Barstool founder Dave Portnoy recently saved a pizza shop in Baltimore from closing down. TinyBrickOven is located at 1036 Light Street in Baltimore, Maryland, which was set to close down on December 25 due to lack of financial assistance. However, on December 13, Portnoy visited the pizza shop, which changed the fate of TinyBrickOven.
"I never could have anticipated something like this happening. We had always hoped he would come [at TinyBrickOven] and it's amazing. It really is amazing," TinyBrickOwner Will Fagg said.
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy started his pizza review series, "One Bite" in 2013, where he visits pizza shops across the country and rates them. Portnoy rated TinyBrickOven's pizza 7.9 out of 10, which is good as per One Bite rating standards, and decided to help the place stay open. The owner called it a "Christmas miracle."
TinyBrickOven, a Baltimore pizza shop saved by Barstool founder Dave Portnoy
Dave Portnoy decided to stop at the TinyBrickOven pizza shop located in Baltimore, and upon interviewing the owner, Will Fagg, he got to know the owner struggled to keep the shop open due to lack of funds and his failure to secure a liquor license.
"We’re getting ready to close, man. We can’t get our liquor license here. It’s been like crazy… we’re just not making any money, man. The thing is, our politicians gave this market down here their liquor license, but they won’t give us ours," Will expressed the current condition of TinyBrickOven during the interview.
Portnoy immediately knew he could not let the pizza shop go out of business and decided to donate $60,000 in order to keep the place open for another year. After tasting TinyBrickOven's signature pizza, Portnoy commented,
"Thin, New York kind of style. I really like it. There's no way this place should be going out of business. None!"
TinyBrickOven owner Will Fagg expressed his happiness by saying:
"I feel like it is a Christmas miracle. Four years ago we actually put Dave Portnoy's name on the wall over there... we knew that he was one of the biggest pizza influencers back then. We'd tagged him many, many times and had sort of given up."
After Portnoy's review video dropped, several people began to show up at Fagg's TinyBrickOven. The phone has not stopped ringing ever since then, and numerous people donated to TinyBrickOven's charity program, pay-it-forward, surpassing its $5,000 target. The pay-it-forward charity fights to eradicate hunger and provides pizzas for people in need.
"You have no idea—the whole neighborhood is crazy wanting us to stay open," Will said after witnessing the overwhelming response of the neighborhood people.
Owner Will Fagg was seemingly emotional after witnessing several people showing up to TinyBrickOven and supporting his business.
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"I did text him [Portnoy] a really big thank you. And he texted us back and said I think you’re going to be really busy now. And I was like, yeah, I think so too. I mean I told him the story had gone like, had gone like way more than any other of his normal stories," said Fagg.
Truly a Christmas miracle!
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