On Wednesday, Sept. 22, Scooter’s launched its new pizza delivery initiative in an effort to get more business and better serve the student population at St. Thomas.

“We figured that delivery was the next step to capture more of our market,” said Gayle Lamb, dining services operations manager. She said Scooter’s is trying some new initiatives as it starts preparing to move into the new Anderson student center.

Scooter’s takes orders for its hand-tossed pizzas, and a designated delivery person, who carries the pizzas in insulated jackets, delivers the pizzas to Koch Commons on North Campus and the main entrance of Owens Science Hall on South Campus.

“With going to South Campus, too, we thought that that would certainly include those people in Cretin and Grace and even the Grand Avenue apartments,” Lamb said. “We don’t have access to the dorms, and this way both places for pick up are in an enclosed space, so then our delivery people feel safer and they have access to a phone.”

Scooter’s had a dozen deliveries its first weekend delivering pizza. Lamb said business has been slow so far, but she is hopeful that as the weather becomes colder, more people will try out the new delivery service.

“When the weather changes, our business is definitely affected,” Lamb said. “When it gets colder, people eat more and hunker down a little more.”

Lamb said she believes Scooter’s can compete with outside pizza places because of the quality of Scooter’s product. She said the unique specialty pizzas that Scooter’s offers sets them apart from the competition.

Joshua Moldenhauer, a supervisor at Scooter’s, said the level of service Scooter’s offers will also help it keep up with outside delivery places.

“We’re providing service to the students so that they have another way that they can utilize not only their Flex and eXpress but other forms of revenue,” he said. “Not only is it a business thing for us, but it’s also offering an additional service to the students.”

Scooter’s full menu could be available for delivery depending on the success of the pizza delivery service, Lamb said.

While freshman Emere Peterson thinks the delivery service is a great idea, she said she wishes the hours were extended. The delivery service begins at 7 p.m. and coincides with Scooter’s closing hours, so the last pizza order has to be delivered by 11 p.m.

“I think that it’s a good idea, but I think that they should be open later, when nothing else is open,” Peterson said. “I think they would get a lot more business then.”

Depending on the new Anderson Student Center’s hours of operation, the delivery service may be open later in the future, Lamb said.

Freshman Jasmine Archer said Scooter’s should deliver to more places.

“I think they should deliver to the library when we are studying because we don’t want to have to get up and come to Scooter’s in the middle of studying,” Archer said.

Lamb and Moldenhauer encouraged students to give Scooter’s pizza a try.

“We have an excellent product,” Lamb said.

Maggie Clemensen can be reached at clem0427@stthomas.edu.