Dave Portnoy's latest pizza of the year review came in with a higher than usual score, as he gave a small Baltimore pizzeria an incredible Christmas gift that will help the business stay open until 2025.
Portnoy visited TinyBrickOven in Maryland on December 13, while leaving the state. After trying the pizza, he promised to give the restaurant $60,000 to stay open for about another year.
The review was uploaded to Portnoy's social media on Monday night, giving the pizza a 7.9 out of 10, calling everything an 8 or higher as an undeniably excellent pizza.
The CEO of Barstool was convinced by “the most optimistic pizzeria owner”, Will, who was not expecting Portnoy's arrival and quickly prepares him a cheese pizza.
Will informs Portnoy that because local politicians did not grant the restaurant a liquor license, it would be forced to close for good on Christmas Day.
The first sign that the restaurant was planning to close on social media was on November 27, when they declared their last round of pizza-making classes.
Portnoy gave a Baltimore pizzeria a Christmas gift that will help the business stay open
It's well known that Portnoy's pizza reviews increase business at the places you love and hate.
“There's no way this place should close, none,” Portnoy said.
After taking a moment outside the restaurant after giving his score, Portnoy stands at the door and asks Will how much money he would need to stay open for another year.
At first, Will doesn't respond, saying he “wasn't sure,” and his bewilderment at the celebrity walking into his workplace is still present.
“Well, if there was someone super rich right in front of you who was in the pizza business and they happened to say, 'What do you need to stay open for a year?' You have to give him some figure because then he'll go away,” Portnoy continued.
As soon as the number “60,000” left Will's mouth, Portnoy responded “done.”
In addition to the monetary donation, Portnoy's presence is likely to increase TinyBrickOven's business.
After four hours live on his YouTube channel, the review had almost 100,000 views and his channel has more than 1.3 million subscribers.