Does Dave Portnoy “get” Chicago tavern-style pizza? The manager of Flo & Santos has his doubts.
Portnoy showed up unannounced at Flo & Santos, located in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood, in 2024. In one of his shorter reviews, posted on November 22, 2024, he noted that he likes tavern-style just fine. “Not my favorite, not my least favorite,” he said. “It’s a low 7s style for me.”
But already having his mind made up has never stopped Portnoy before. Not surprisingly, he gave the cheese pizza a 7.1 score. (Scroll to the bottom to watch Portnoy’s video.)
Ordinarily, that would be the end of that. But a local TV news crew, led by pizza-loving reporter Gabriella Premus, this week gave Flo & Santos a chance to make a case for a higher score.
Related: Dave Portnoy Gets into Cussing Match With Pizzeria Owner
It’s an example of taking a one-time marketing opportunity and redoubling it, luring in Portnoy fans who might have missed the review more than a year ago. And undoubtedly Premus has a legion of local fans too—not to mention her own pizza schtick. She’s known to regularly visit local pizza shops that Portnoy previously scored and deliver her own “Second Bite Review” for her TV audience.
In terms of digital reach, no one tops Portnoy, of course. Virtually any review by El Presidente can triple or quadruple foot traffic for a pizza shop. But the impact on sales is usually temporary. Getting featured by Premus opens the door again to increased foot traffic, and Flo & Santos took full advantage.
In the interview with Fox 32, a Flo & Santos manager, identified as Jio, kept the tone light and playful. “I think we should have scored higher [in Portnoy’s “One Bite Review”], but 7.1 on a cheese pizza—we’ll take it,” Jio told Premus. “We’re excited to have him, huge fans. But we don’t think he knows tavern-style, and I think we should have been closer to a 7.8, maybe an 8. But it is what it is.”
Jio said his team wasn’t even aware that Portnoy had paid Flo & Santos a visit. “We’re usually busy, so nobody knew he was coming in. He just kind of ordered pizza and left. We didn’t know until we saw the video.”
Flo & Santos, which is a regular stop on Jonathan Porter’s Chicago Pizza Tours, celebrated its 16th anniversary this year. Founded by Bill Bolton and David Yanda, it’s named after the parents of Bolton’s close childhood friend. Flo was Polish, Santos Italian, and both culinary heritages are represented at the restaurant, which serves pierogis, kielbasa and potato pancakes along with crispy, thin-crust tavern-style pies and pasta dishes.
Portnoy favors a standard cheese pie in his reviews. If pushed to try a specialty pizza, he’ll usually do it, but the Flo & Santos crew never got the chance since they didn’t even know he was there. “Next time he comes to Chicago, maybe [he should] not just have a cheese pizza, maybe some sausage and giardiniera [instead],” Jio told Premus.
Premus, in turn, gave the cheese pizza her own score after taking a single bite. “I mean come on, 7.1?” she said. “Gabby’s review: 10 out of 10.”
