Nestled on the corner of the USC Village, Pizza Please, the Village’s new and only pizza shop, opened its doors on March 6.
In addition to the vibrant yellow tables and spacious outside and inside dining areas, customers are met with friendly greetings from the staff. Walking into the space, the draping string lights and lively music capitalizes on the hipness of the college aesthetic.
Pizza Please replaces what used to be Rance’s Chicago Pizza after its closure in 2019. Rance’s was one of two restaurants that sued USC after its closure for promissory fraud, misrepresentation and breach of contract. The store owners claimed the university falsely promised students the ability to use dining dollars at their location. They also alleged that the university never disclosed its plans to open the Village Dining Hall, which they believe took away from Rance’s business and ultimately led to their inability to remain open. USC has other dining halls, which are traditionally used to accommodate student needs.
The new restaurant’s menu includes six different kinds of pizza: cheese, pepperoni, spicy pepperoni, supreme, barbeque and alfredo. All of the pizza can either be bought by the slice or in full 12 or 16-inch pie sizes. The shop also offers various sandwiches, wings and salads. For of-age customers, they have several beers on tap and refrigerated canned seltzers.
There are various options for students with dietary restrictions or just looking for something a little healthier. For students looking for vegetarian options, all pizza is customizable.
USC student Rushikesh Pande heard about Pizza Please’s opening from the @shopuscvillage Instagram story and decided to check it out.
“There’s no other pizza place in the village. I have to Fryft for Domino’s, so I thought I might as well try something new and see how it is,” Pande said.
On his first visit, Pande enjoyed a slice of his customized veggie pizza, a supreme without pepperoni.
Compared to the other pizza shops around the area, Pande says Pizza Please is a little pricey.
“I think I’ll come back to get slices and not like a whole pizza unless I’m getting it with friends because it is a little pricey in terms of Dominos or Blaze or things like that,” Pande said.
Slices like cheese and pepperoni are sold for as little as $3, but pies can go for up to $21.50 depending on the type of pizza.
Marco Sanchez, the general manager of the shop, said he expects a large turnout of students in the coming weeks as they prepare for the grand opening since this week is more of a soft launch. Pizza Please will be open for limited hours every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a week, before beginning serving every day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Looking forward, Sanchez is excited about what the future holds for the establishment. He envisions the future of Pizza Please, he said he wants it “to be the number one selling pizza place at USC.”
Pizza Please is not a chain but was opened by a larger company called Crews. Although Sanchez is unsure about the future franchising plans of the company, he did say that he expects Pizza Please to do well and open in other locations such as airports.
Customers can find the shop at 835 W. Jefferson Blvd. in between City Tacos and Solé Bicycles.