My parents have been in town since Thursday for my niece's college graduation. (They return to the Pacific Northwest [PNW] today.) But on Saturday, the day of graduation, we all returned from an overnight in College Station (a three-hour drive) too late to start cooking dinner for eight. So we checked out the new Mesquite Papa Murphy's Take-and-Bake pizza place.

Not only did we feed eight people with yummy food for $17 (good product, good price); we also came away with something for my mom, who needs gluten-free everything (and soy-free and dairy-free). It's not that the Mesquite Papa Murphy's sells gluten-free pizza. They don't. They told us they can't because there's too much risk for contamination, what with all the flour and dough around. (Integrity.) But in response to our sad faces, the manager loaded us up with a container of sauce, Canadian bacon, and pineapple. And he gave it to us for free. FREE. (Good service.)

Two employees told us they can sometimes accommodate customers' unique requests if they're not swamped. Yet they gave us these extra goods at a time when the pre-Cowboy's game crowd kept the place hopping.

Welcome to town!

(Across Belt Line from Tom Thumb in Mesquite)