On Fordham Road, groups of students step into the toasty restaurant of University Pizza, anxiously waiting to get their hands on a hot slice. On Arthur Avenue, a local member of the Bronx community walks through the doors of Full Moon Pizza for a quick lunchtime meal. On East 191st Street, crowds of hungry teens pile in line at Pugsley’s Pizza while being serenaded by Salvatore, or "Sal" Natale, the owner, playing old time ballads on his saxophone.
Although there are numerous pizzerias located in the Bronx neighborhood, Fordham students tend to frequent these three pizzerias the most. These restaurants have been open to Fordham students and members of the neighborhood for generations.
“With college, you have to show that the quality is good, the service is welcomed and excellent, and the price is reasonable,” Pugsley's Natale said. “What’s important is that you serve your clientele. It’s a service that you come here and it’s open. So by serving, you fulfill the purpose of the people and good karma gets back [to you] and you make money. It’s a pleasure, it’s fun.”
Puglsey’s Pizza opened in 1985. For years, Natale and his employees have been serving meals to the students and the members of the community. “The menu is small, but everything in the menu has to be dynamite. It has to be something that we really believe in and that’s good,” Natale said. The menu consists of the traditional pizza slices, hot heroes, sausage and peppers, salads, chicken rolls, the “yumyumyum” garlic knots, and chicken wings.
While Natale did not name a most popular order among his customers, Charlie Shea, a sophomore at Fordham University, prefers the “Richie Special", which is a slice of pizza, a chicken roll, and a drink. According to Shea, all of the employees at Pugsley's are extremely friendly. “If you’re nice enough to them, they’ll let you come behind the counter and flip the pizza dough,” said Shea.
The quality of the food may hit the spot regardless of the time of day, but Isabelle Mohi, a freshman at Fordham, enjoys the atmosphere of Pugsley’s even more than their meals. “I really like the people. I like how it’s very family-run. It’s really inviting and warm,” Mohi said. “Everybody’s always willing to help you.”
This kind of reception is what Natale aims for with his business. The well-known slogan, “Love Is It!” is the building block for this pizzeria. Their slogan is painted on the walls in several areas of the restaurant, the most visible being over the counter where customers order. Created before the restaurant even started, this slogan stems from a conversation between Natale and his wife. According to Natale, they had been wondering what essential element has the power to keep people united. “We came out with the fact that if you love, you forgive,” Natale said. “So, let’s love each other; love keeps everything together.”
The affectionate aspect of Natale's slogan is reflected in his business. In fact, in a recent poll created by myself and taken by 50 Fordham students on Facebook, Pugsley’s Pizza was voted as the preferred pizzeria (46%) when up against both Full Moon and University.
However, there is no need to forget about those two other successful businesses. University Pizza is a family-owned business that has been open for close to 30 years. Tony Beqiri, current owner of the restaurant, has been working at University for 15 years. It was first his uncles, then his fathers, and now it is his.
Although Beqiri says the majority of the customers are students, the members of the community who work around the area in nearby offices also come to enjoy a slice as well. “I like dealing with the people, it’s a fun environment,” Beqiri said. “Especially being here a long time, you get to know everybody. I have met so many friends, good friends.”
University offers a variety of pizzas to its customers, but the most popular is the buffalo chicken pizza, served with a cup of blue cheese or ranch dressing on the side. “When it comes to homecoming, I get sick of looking at the buffalo chicken for a few days. You have got to make so much that day it’s insane,” Beqiri said. “For all of the graduates, for the past eight to ten years we have been making it, everybody comes back for that.”
According to Beqiri, students usually come for lunch, but the busiest times are on Friday and Saturday nights. “We stay open late just for the students,” Beqiri said. “It’s always a pleasure to serve them.”
Shea certainly takes advantage of the pizzerias’ late night hours. Since he is very busy during the week, he says that enjoys stopping in to University for a late night snack to grab a plain slice--“maybe two.”
One pizzeria that rejects the late-night shift is Full Moon Pizza, located on Arthur Avenue. Full Moon opened its doors in 1976 and has been serving slices to the community under the same owner since. Julia deSimas, a sophomore at Fordham and a frequent diner of Full Moon’s margarita pizza, said that “they [Full Moon] always give you a really big piece of pizza. They make sure you get your order at a reasonable time, too.”
According to deSimas, the overall atmosphere of Full Moon Pizza is welcoming and the employees are very dedicated and sociable with their customers. One employee at Full Moon said, “My favorite part about working here is talking with the people. You meet a lot of people throughout the day.”
There are varying opinions on whether or not pizzerias should be kept open in the late evening hours, but the employee at Full Moon thinks that they way that they currently run things seems to be working. “If we were to stay open late, I don’t think it would change our business,” the employee said. “We’re not located where most of the students go out during the weekends.”
Regardless of the restaurants’ hours, all three pizzerias have managed to stay in business for decades, serving the Bronx community. No matter what time of day it is, there is always a large group of people waiting in line at one of these three pizzerias, hungrily awaiting that initial bite into the cheesy goodness of a traditional Bronx pizza.
