TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — While the government is shut down, thousands of federal employees are working without pay here in Tucson. but one Tucson pizzeria is helping them save some money with discounted food.
Rocco's Little Chicago Pizzeria at 2555 E Broadway Blvd. in Midtown is offering 50% off pizza to federal workers who show their ID as long as the shutdown is on.
"Pizza is universally loved, and it's comfort food," said owner Anthony Rocco DiGrazia. "We didn't think it was fair that our public servants and active military weren't getting paid for their services."
This isn't the first time the pizzeria has stepped up to help federal workers. The restaurant offered a similar discount during the 2019 government shutdown, though DiGrazia said it took a few days to cook up the deal back then.
This year, he acted when the shutdown began.
"This is stupid. These people didn't sign up to be public servants to have our dysfunctional government turn them into unpaid employees," DiGrazia said.
To him, supporting the community is just a natural part of being a local business owner.
"We're the ones that donate to your bake sale, and your sports team and various community things and give you free food and stuff. We're the backbone of the community," he said.
While the discount program may slightly reduce profits, DiGrazia is confident his business can handle the impact.
"This business is pretty strong. We've been here for almost 27 years. We have a huge customer base that's very supportive, so we can handle this," he said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
