He still has some biting power left in him.
Dave Portnoy, owner of Barstool Sports, is back at it again Highlighting small local businesses through our One Bite Pizza Festival – Despite there being controversy over it last year.
This is the second event of the annual festival, which will be held Saturday at Randalls Island Park. About 10,000 slice-lovers are expected to attend.
“It’s become a nice little community,” Portnoy, 47, told The Post about the event, which will feature slices from 35 pizzerias in the tri-state area — including Prince Street in Nolita, Brooklyn’s renowned Di Fara and New Haven’s Frank Pepe — all of which he has personally tasted for his popular One Bite Pizza Review.
Last year, the inaugural One Bite Festival was moved to September 2023 on Coney Island amid sharp criticism from the media, including some outlets Considering Portnoy a “misogynistic scoundrel” And the question is why a local pizzeria would want to work with them.
Portnoy hit back. A few weeks before the big event, he posted a 12 minute video on X In it, he is on the phone with a Washington Post reporter, asking her about an alleged “hit piece” she was working on.
He read an email he allegedly sent to an unnamed sponsor, stating he had “attracted criticism by associating himself with Dave Portnoy, who has a history of misogynistic comments and other problematic behavior.”
Portnoy accused the author of improper interference and was upset that she had not yet contacted him.
Ultimately, it had little effect. No pizzerias were left out of the festival, which sold out all tickets, attracted 5,000 people, and went off without a hitch despite a tropical storm.
“Everybody stayed strong … the people making the pizza were saying, 'We're with you,'” Portnoy said, questioning the media's motives for trying to stir up controversy. “Why would you try to cause a headache for a small business that doesn't need it?”
Portnoy launched One Bite Pizza Reviews in 2017, giving ratings from 1 to 10 based on a single cheese slice.
Reviews now have their own dedicated app and a YouTube channel with 1.34 million followers He regularly promotes reviews on Instagram and X, where he has a combined 8 million followers.
He loves meeting the pizza makers.
“Their stories fascinate me,” he said.[I have] Respect for small business and how hard it is to grow your own business. And how much work it takes. I think they understand that. Barstool started from nothing.”
He's not just supporting mom-and-pop pie-slingers by promoting them through his reviews and the festival. This year, he's donating all of the festival's proceeds to Al Santillo to help him rebuild Santillo's Brick Over Pizza, a 100-year-old restaurant in Elizabeth, New Jersey, which was severely damaged by a fire in January.
“There are other people out there who help people, but not in the way he did [Portnoy] “He always does that. He always goes above and beyond,” Santillo told the Post, adding that Portnoy has promised to give him the money he needs to rebuild, whether or not the festival's proceeds are sufficient.
In 2019, Portnoy gave Santillo — who has served the likes of “Soprano” star Drea de Matteo, Vince Vaughn and Jay Leno — an 8.3. That boosted an already booming business, helping it secure major catering gigs for clients like the Jets.
As the years went by, Portnoy focused more on positive ratings.
“I try not to give bad reviews. When I first did it I didn't give it much thought. Now, when I meet all the owners, I try to put it in the best light I can,” he said. “It could change some of these small businesses.”
It was a huge showcase for Peter Grippo and his Brooklyn Square Pizzeria, which has three shops in New Jersey.
Grippo, a resident of Gravesend, Brooklyn, said her Instagram followers grew from a few thousand to more than 30,000 after Portnoy reviewed her in 2020.
“My social media became very popular,” said Grippo, who attended this year's One Bite Festival. “I can still feel the Portnoy effect today. People go on the One Bite app and reach out to me because of Dave.”
He has only good things to say about Portnoy.
“He's a normal guy who came from nothing and still has his place and is still humble,” he said. “He's just the way he is. You either love him or hate him. As for the business, I love him. He really cares.”
Saturday, Sept. 14 at Randalls Island Park; tickets start at $179.99 at OneBitePizzaFest.com.
