A college town wouldn’t be a college town without a large selection of pizza.

DeKalb is no exception. For most students, pizza is a delicious meal that is often quick and cheap.

With several different pizza restaurants to choose from in DeKalb, it seems pizza companies have noticed this trend – and are reaping the benefits.

The nine different companies can equally get their share of business with NIU’s population of over 20,000 students.

“We have, I believe, fresher product, ingredients and better customer service,” said Lucas Floto, a driver at Papa John’s, 203 West Lincoln Highway.

Pizza companies such as Pizza Hut, 701 West Lincoln Highway, and Papa John’s have an entire list of bargains offered specifically to students. Huskies Bucks are accepted at many of the pizza places.

Pizzas were often given to fraternities and sororities for free, said Tina Longphee, a delivery driver for Toppers Pizza, 1015 East Lincoln Highway.

When it comes to price, NIU students can get the cheapest pizza at Papa John’s.

The student menu offers one large one-topping pizza for $7.49. Students can also get three large pizzas for $21.99.

Some pizza restaurants, including Papa John’s and Pizza Hut, allow students to order online. Domino’s, 901-P Lucinda Ave., expects to have online ordering available soon.

Customers will soon be able to text message in their orders at Papa John’s, Floto said.

For students who want their pizza quickly, Domino’s owner Mike Hillman said they can deliver pizzas as quickly as 12 minutes if students live in the dorms.

At Papa Murphy’s, 2587 Sycamore Road, customers don’t even have to wait for their pizza to be baked, as the pizzas are made in a matter of minutes and given to students to bake.

Many DeKalb pizza restaurants also offer unique toppings and sides.

World’s Famous Pizza, 142 East Lincoln Highway, offers sauerkraut, roasted red pepper, ground beef and spinach as toppings.

At Toppers Pizza, students can get a potato topper that tastes a lot like a baked potato, Longphee said.

A popular side item at Pizza Pros, 928 West Lincoln Highway, is cheese nuggets, which is pizza dough with spices and cheeses shaped into bite size pieces.

“[Pizza Pro’s has] more choices than other places,” said Arthur Alberts, a manager at Pizza Pros.

Some pizza companies offer a sit-down area to bring in more customers. Pizza Pros recently added a sit-down area and bar. Pizza Villa, 824 West Lincoln Highway, can seat up to 350 customers in its dining area.