# Civic Matters > Suburban & Other OK Communities > Norman >  Pizza with a drive-thru window?

## rolypolyman

Do any pizza places in the Norman area have a drive-thru window?  I live just far away enough to not get delivery, and it would be nice to easily pick up a box of pizza while doing errands.  Hideaway is great but it can be a PITA trying to park around Campus Corner, especially on a Friday evening.

----------


## jmarkross

> Do any pizza places in the Norman area have a drive-thru window?  I live just far away enough to not get delivery, and it would be nice to easily pick up a box of pizza while doing errands.  Hideaway is great but it can be a PITA trying to park around Campus Corner, especially on a Friday evening.


It is odd that Norman, a college town, does not have a New York/California style place *where you can walk up to a window and get a "slice" of a variety of pizzas*...that is a great convenience. If someone in Norman did that in the right foot-traffic location..._riches would follow quickly..._

----------


## kevinpate

No pizza haus has a drive through window that I can recall.

How far beyond the delivery boundary is 'just far enough'?  Is there a convenient place, aka 7-11, Joe Superstop, etc. just inside their will deliver boundary where you could meet a delivery driver?  

If I had your problem, I think I'd decide to go in to see the top dawg of my favorite pizza place try to set up an understanding where when you call, they call back to confirm and then you meet them at the designated spot.  Then, never stiff them, and tip well.  Who knows, after a few such trips, if you're actually just outside the boundary, maybe they'll gerrymander you in as a favored customer.

----------


## kevinpate

> It is odd that Norman, a college town, does not have a New York/California style place *where you can walk up to a window and get a "slice" of a variety of pizzas*...that is a great convenience. If someone in Norman did that in the right foot-traffic location..._riches would follow quickly..._


There used to be a convenience store or two that offered pizza inside, whole or by the slice, but yeah, not via a window.  Never much cared for the also ran folks though.

----------


## mattjank

Pisa by the Slice now on Main St next to Norman High has a drive through. Also New York Pizza on CC and Sandros Pizza also on Main Street across from Norman High has pizza by the slice, though not through a window. Good stuff though.

----------


## kevinpate

Thanks mattjank.  I've never been to Pisa by the Slice and thus I forgot they went in and renovated the old Carl's by Norman High.

----------


## jmarkross

> Pisa by the Slice now on Main St next to Norman High has a drive through. Also New York Pizza on CC and Sandros Pizza also on Main Street across from Norman High has pizza by the slice, though not through a window. Good stuff though.


God...I wish they had that when I went to Norman High...*would have beat Sandy's and Burger-Chef...*

----------


## jmarkross

> There used to be a convenience store or two that offered pizza inside, whole or by the slice, but yeah, not via a window.  Never much cared for the also ran folks though.


I cannot recall...but...did Mark Amspacher offer pizza by the slice back in the day when his folks owned the Grocery store there on Lindsey...he ran *The Diner* downtown superbly--and sadly passed away shortly after he was on the Food Network program _"Diners, Drive-ins and Dives"_...*he was a great guy...I went to high school with his brother, who was killed in Viet Nam...*

----------


## OKCisOK4me

This is not a shot at the OP but this is why I think big people don't eat at places like Subway.  No drive-thru window, no business.  They're either too lazy to get out of their car or too impatient to find a parking spot and wait with everyone else inside.  I for one, am more than happy to walk into a Subway, but if I find it's packed and I'm crunched for time, then I'll go elsewhere--if I'm not packing lunch that day.

----------


## ddavidson8

I wish I was as skinny AND cool as OKCisOK4me.  

Mazzios had drive thrus in the city when they first started popping up in the 80s, but I don't think the ones in Norman ever did.

----------


## kevinpate

> I cannot recall...but...did Mark Amspacher offer pizza by the slice back in the day when his folks owned the Grocery store there on Lindsey...he ran *The Diner* downtown superbly--and sadly passed away shortly after he was on the Food Network program _"Diners, Drive-ins and Dives"_...*he was a great guy...I went to high school with his brother, who was killed in Viet Nam...*


Amspacher's on Lindsey ultimately became JJ's Pizza sometime after the family troubles occurred.
And yes, Mark did excellent at the Diner in DT Norman, and his passing was a great loss to many.
I think it's a daughter that's running The Diner now, but after popping in recently for lunch, one thing is clear to me ... Mark would be proud of how well The Diner continues on.

The convenience places I recall were east of CC on Boyd and just south of Lindsey on Jenkins.  Same folks owned both.  The Jenkins one is gone now, as is most everything else on that corner after today.

----------


## jmarkross

> Amspacher's on Lindsey ultimately became JJ's Pizza sometime after the family troubles occurred.
> And yes, Mark did excellent at the Diner in DT Norman, and his passing was a great loss to many.
> I think it's a daughter that's running The Diner now, but after popping in recently for lunch, one thing is clear to me ... Mark would be proud of how well The Diner continues on.
> 
> The convenience places I recall were east of CC on Boyd and just south of Lindsey on Jenkins.  Same folks owned both.  The Jenkins one is gone now, as is most everything else on that corner after today.


Reminded me of *Sooner Superette and the Squeeze-In*...when you describe that area...

----------


## OKCisOK4me

> I wish I was as skinny AND cool as OKCisOK4me.  
> 
> Mazzios had drive thrus in the city when they first started popping up in the 80s, but I don't think the ones in Norman ever did.


Oh, trust me, all the ladies come to my beck and call at my skinny 38 waist size and it aint cause I'm cool, lol...

----------


## Jersey Boss

One way to mitigate the wait is to place your order via your cell and have it ready for you when you walk in. A very acceptable way to "cut the line". Also the Hideaway will give you a token for free parking, and I can usually find an open spot behind NY Pizza. NY Pizza is so authentic that like NY it is hard to find a parking spot out front.

----------


## ljbab728

> God...I wish they had that when I went to Norman High...*would have beat Sandy's and Burger-Chef...*


Don't run down my Sandy's.  It was great for a quick cheap burger for lunch when we didn't have time to drive over to Lindsay to the Sonic for a "loverburger".

----------


## Thunder

Everyone is forgetting Little Caesars.

----------


## kevinpate

> Everyone is forgetting Little Caesars.


Not really.  It's just that we're talking about pizza places that might have a drive-through window and neither LC in Norman has one.
Given a choice though, LC doesn't make my top 5 list of Norman choices.

----------


## jmarkross

> Don't run down my Sandy's.  It was great for a quick cheap burger for lunch *when we didn't have time* to drive over to Lindsay to the Sonic for a "loverburger".


I loved Sandy's as well...most every day back then--I had a Fish Sandwich, Fries and a coke. I remember the cost...Fish--25 cents, Fries--10 cents, Coke--10 cents...tax one cent...Total for lunch 46 cents. Ha! *Of course there was no time--hell--we only had 35-minutes for lunch!!*

BTW--thanks for the reminder on the *Lover Burger*--what a hoot!

----------


## venture

> This is not a shot at the OP but this is why I think big people don't eat at places like Subway.  No drive-thru window, no business.  They're either too lazy to get out of their car or too impatient to find a parking spot and wait with everyone else inside.  I for one, am more than happy to walk into a Subway, but if I find it's packed and I'm crunched for time, then I'll go elsewhere--if I'm not packing lunch that day.


Errr. Subway on 12th between Lindsey and Alameda has a drive through.  :Smile:

----------


## jmarkross

> Don't run down my Sandy's.  It was great for a quick cheap burger for lunch when we didn't have time to drive over to Lindsay to the Sonic for a "loverburger".


BTW--ljbab...I can proudly say I *never, ever* ate at the cafeteria there...not a single time--*never even entered that room in three years there!*

I picked up a *1947 Trail* on ebay last week...pretty cool...

----------


## jpmoney

I think Meme's does, but I could be wrong.

----------


## kevinpate

> I think Meme's does, but I could be wrong.


Not that I've ever noticed when popping by the 7-11 there.  Their menu notes walk-in, take-out and delivery.  Doesn't mean they don't have a window, but it seems odd to not reference a feature that would be unusual for a pizza place if they do have one.

I tried to call them out of simple curiosity, but they close at 9, on Saturday.  They are also not open on Sunday.  Their hours and mine pretty much do not mesh when it comes to pizza interest, but they're likely a decent fit for someone else.

----------


## ljbab728

[QUOTE=jmarkross;394366]BTW--ljbab...I can proudly say I *never, ever* ate at the cafeteria there...not a single time--*never even entered that room in three years there!*

I picked up a *1947 Trail* on ebay last week...pretty cool...[/QUOTE

I unfortunately have to say I had many meals at the cafeteria there.  In fact, that's where I was on November 22, 1963 eating lunch, when the high school german language teacher came up to us to tell us about the Kennedy assassination.  I still have all of my high school Trails but they're not quite that old since that was the year I was born.  LOL

----------


## Soonerman

What about Pizza Hut?

----------


## Bunty

Pizza Hut in Stillwater has a drive-thru, so surely the one in Norman does.

----------


## Swake2

Mazzios usually does too.

----------


## Jersey Boss

Don't you think that because of the time element required in making a pizza, a drive thru is not feasible? C'mon now, if it takes 10-15 minutes to assemble and bake a pie the 4 th car in line would have a 30-45 minute wait. Just not workable. Seems as practical as a "bowl of pizza".

----------


## kevinpate

> ... Just not workable. Seems as practical as a "bowl of pizza".


Had to laugh.  Back in the day, when it wasn't uncommon to eat 2 meals a day at work, to avoid the high bread content some of us scraped the cooked toppings and sauce into a salad bowl and only ate about half the crust with our bowl of piping hot dipping sauce. The rest was passed over to someone in the 'prefer to eat salad but yeah, a little bread is fine' group.

----------


## ljbab728

> Don't you think that because of the time element required in making a pizza, a drive thru is not feasible? C'mon now, if it takes 10-15 minutes to assemble and bake a pie the 4 th car in line would have a 30-45 minute wait. Just not workable. Seems as practical as a "bowl of pizza".


The answer to that is to call ahead to place an order.  That's what I always do when I pick up pizza at a drive-thru and I suspect that most others do that as well.  When you call they will tell you how long it will be before it's ready.

----------


## Jersey Boss

> The answer to that is to call ahead to place an order.  That's what I always do when I pick up pizza at a drive-thru and I suspect that most others do that as well.  When you call they will tell you how long it will be before it's ready.


That's what i suggested earlier. However the small inconvienience of going into the joint for a quality pie versus the convieience of a franchise pie with a window is not a trade off I am willing to make.

----------


## rolypolyman

Yeah, as the OP I'm adding that the intention was to call ahead... no, of course nobody can make a pizza while waiting in a drive-thru unless it's a by-the-slice place.

FWIW there was a Texas town I lived in a few years ago where Dominos and Papa Johns were the only pizza places in town.  The Dominos there did have a drive-thru, so when we felt like pizza we would just call ahead while doing errands and then whiz through the drive through (if they whizzed in the pizza, that's a different story).

----------


## ValleySooner

> The answer to that is to call ahead to place an order.  That's what I always do when I pick up pizza at a drive-thru and I suspect that most others do that as well.  When you call they will tell you how long it will be before it's ready.


Another option is something like Little Ceasar's "Hot and Ready" pizza, where they bake it hours before and have it ready for pickup anytime. I personally throw up a little in my mouth when I envision eating another one of their pizzas, but I recognize not everyone feels the same way.

----------


## Larry OKC

Remember a few years back when McDonald's experimented with pizza (think it was called a McPizza) and instead of the individual sized ones that you can get at some places (like a Pizza Hut Express) they were full sized. Only problem, the boxes didn't fit through the Drive-thru window! LOL

----------

