President of Barstool Sports Dave Portnoy commits $60,000 to keep Baltimore pizza shop open
BALTIMORE -- Dave Portnoy, the President of Barstool Sports, stopped at a Baltimore pizza shop this week for a review and committed to gifting the owner $60,000 to keep the store open for another year.
In a video posted to social media Monday, Portnoy visited TinyBrickOven in Baltimore's Federal Hill neighborhood for one of his signature pizza reviews.
"People say it's a Christmas miracle," said Will Fagg, owner of TinyBrickOven. It kind of feels like a Christmas miracle!"
During the video, Portnoy quickly learns that owner Will Fagg is planning to close TinyBrickOven in a matter of days.
Fagg explains to Portnoy that the shop has been unable to get a liquor license.
"We can't get our liquor license here," Fagg said. "Our politicians gave this market down here their liquor license, but they won't give us ours...it's really disappointing"
"We're just not making any money, man. It's been crazy," he adds. "The market opened and everyone inside was allowed to sell alcohol and we were never allowed to sell alcohol..."
As he's waiting for the pizza, Portnoy shares a hint of his plan, turning to the camera and saying, "We're gonna have to keep this place open."
As he's eating the "very good, thin, New York-kinda style" pizza, Portnoy points out a sticker on the box that says TinyBrickOven will close on December 25 without financial assistance.
Portnoy goes on to ask Fagg how much money he would need to stay open for a year, and he eventually lands on $60,000 to which Portnoy agrees, "Done."
"Oh my God that's unbelievable," said Will.
Portnoy said Fagg can expect to have the money before Christmas. He rated the pizza a 7.9.
"We've never had a crowd like this..."
The video went viral, and on Christmas Eve TinyBrickOven had a line out the door and phones ringing off the hook.
"We've never had a crowd like this," said Will.
Cynthia Streater, a TinyBrickOven employee, says if anyone deserves this, it's Will, "my guardian angel".
Streater told WJZ Reporter, Caroline Foreback, that Will found her stranded in the cold after she missed her bus last weekend and offered her a ride home and a part-time job.
"He says, 'You look like you're freezing cold…why don't you come in and get warm?'"
After the video went viral, donations kept pouring in. TinyBrickOven's fundraiser surpassed $50,000 by Tuesday afternoon.
"It's an incredible feeling, I mean I've always had a lot of community support…it's overwhelming and I thank everybody so much," said Will.
According to The Baltimore Banner, Portnoy was seen in mid-December at several Maryland restaurants, including Frank's Pizza & Pasta on Bel Air Road in Baltimore and Pizza John's in Essex.
Portnoy has been involved in some past controversies, including doubling down on racist and misogynistic comments, according to The Baltimore Banner.
He also lost a defamation lawsuit in 2022 against Insider.com, after they published two stories quoting women who accused Portnoy of sexual assault and misconduct, The Washington Post reported.
He started filming pizza reviews in 2013, and now has an app and website called "One Bite."
Baltimore restaurant closures
Several Baltimore restaurants have announced closures in recent weeks, including Mother's Grille which has a location in Federal Hill.
In early December, the restaurant announced it would close on January 19, 2025. The owner, Dave Rather, told WJZ it's time to close this chapter and focus on the restaurant's other locations.
"Now there's tons of places down here, 25 bars and restaurants," he said. "The restaurant business is tough. You know, anybody that can last this long, it's saying something."
Nacho Mama's recently announced it would be closing two of its locations, one in Towson and another in Canton, after 30 years in the business. The owner did not give a reason but said both locations will close on January 12, 2025.
