Tommy's Not a "Hole"

I am appalled that Crimson writers have nothing better to do than to attack Tommy's House of Pizza (see "Tommy's Hole of Pizza" by Dan Suleiman, March 12). In a campus considered by many as the preeminent in the country, the most pressing topic, according to Suleiman, is not our school's paternalistic policies, nor human rights abuses in Zaire, nor the plight of the homeless in the Square nor even our inability to attract a notable band to Springfest. As far as some Crimson editors are concerned, the lack of what they erroneously consider quality pizza is a far greater worry than any of the aforementioned topics.

Regardless of the admitted triviality of Mr. Suleiman's article, as a loyal patron of Tommy's, I feel compelled to answer his criticisms, and in the process address similar concerns presented by both Jeremy Lizt ("Tommy's, Noke's Are Not Even In the Pizza Game) and Dan Aibel ("The Harvard Pizza Wars").

Every time I go to Tommy's, I find the workers friendly and cheerful. As a matter of fact, Mike, the owner, is more than willing to engage in small talk about almost any topic or even to put on ESPN so I can catch a few highlights of my Philly teams. I have played ball with him and have gotten to know some as the workers in the establishment. In the four years I have been going to Tommy's, I have never had any negative incidents with any of the workers and have always enjoyed the pizza. I wonder if Suleiman has ever bothered to address Tommy's employees as people and attempted to talk to them or to look them in the eye. I doubt it. For those who are dissatisfied with Tommy's service, they should alert the staff or talk to Mike (he's the guy with the glasses and the bald head). This kind of positive interaction, instead of references to Tommy's as a "Hole", can lead to a possible solution to Suleiman's lamentations.

Although I doubt anyone is the Tommy's groupie that I claim to be, I think Mr. Suleiman, despite his protestations, is much closer to me than he would like to admit. That possibly explains his presence at Tommy's the very night his tirade against the restaurant appeared; he apparently was enjoying a nice, fat cheese slice, with a sesame seed crust. Isn't it ironic. --Sozi Tulante Sozinho '97