A Baltimore pizza restaurant will stay open through the holidays — and at least all of next year — thanks to a generous donation from Dave Portnoy.
The Barstool Sports founder and owner made the act of charity during one of his pizza reviews, which took him to TinyBrickOven in Baltimore, Maryland. During the visit, Portnoy interacted with the restaurant’s enthusiastic owner, Will Fagg, who revealed that the pizza shop was about to go out of business as it had been unable to secure a liquor license and wasn’t making enough money.
“It’s been crazy,” the pizza shop owner said. “It’s been totally crazy.”
Portnoy proceeded to suggest that perhaps the restaurant’s appearance on his pizza reviews might result in an increase in business. But after trying his slice from TinyBrickOven — which he scored a respectable 7.9 — he decided he couldn’t leave it to chance, asking Fagg how much money he would need to ensure the restaurant could stay open for another year.
“That’s a really good question, I’m not sure,” the owner replied.
“Well if there was somebody super rich right in front of your face who was in the pizza business and by serendipity was like, ‘What do you need to stay open for a year?’ you’ve gotta give him some figure,” Portnoy said. “Because then he’s going to walk away.”
Fagg settled on $60,000, with Portnoy instantly agreeing to make the donation to keep the restaurant open.
“Oh my God, this is unbelievable,” Fagg responded. “Hey! Stool Presidente!”
Say what you will about Portnoy — and we’ve written about him plenty — but there’s no questioning his charitable side. Whether it was his efforts to keep businesses open amid the COVID-19 pandemic — which Fagg referenced during their interaction — or donating $60,000 to keep TinyBrickOven open for another year, the Barstool Sports owner has put his money where his mouth is when it comes to small businesses, especially when they happen to sell pizza.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.