in after the spaghetti bucket was abolished. They don't seem to be restaurants per se, but just pick-up and delivery outlets.
Mike Illitch made a killing with the place, though, enough to buy the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers and make sure they stayed in business.
I'm also in the "I had no idea this existed" camp.
Admittedly, our last Little Caesars locally here closed up shop around 1998 I think and wasn't here very long prior to that, so I never got the full LC Experience.
I had no idea they offered this. If I did, I'm sure I would've given it a try - especially when paired with their breadsticks. Fingers crossed they bring it back someday!
I worked at LC during this time, and the amount of prep for the launch was intense. They promoted it as the biggest product they had ever introduced. We had to attend special training sessions to learn how to prepare, cook, and package the spaghetti. The sauce (which wasn’t made in stores) and pasta were placed in a long divided pan with water at the bottom, keeping the sauce and noodles separate. They were covered and sent through the oven on the conveyor, just like the pizza. If I remember correctly, the sauce was placed in buckets at the bottom, with a divider keeping the pasta on top. Customers would combine them at home. It sold well initially but eventually tapered off. Personally, I never thought it tasted amazing.
I was really curious about how they were made. Especially if was existing equipment of they brought something new in. That pan sounds really interesting and I am wondering how well is sealed? How deep it was? Thanks for this comment, just makes me have so many more questions.
Some more clarity around the pans. The long pan with the water on the bottom had two smaller pans that sat inside it. One for the pasta and a black nonstick pan for the sauce.
The pans were totally custom for this product and the lids just sort of sat on top over hanging around the edges. There was a slot on the short side that allowed us to pull them out of the oven with the same tool that we used to pull out the pizza pans. The more I think about, we may have added the ground beef to the sauce during prep.
I vaguely remember this, but never got to try any of them that I can recall, much to my regret.
The pasta wasn't the highest quality, but the size was nice for the price and experience, especially with friends, was great.
We had at least one Little Caesar’s around here back in the 80s-90s, I think, and I’m not sure when they finally went out of business. I don’t remember the bucket spaghetti there, unfortunately.
There was a local place that opened up in the late 80s that served spaghetti with enormous meatballs (regular or spicy) to go in a big KFC-style paper bucket (with KFC-style bucket lid!) for a reasonable price.
Once we discovered it existed we ate there at least once a week. Mmmmm!!! I wish I had some bucket spaghetti and giant spicy meatballs right now!
I found this online. Not sure if it’s real, but there is a place called By The Bucket which looks pretty good!
Aw, man. No pics in responses? Dang.
I am now very interested in By The Bucket!
So why can't we get Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo in a bucket?
Little Caesar's has several locations in my hometown of Winnipeg, but they came in after the spaghetti bucket was abolished. They don't seem to be restaurants per se, but just pick-up and delivery outlets.
Mike Illitch made a killing with the place, though, enough to buy the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers and make sure they stayed in business.
Yum.
I'm also in the "I had no idea this existed" camp.
Admittedly, our last Little Caesars locally here closed up shop around 1998 I think and wasn't here very long prior to that, so I never got the full LC Experience.
I had no idea they offered this. If I did, I'm sure I would've given it a try - especially when paired with their breadsticks. Fingers crossed they bring it back someday!
I would like to see a turn to pasta in a novel way like this again, but for some reason I doubt we will see it served in a large plastic bucket again.
There's definitely a shortage of bucket-based food servings these days.
Little Caesar's is my favorite company. They've done a ton of good philanthropic work all across America.