Can I Take Your Order?

Written by Hope Gallagher

Almost all college students have experienced that feeling in the late hours of the night when they have a craving or the munchies for comfort food.  However, I have one close friend who takes it to another level.  Around 2 o’clock every Friday or Saturday night my friend starts the attempt to recruit the rest of us to order late night food from Roma’s Little Italy on York Road.

For anyone who doesn’t know Roma’s is a generic pizza/Italian food place located on the way back to Loyola from York Roads more frequented college bars.  This is when the coercing usually begins from my inevitably hungry friend.  If she remembers as we are getting in the cab or car the pleading revolves around actually stopping inside the eatery and ordering the food in person.   Otherwise, the idea is sparked when passing by her favorite munchies spot and she whips out her phone with the number already on speed dial.

Once she inevitably rallies enough people together to order, she dials up and is instantly recognized just by the sound of her voice; she is that frequent of a customer.  After exchanging pleasantries with the man on the line, he asks her if she'd like her usual to which she replies "Of course!" When her favorite order of a personal cheese pizza and diet coke finally arrives, she is finally content, gobbles it up, and goes to sleep.

This routine wouldn’t necessarily be out of the ordinary for a typical college student but it goes further than that.  Because she stops in the actual place so many times, the staff not just knows her by voice but by face and name as well.  Last year walking back from the annual Craigsfest, she made us stop inside not to order at all, because she had unfortunately already eaten elsewhere, but just to say “Hi,” to the lovely men who bring her so much joy around 3 o’clock in the morning every weekend.

By the end of the weekend at least one or two Roma’s boxes are stuffed in our kitchen garbage and the pile of twenty or so menu’s that have accumulated are thrown out with them.  But because York Road in Baltimore is not exactly known for its fine dining and cuisine, it occurred to me to ask her one- day why she is so obsessed with Roma’s over all other options she has.  She responded, “Because they love me.”  It’s a true example of customer loyalty at its finest.  For anyone who would like to try for themselves the food my friend is so crazy about, you can call Roma's at (410) 464-9070 or Click Here to go to the full menu!