Breaking through the noise on TikTok is no easy feat. So Bartoli’s Pizzeria turned to man’s best friend for a leg up (so to speak).
In a marketing move we can only describe as sheer genius, Bartoli’s owner Brian Tondryk operates a walk-up window at the pizzeria’s West Town location in Chicago—not for pizza to go, but for dog treats. And a TikTok page, created by Stacy Rozack, the employee who provides the counter service for canines, has been catching the pups begging for a bite on camera since late November.
@pizzadoggietreats #juice #bartolispizzeria #doggiewindow #westtown ♬ original sound – Bartolis Doggie Window
One post, featuring a “regular” named Juice, has netted more than 330,700 views, 69,400 likes, 702 comments and 1,939 shares since December 12. Juice arrived looking dapper and handsome in a red sweater and a little hat with ear muffs. Rozack cackled delightedly as the friendly pup, licking his lips, poked his head inside to get a treat.
According to the Bored Panda website, “Now the pups can’t stay away from the place, doing everything in their power to steer their daily walks in the direction of their beloved restaurant.”
Tondryk told USA Today he set up the doggie treat window during COVID-19. “Oh, my God, there’s hundreds [of dogs] that…walk by every day,” he said. “I mean, it’s all day long. They love coming for the treats. When the owners are walking the dog, they always want to stop at the pizzeria because (their pups) get a treat. We go through a lot of treat boxes.”
Some dog owners buy slices for their pets, so not every treat is a freebie, USA Today reported. Regardless, the walk-up window is a dog-owner magnet, and that translates to goodwill towards Bartoli’s during the holiday season and year-round. Tondryk even plans to create a best-dressed dog competition and award a free slice to the winner along with a discount on their human’s next order.
Another TikTok video, posted on December 19, featured a floppy-eared pooch in a Carhartts outfit. Rozack greeted the dog, apparently named Wells, with characteristic excitement and warmth, proclaiming, “You’re TikTok famous!” That post has received 41,800 views, 7,961 likes, 36 comments and 302 shares.
And as media reports proliferate, the @pizzadoggietreats account keeps attracting more attention. As of December 23, it has 6,014 followers on TikTok, up from 5,639 on December 20.
Tondryk founded Bartoli’s in 2013 and uses recipes for deep-dish and tavern-style pizza created by his grandfather, Fred Bartoli, the co-founder of the legendary Gino’s East.
The pizzeria has earned kudos from a variety of local and national publications. Every year from 2015 to 2020, it made best-pizza lists in Chicago Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Food & Wine, USA Today and/or Chicago Eater.
“This is what deep dish once was: a light, crunchy yellow crust thinly veiled with mild mozzarella and sweet, chunky sauce hiding nubs of fennely sausage and fresh vegetables,” Chicago Magazine enthused in October 2015. “It’s a pie with a capital P—less filling than it is exhilarating….Tasting Tondryk’s pie reminds you of exactly what it was that had Chicagoans defending deep dish before doing so became a knee-jerk response.”
