A solid score of 7.8 from Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy has sent business into overdrive for two pizzerias in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County.
For his latest One Bite Review videos, Portnoy started out at Lucatelli’s Pizzeria in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and then ventured over to Peppino’s Tomato Pies and South Philly-Style Sandwiches in Chalfont. He ended up giving the two shops identical scores.
“I liked the guys, super-nice, they were super-excited,” Portnoy said, after emerging from Lucatelli’s with his pie.
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“Good undercarriage right there,” he said, inspecting a slice. “It’s a football pizza,” he added, after taking a couple of bites. “It’s like a good, very traditional, high-end football pizza. Almost like more [of a] New York vibe to me than a Philly vibe pizza, if that makes any sense.”
After eating about half a slice, Portnoy rendered his verdict, giving it a 7.8.
The self-styled “El Presidente” later moved on to Chalfont and ordered a tomato pie from Peppino’s. Prior to tasting that pie, Portnoy took a moment to flash back to a public appearance he’d recently made in the Philadelphia area and noted, “I just saw a picture [from the event]. I may have to get my own personal photographer.” A photo of Portnoy with a young woman then appeared on the screen and Portnoy noted, “Get the picture. I also look like f—in’ Brad Pitt.”
“I generally love the tomato style because it’s so crunchy usually,” he continued, after opening the pizza box and pulling out a slice. “This doesn’t look like it’s gonna be wildly crunchy to me. Good undercarriage, a little bit of flop. I don’t want to burn my face, so I’ll keep talking. Want me to keep talking about how good I look? Because I will.”
After the pie had sufficiently cooled, Portnoy took a few bites and said, “I really like it. It’s a little messy. 7.8….I think it’s really good. I’d come back. It’s a little sloppy, but I really do like it, and I like tomato pies.”
Although Portnoy is a controversial figure and isn’t always made to feel welcome at every pizzeria he reviews, the “Portnoy effect” is undeniable, particularly when his review is a positive one. According to PhillyBurbs.com, Portnoy’s reviews quickly set off “a boom for business” at both Peppino’s and Lucatelli’s, “although some customers have grumbled online about the long lines created by” the exposure.
After the video went live, Peppino’s tweeted that Portnoy’s visit marked “one of the greatest days of our lives and…just a super-fun time!” The One Bite Review video has since been posted on the Peppino’s website to capitalize on the exposure.
Lucatelli’s, which shared Portnoy’s video on its Facebook page, reportedly experienced delays in fulfilling orders due to the sudden explosion in traffic. The owners said they had to put in “new systems” to handle the additional business after selling out over several nights.
Lucatelli’s is a fairly recent arrival on the Bucks County pizza scene and was voted Best New Restaurant and Best New Business in the Bucks County Herald’s “Best of the Region” reader poll last year.
