When Jeff Merlino, owner of Merlino’s Pizzeria in Cranston, heard that Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy was returning to Rhode Island in January to host an amateur boxing event and was likely to visit some local pizzerias for his internet-famous “one-bite reviews,” Merlino put his chances of being spotlighted at slim to none.
“We pride ourselves on our dough and the recipe we’ve developed here,” Merlino said. “So we were on alert, but we didn’t think we had a chance. I knew it was a long shot.”
But Portnoy materialized. In fact, he arrived straight from the airport, still embroiled in an online battle over his recent comments about former Providence College basketball coach Ed Cooley. Portnoy was wearing a shirt with a Cooley clown face splashed across the front.
“He was a little riled up,” Merlino said.
When the video review with a 7.4 out of 10rating hit the web later that day – “a good score by Portnoy’s standards,” Merlino said – it didn’t take long to garner thousands of likes and comments.
And the aftereffects were even greater. Business more than doubled in the following weeks, and Merlino estimates his social media traffic spiked 30%. Over three weeks, the review attracted 235,000 views on Portnoy’s One Bite Pizza Reviews YouTube channel, which has more than 1.2 million subscribers.
“The impact was huge. Just that night, we picked up so many social media followers. And the next day was our busiest day ever by two-fold,” Merlino said. “It’s tapered off, but I still have people come in just because of that.”
Merlino found Portnoy, a controversial social media influencer, entertaining and likable, a comedic frat-boy type who makes loaded comments “to get a rise out of people,” he said. “A lot of it is a schtick and he’s good at it. We have nothing but respect for what he has accomplished.”
In addition, Merlino’s customer base has expanded to surrounding towns.
“He’s got a huge reach,” he said. “We are getting people coming in from areas that we normally wouldn’t have otherwise.”
Known as “El Pres” to his fans and seen as a clout-chasing provocateur by detractors, Portnoy is not your typical restaurant critic, rating pizza quality after a few bites taken while standing outside the pizzeria, often accompanying his video posts with quips on the locals or the particulars of the restaurant.
Portnoy visits pizzerias nationwide and has reviewed more than a dozen Rhode Island pizza joints in recent years. For most, a one-bite review brings high visibility and a lot more business.
In January, he reviewed four Rhode Island businesses, including D. Palmieri’s Bakery Inc. in Johnston, an odd choice given the bakery is known for the cold, cheese-less pizza strips that are iconic in the Ocean State.
Portnoy wasn’t impressed, rating the pizza strip a 5.8 and likening it to a “Philly with no cheese.”
The subsequent review of D. Palmieri’s traditional pizza fared better, notching a 7.5. The visit, said owner Eric Palmieri, was “extremely positive.”
“We weren’t aware that Dave would be stopping by, although we knew he was in the area,” he said. “He was very generous with his time and was a lot of fun. “
In Portnoy’s wake, D. Palmieri’s immediately had to increase its output of pizzas. The business’s social media engagement also jumped. As of mid-February, the YouTube views had garnered 391,000 views.
“We’ve definitely seen an increased interest in our hot pizzas,” Palmieri said. “We sold double our usual in the weeks after. And we nearly sold out completely on Super Bowl Sunday.”
Palmieri said he never felt a sense of vulnerability at the time and has no regrets now that the middling review of pizza strips is online in perpetuity.
“We actually enjoyed having fun with the idea that another out-of-stater didn’t enjoy the pizza strips,” he said. “If pizza can’t be fun, what else can be?”
Palmieri is one of many small-business owners loyal to Portnoy for his small-business advocacy.
“We are so grateful to Dave for using his platform to stand up for small businesses across the country who became vulnerable thanks to the lockdowns during the COVID era,” he said.
At other stops in January, Portnoy gave Francesco’s Pizzeria in Providence a 7.9 rating and Nice Slice LLC in Providence a 7.7 rating.
A good review isn’t a guaranteed good thing. While Portnoy posted a rave review of Pizza Marvin in Providence in December 2022 – an 8.2 rating – his social media post sent pizza orders skyrocketing to the point that it disrupted the business, said Pizza Marvin co-owner and chef Robert Andreozzi.
The Pizza Marvin team was aware it might be put under the microscope.
“We were ready for it. I used it as a moment to get the staff fired up,” Andreozzi said. “By the time he arrived, our pizza was lights out.”
The reaction to Portnoy’s raves was immediate.
“We were selling out,” Andreozzi said. “As an operator, I pride myself on not selling out. You are here to serve the community. If you want to open a business, you have to be open.”
The sales for cheese pizza relative to the rest of the menu “were so out of whack,” he said, “that we actually made less money than we would have otherwise. People were just coming in for one cheese pizza, checking it off their list and moving on.”
Another consequence was die-hard Barstool fans unfairly maligning Pizza Marvin online, questioning the legitimacy of Portnoy’s score and posting negative reviews on other websites.
“I don’t think people understand the damage that can do to a small business,” Andreozzi said. “It can be frustrating trying to live up to an unattainable standard.”
But Andreozzi says that comes with the territory, and he has no regrets.
“We are proud of the moment. Now we are back to business as usual,” he said. “You are going to get reviewed. And you’ve got to show up.”
Portnoy did not respond to an interview request.
Whatever the range of opinions on his antics, supporters find inspiration in his rise from a free print weekly distributed at Boston subway stops to a modern-day media magnate whom they feel understands the challenges of those sweating it out in front of pizza ovens and cash registers.
“We are all fans of his,” Merlino said. “He’s done a lot for small restaurants. And we all know that and appreciate that.”
Not everyone agrees, Merlino says. But variety brings the flavor.
“My girlfriend is from Boston,” he said. “And she can’t stand [Portnoy].”
