Pizza Before Tacos!
Pizza Before Tacos!
Before tacos, there was pizza - twice, actually.
In the space that is currently occupied by Taco Del Mar, the Medical Center Pizzeria opened in December 1991 on the ground floor of Watlington Hall. Nearly 700 pizzas were sold on opening day and that was just six-inch or personal-size pizzas ranging in price from $2.39 for cheese to $2.95 for every topping.
In early 1992, the pizzeria was selling and delivering 12- and 16-inch pizzas. The pizzeria accommodated 96 people. A special amenity was a Baskin Robbins machine in 1994 that served ice cream, sorbet and yogurt. The pizzeria was open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and one night during the week to accommodate night shift employees.
Pizza remained at the same location but it changed to Domino's in December 1998. Bob Williams, director of Food and Nutrition Services, states why it changed: we learned that there was competition for the pizza business on campus, and Domino's was already delivering on campus. They have national name recognition and they dominate the market in pizza deliveries.
Then the Medical Center said goodbye to pizza and hello to tacos, specifically Taco Del Mar in November 2012. This photo, housed in the Dorothy Carpenter Medical Archives along with many other historical materials, shows employees around opening day of the Medical Center Pizzeria.