Fast D's a quality alternative to Stuft
Let's not joke around. Pizza is the No. 1 food group of the developing college pupil. The average student spends so much time studying and gaining priceless knowledge (or so they tell their parents) that they really don't have time to cook for themselves.
So the next logical step in bridging the gap between hunger and merrily stuffed is finding the right pizzeria for you.
After four years of pizza-consuming experience here at Santa Clara, the two places that have merited my most frequent visits, and which offer the best pizza pies, are Stuft Pizza and Fast Delivery Pizza (Fast "D's" for short).
Place of Business: Both Stuft and Fast D's are close to campus, but Stuft is only a walk across the street while Fast D's is a bit of a hike down Lafayette Street. If you live on campus, Stuft is more convenient for picking up or eating there. The nod in this area definitely goes to Stuft because Fast D's doesn't provide any seating area to eat your pizza on-site. Stuft has numerous booths, tables and stools. Large groups are more than welcome, and it has a great feel of a quintessential college pizza place.
What Really Matters: So it's settled, there is a fundamental difference in these places. At Stuft you can roll in there with your crew to sit, eat and enjoy a pitcher with friends.
At Fast D's, it's all about the pizza. You can call up Fast D's on any given night and expect your pizza within about 20 minutes. An added bonus, you can call in for pizza by the slice. Stuft offers pizza by the slice only during lunch hours and on Tuesday nights.
I'm typically not one to criticize, but pizza by the slice should be a viable option at every pizza establishment.
To move away from options on the menu, the pizza itself needs to be considered. Stuft has big, doughy crusts, and not enough tomato sauce on their pizzas. The pizzas at Fast D's always have the perfect amount of crunch in each bite. The pizzas at Fast D's may seem to have thinner slices, but personally, I don't like to be chewing on too much bread after every bite. And if you do want more of a doughy meal, Fast D's has unbelievable garlic cheese bread for $3.50. Back to the point though, there's definitely a difference in the pizzas between these places. You can tell by eating the pizza that Stuft does a whole lot of business because the ingredients seem to be out of a huge bag and are thrown on your pizza. At Fast D's I've watched toppings be cut up and put on the pizza. The establishment lives and dies on the quality of the pizza -- and it shows.
Value: At Stuft, a one-topping, large pizza is $16.18 (but you get a 15 percent discount when you show your Access card). At Fast D's, a large one topping pizza is $10.50.
What this really means is that two people can put five on it, and have some extra slices for the vultures that always seem to be around when you order pizza. Or if you just want a slice, they're huge and only $2.75 for a single one topping. Where Stuft gets the upper hand is that a pizza from Stuft can be charged to the Flex account. However, if you put a large pizza from Stuft head-to-head with one from Fast D's, you'll soon have the phone number for Fast D's Pizza memorized.
Wrap Up: It just seems that when I eat Stuft pizza, I'm eating there because of the convenience factor. On the other hand, if I'm craving a pizza, I'm going to make sure to rally the troops and order it from Fast D's. If there's no one to go in on one, I can always call in a slice and have it ready in three minutes. Basically, if you have never tried a pizza from Fast D's, you're missing out on some real pizza goodness.
I'm not going to tell you where to eat, but if you ever feel like Stuft isn't cutting it like your favorite pizza place back home, Fast D's may be a solution to your griping.
-- Written by Teru Olsen