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For Muhammad Awadalla’s father, Nizario, opening a pizzeria at his alma mater SF State has been a dream. Almost 30 years since the first Nizario’s Pizza has opened, that dream is now a reality.
Nizario’s Pizza, Awadalla’s father’s namesake, and new snack shop, Quickly, are two new campus eateries that have opened this semester.
“The pizzeria was started by my father in 1983 on 16th and Guerrero,” Mohammad Awadalla said. “Since then we’ve opened up lots of locations in the city and this is our fifth one now.”
Some students, such as Yaman Ahmed, 22, biology major, have already made Nizario’s, located on the Lower Level of the Cesar Chavez Student Center, a favorite option to eat on campus.
“I saw some flyers around campus for it and decided to try it out,” Ahmed said. “It’s a really good spot and the pizza has been great.”
Abdul Awadalla, one of Mohammad’s three brothers who all work at the campus chain together, said they began working in the family business at a young age.
“I’ve been working since I was about 16,” Abdul Awadalla, now 30, said. “It’s fun hanging out and working with your brothers. My father’s brothers, each one takes care of a different store.”
Abdul Awadalla estimates more than 50 whole pizzas per day are produced by the company on campus.
Quickly, the other new vendor to open on campus, located on the west side of Cesar Chavez Student Center has also been a long time coming for manager Victor Wu.
“SFSU is the biggest university in the area,” Wu said. “We’ve opened up Quickly in many different countries all over the world, and with the University it fits into our business style.”
Wu said that Quickly has received a warm welcome on campus in recent days.
“We get a lot of support from student organizations,” Wu said. “They help us pass flyers and the student association brings its’ members here.”
With the first Quickly opening in 1996, Wu said that now there are more than 3,000 locations all around the world. Boba, milk tea that comes with balls of tapioca, is a favorite among students, said Wu.
“I just got a milk tea right now because I’m broke,” Dominic Tobola, 19, biology major, said about his drink in hand. “But my favorite drink is an avocado snow with boba. My friends in high school, I guess, kind of got me into that stuff. Also, one just opened up a couple of weeks ago by my house, so I go there too.”
Many students, such as Rochelle Anicete, 19, biology major, are already familiar with Quickly and are happy to see one on campus.
“There’s one by my house, so I’ve been going to Quickly close to about five years now,” Rochelle Anicete, 19, biology major, said. “My favorite is the mango icy with boba. I really like boba, so I just keep coming back.”
Wu said he believes the diverse menu offered at Quickly will help bring in more students.
“The drinks are mostly the same, but for every country, every location has a different need,” Wu said. “Every store picks its favorite item to sell, but pretty much every snack represents a famous specialty from a different country.”
