Local Lookout: Antonio’s Pizza

For Antonio’s Pizza by the Slice, the town staple known throughout Amherst, the start of the school year means the return of some of its most loyal customers and an end to the long summer lull. And, perhaps most importantly for the New England pizza chain, it means the return of late nights. 

The shop’s hours run from late morning until well past midnight, staying open to serve the community seven days a week. However, throughout the school year, on Thursdays through Saturdays, from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., the environment of Antonio’s completely transforms. Known among the employees as “bar rushes” or “late nights,” these are the hours when the shop is flooded with students — some under the influence, others not — hankering for a late-night snack. 

These hours see the usually calm storefront — located next to the popular town bars, McMurphy’s Uptown Tavern and Stackers Pub — suddenly morph into a party of its own. Bright lights. Music playing. A line out the door. Students and Antonio’s staff alike, yelling until their voices give out (“Chicken Bacon Ranch! Chicken Bacon Ranch!”). Antonio’s even works with nearby bars to find bouncers for weekend nights. According to Antonio’s general manager, Bill Gore, there have been several instances of customers who have “either been in a tussle or had to be removed.” 

Meanwhile, the staff behind the counter is in a near-constant state of frenzy during these three hours. On any given bar night, while the staff cranes to hear customers’ orders and yells to get the attention of easily-distracted students, Antonio’s serves as many as 1,000 slices from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. alone. And as for the number of cans of tomato sauce, bags of flour, and containers of mozzarella that requires? That’s an “industry secret,” according to Gore. 

Occasionally, Antonio’s is forced to close early, for no other reason than that they physically run out of pizza to sell. However, when there is pizza left over at the end of the night, Antonio’s will offer it to community members or the bar staff at McMurphy’s and Stackers. “We hook up our bartenders, make sure they walk home with something in their bellies,” Gore said. 

In addition to the late nights, Antonio’s also plans for the large crowds that come with town events and special occasions. “We[’ve] got the block party coming up,” Gore said. “There’s homecoming weekend. We think about the home football games. We think about holiday weekends when we’re scheduling. Basically, [so that] we know what we’re gonna get on a given night.” 

Kobe Thompson ’24 used to work Thursday and Friday night bar shifts as a “slinger,” or someone who prepares the slices. While Thompson enjoyed being part of the “well-oiled machine” that is the staff, as he describes it, he also made clear how hard it was to work on late nights like these. He said that it could be taxing, even maddening, especially as a student himself, to be working while other students, “drunk and giggly, [got] to enjoy their pizza and a night out.” “Being a fast slinger meant risking burnt arms, confusing pizza layouts … and handling line management,” Thompson said in an email. Meanwhile, the “ringer” who works the cash register has to “keep track of [the] orders [of] numerous people in advance, know [the prices of] pizza orders quickly to get their totals, and usually know how to communicate around a very drunk customer to get info quickly,” said Thompson. 

However, upon reflection, Thompson looks back warmly on his time at Antonio’s and the people he worked with. “Everyone felt [like they were] in it together. It felt like a family of young college kids who hated the work but loved the pay.” And, despite all of the painfully long nights, Thompson said, “I hate to admit I wouldn't have traded it for any other job.”

Despite the hectic frenzies of bar rushes and the chaos that the school year brings, the entire Antonio’s staff seems to share that sentiment. While the breaks between semesters offer nice periods of quiet, the team soon gets bored without a rush to attend to. Perhaps most importantly, when the students return, Antonio’s staff also sees a boost in earnings as tips rush in from the ceaseless line of hungry students.

Ultimately, Gore emphasized that he and his team are proud of what they do, particularly their late nights. “It requires a lot of commitment … and it’s a [source of] pride here … to be scheduled [for] a late night shift. That’s how you know you made it.” Susie Austin, a staff member who can often be found working the cash register on bar nights, agrees with Gore. “Working at Antonio’s Pizza by the Slice is like a party every night. We have fun and we sling slices. It’s all about the customers, and we love you all,” Austin said.