In Norris University Center, surrounded by the mouthwatering smells of pizza dough, cheese and tomato sauce, students are trying the new pizza joint Forno Pizza Co. for the first time.
A Northwestern Dining original, Forno replaced MOD Pizza, which closed its doors back in July after the chain’s contract with the University expired. With this new addition, NU students are split on how Forno measures up to MOD.
“My biggest issue with Forno is there’s no more sauces,” said Medill sophomore Lucy Yao. “There’s no pesto, there’s no ranch, no sriracha. There’s only hot honey.”
Weinberg sophomore Mercy Nyamao concurred with Yao, adding that because there are no sauces, the pizza is dry. She also criticized the meat selection because they only offer pepperoni and chicken.
The only difference between Forno and MOD pizzas that McCormick sophomore Siddharth Agrawal noticed was the crust.
“It’s just a bit wonky,” Agrawal said. “The slices look like dining hall slices, I can’t lie. So, what’s the point?”
Max Xu, a Weinberg junior, said although his Forno personal pizza was a bit greasy and cut unevenly, it was so much better than the food offered at Georgia Tech, where he transferred to NU from.
For Weinberg sophomore Sophia Sanchez, the diversity of meal exchange options, smaller portioning and better quality tomato sauce put Forno way ahead of MOD.
“I like the dough from Forno’s better,” Saschaz said. “It’s a lot fluffier, not burnt (and) cooked perfectly.
Many students preferred Forno’s meal exchange options of one two-topping personal pizza, two slices of pizza, one entree salad or one slice of pizza and a side salad compared to MOD’s meager single-topping pizza or a salad.
“The meal exchange I think is pretty nice. I got one large slice of pizza and a salad. That was actually the perfect size for me,” Weinberg freshman Marisa Lin said.
Another innovation of Forno is the use of two serving lines, one for students ordering personal pizzas and an express lane for students ordering individual slices. Compass Group, NU’s food service provider, hopes to cut wait times by allowing students to order by the slice, according to a news release.
Weinberg sophomore Mercy Nyamao, who ordered a personal pizza, said she got in line near the end of the lunch rush.
“It was kind of hectic when you were waiting because there’s two lines,” Nyamao said. “You don’t know who’s waiting for the slice, who’s waiting for the pizza.”
The individual slices line was much longer than the line for the personal pizza, McCormick sophomore Varsha Sundar said.
Yet, after taking the first bite of her slice, Sundar said she preferred MOD a lot more.
“I really like MOD. I kind of miss it a lot,” Sundar said.
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Related Stories:
— Forno gets a pizza the action: New restaurant to replace Norris’ MOD Pizza
— MOD Pizza to close Saturday, making way for new Norris pizza place
— Cheese pizza with … cheese? MOD meal exchange no longer offers unlimited toppings
