TikTok food reviewer and influencer Keith Lee has not only put Sharpiro’s Pizzeria, a single-unit independent, in the national spotlight with a recent visit, he also brought along a $50,000 check for the Conyers, Georgia restaurant.
Sharpiro’s, known for its Buffalo-style pizzas and its deeply principled community involvement, was selected as the winner of a campaign by Toast honoring restaurants that “know it’s the little things that count.” Owned by Mona Lisa and Michael Sharp, Sharpiro’s rose to the top of a nationwide pool of nominees for its commitment to service, mentorship and community uplift.
Lee showed up at Sharpiro’s to present the check in person and caught the owners by surprise.
@keith_lee125 Surprising the Little Things Giveaway winner with Congratulations @Toast @SharpirosPizzeria and thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination. 💕 Would you try it? 💕 #ToastContest #ItsTheLittleThings #foodcritic ♬ original sound – Keith Lee
“What we love about [Sharpiro’s] goes past food. This restaurant is built for the community,” Lee noted in a heartwarming video that went out to his 17 million-plus followers on TikTok and 2.5 million Instagram fans.
Sharpiro’s embodies the ethos of a hometown pizzeria that gives back to the local community. Its outreach effort includes a youth mentorship initiative, led by general manager/pizzaiolo Victor Martinez, that supports young boys growing up without father figures. The restaurant also gives away free pizza to kids with good grades and distributes school supplies, provides meal assistance, and offers a 10% discount to first responders, educators and government workers. Additionally, Sharpiro’s donates its leftover food to unhoused individuals and other local community members in need.
That’s not all. To provide a stimulus to the local economy, Sharpiro’s gives away $500 plus a box of 20 wings to its 100th customer each week. To qualify, customers must make a purchase of $25 or more, and entry numbers are printed on receipts. They must also follow Sharpiro’s on Instagram, Facebook and NextDoor, tag three friends in a post, and review the pizzeria on Google.
For the Toast award, the nomination came from Tany B, an Atlanta digital creator with 14,000 Instagram followers and 4,000 fans on TikTok. “I nominated Sharpiro’s for the simple fact that they give back to the community,” Tany B said. “Also, the owner is always here when I come. She’s always there with a big smile and able to support any kind of [initiative] or idea that you want to bring to her.”
Sharpiro’s owners were dressed up for the visit, but they believed they were hosting a video shoot for Toast, according to a TikTok comment by Tany B.
Lee’s unannounced arrival took them by surprise, she said. “Toast told us they were coming for content. NO KEITH LEE. We were upset and got content for about 15 minutes and BOOM! He walked in and we were all, like, NO WAY!!!”
Sharpiros is also known for its innovative menu, with standout pizzas like the jerk oxtail pizza, the Michael Angelo Supreme, a spicy shrimp pizza, and the Philly cheesesteak-inspired Renaissance pie. Other offerings include hoagies, fried fish, Italian fried rice, and a full dessert lineup featuring fried Oreos and red velvet cake.
While Sharpiro’s received the contest’s top prize, Lee also awarded $5,000 each to two other Georgia restaurants as part of his broader mission to spotlight under-recognized eateries.
