Seeking an alternative to fast food in the area, from greasy burger joint fries to crusty cornflower tacos? Look no further than Quickly’s.
Since May 2008 in the College Square Shopping Center, the restaurant has served a wide variety of menu items, which cater to customers who see the restaurant as not just a place for takeout, but a place for diversity.
The overall selection consists of over 264 items, with additions and changes being made to the menu according to customer satisfaction. The supply of certain item depends on the season, just like coffee shops and whole food markets.
Among the regular selections are a variety of fried foods which range from $1.99 to $3.99, ramen and udon all conveniently priced at $6.99, meals bento ranging from $5.99 to $7.99, and even burgers at around $6.00 to help accommodate customers who desire a more western approach to their food.
Specials are added whenever enough demand is made by customers for a particular item. They can be found on the white board next to the front counter, along with a selection of drink additives that add a luscious tropical flavor to your tea or smoothie.
“If its one thing I like about Quickly’s, it’s the drinks,” Lucas Chen, a DVC student, said, “For that, it’s the only shop open late to go.”
Though Quickly’s seems like a rare culinary find with community appeal, it didn’t start out that way.
Originally owned by a Chinese store called Pearl Island, the property was left by the previous owner to be claimed by the Quickly’s chain. Once purchased, Quickly’s was advertised and accepted as an “Asian” alternative to fast food chains like Burger King and Taco Bell.
The manager, Calvin Liu, saw the restaurant through a difficult transition from city environments like San Francisco and Oakland, to areas such as Concord where exposure was crucial to draw in customers.
With a permit that required limitations such as keeping the roof green, dimensions for the kitchen and other nuanced prerogatives on restaurant design, Liu was faced with a unique dilemma: keep the restaurant legislatively sound or attempt to loophole around these limitations to appeal to customers.
Though strenuous, loopholes would help Liu create a restaurant to appeal to customers to make Quickly’s the DVC community hub it is today.
Taking the comics left over from the previous store, Pearl Island, Liu stacked the entrance door shelves with reading material for customers to peruse while waiting for their orders. Inclined customers are then inspired to add unwanted comics of their own to the restaurant’s selection, helping to develop a new appeal among avid manga readers.
Liu added an interest of his own: overhead monitors that blast a lengthy selection of the latest asian pop music videos, which gives Quickly’s a youthful, mainstream feel.
“We run it well and keep a peaceful atmosphere,” Liu explains, “Though it sometimes crowds to overcapacity, we know that customer service is key in any situation.”
Customer service seems to be the restaurant’s greatest success: “Of the coolest places to eat, it’s closest to DVC,” said Matthew Ma, a DVC student, “it’s someplace to meet friends.”
Quickly’s is located in the College Square Shopping Center, and you can contact them at: (925) 356-0188.Store hours are M-TH 11:30 AM-11:30 PM, Fri-Sat 12:00 PM- Midnight, and Sunday 2:00-11:00 PM.