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Rana Düzyol for the Washington Post

The main thing Maggie DeMarco Mieles knew about Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy before she agreed to take part in his One Bite Pizza Festival this weekend in New York was that he had given her father’s pizzeria a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTNteNRHq8s" target=_blank>stellar review</a> in 2018, years before the legendary Domenico DeMarco died. Portnoy, in fact, rated two slices from Di Fara Pizza. He gave them both 9.4 out of 10.

“When he first started the One Bite thing, people kept sending me links, telling me, ‘You got the highest score!’ And I would listen to it and be like ‘Who is this guy? All he does is curse.’ So that was my first impression,” DeMarco Mieles said in an interview with The Washington Post.

Since signing on for the inaugural One Bite Pizza Festival — named after the influential video series in which Portnoy takes one bite (though usually more) of a slice and gives it a numerical rating — DeMarco Mieles has learned a lot more about the man who goes by the nickname El Presidente. For the festival, Di Fara had a special T-shirt made, which the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxS6Qb1u1ce/?img_index=1" target=_blank>pizzeria put on its Instagram account</a>. DeMarco Mieles and the pizzeria were quickly accused of supporting a man who has been accused of sexual misconduct and has a history of using racist, misogynist and homophobic language that he has defended as jokes. In a brief phone call with The Post, he said, “I have been hit with the same things over and over, and they are so wildly out of context."

DeMarco Mieles was rattled enough by the incoming comments that she turned to her mother, the matriarch of the celebrated pizza family, for guidance. “I told her about some of the comments. I’m like, ‘Mom, I don’t pay attention to this stuff. I can’t even pay attention to my own stuff.’ She said, ‘You have to think of the people that paid a lot of money for those tickets. Those are the people you have to think of.’ And she’s right.”

If Di Fara had pulled out of the festival, DeMarco Mieles said, “We would be disappointing a lot of people that are going not because of Dave Portnoy but because of Di Fara and all the other great pizzerias that are beside us,” she added.

The pizzerias that Portnoy celebrates can go from local institutions to nationally known destinations. Places like Fredi the PizzaMan in suburban Detroit, which received an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvYXz5y-cbQ" target=_blank>effusive 8.7 review</a> from Portnoy, causing an “<a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/dining/2021/02/12/melvindales-fredi-pizzaman-overwhelmed-after-barstool-review/6726039002/" target=_blank>avalanche of attention</a> to the restaurant,” according to the Detroit News. Or Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza in Elizabeth, N.J., which <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwuiW5V4zc4" target=_blank>received an 8.3 score</a> from Portnoy. Al Santillo, the semiretired owner of the third-generation Santillo’s, said his revenue after the review increased 50 percent. Nearly five years after the One Bite video was published, Santillo said he still gets customers based on it.

Rob Kim

A negative review from Portnoy, on the flip side, can have an impact, too. Late last month, Portnoy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnKJEZ-Chos" target=_blank>posted a video</a> panning Dragon Pizza in Somerville, Mass., and calling its slice “a floppy mess.” Owner Charlie Redd confronted him on camera outside the shop, saying, “I don’t appreciate what you do coming in and judging a business with one bite.” The two then engaged in an expletive-laden exchange. Portnoy’s online army rallied, and Redd later told Bon Appétit that his shop’s Yelp page received a flood of 1-star reviews and <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/dragon-pizza-dave-portnoy-barstool-sports" target=_blank>that he received death threats</a>, but none of it seemed to hurt business. His <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2023/09/05/massachusetts-dragon-pizza-thrives-after-viral-feud-with-dave-portnoy/70772842007/" target=_blank>pizzeria reportedly sold out</a> after the Portnoy rant.

“Whether we like it or not, Dave Portnoy is the most influential person in pizza in the country, and every pizzeria in the country, with the exception of very few, is patiently waiting for the day that he walks through the door,” said Scott Wiener, who since 2008 has operated a company that specializes in New York pizza tours. “Because they see that as their chance of becoming an overnight, lines-out-the-door huge success.”

Portnoy, 46, founded Barstool as a sports and culture print publication in Boston in 2003, taking it from a free vehicle for gambling ads to a media company with <a href="https://www.bizbash.com/production-strategy/sports-events/article/22780280/barstool-sports-ceo-talks-success-sacrifice-and-events" target=_blank>more than 400 employees, $250 million in annual revenue</a>, almost 100 shows and an estimated <a href="https://www.barstoolsports.com/partnerships/sponsorships/audience-targeting" target=_blank>more than 51 million monthly page views</a>. Since Portnoy started his One Bite Pizza Reviews several years ago, that program’s YouTube audience alone has grown to more than 1 million subscribers.

But the Barstool site, which Portnoy has <a href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/2010/11/23/david-portnoy-profile-is-this-really-bostons-next-media-mogul/4/" target=_blank>famously called “sports/smut,”</a> has been no stranger to controversy, nor has Portnoy himself.

A few examples of many: In a 2010 blog post that has apparently since been deleted, Portnoy wrote that “even though I never condone rape if you’re a size 6 and wearing skinny jeans you kind of deserve to get raped, right?” He later <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/barstool-sports-rape-joke_n_1293328" target=_blank>told Huffington Post</a> that the comment was intended to be a joke, and that he didn’t intend to poke fun at rape, but rather at skinny jeans.

In another blog post in 2014, he <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4991586/Sam-Ponder-calls-sexist-history-Bartsool-Sports.html" target=_blank>made sexist comments</a> about ESPN host Samantha Ponder, including that her job was “to make men hard.” He defended his words, saying they were just part of “an hour-long podcast in which Barstool criticized all sportscasters,” according to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barstool-sports-dave-portnoy-responds-to-accusations-of-toxicity-and-misogyny-2018-12" target=_blank>Business Insider</a>.

In 2016, <a href="https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/536123/christian-hackenberg-is-scary-good-looking" target=_blank>he wrote that he was “#nohomo”</a> for thinking former Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg was handsome.

In a 2016 video segment surfaced by the <a href="https://twitter.com/RzstProgramming/status/1456360877779791877" target=_blank>Resist Programming Twitter account</a>, Portnoy discussed NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem. “I’m going to say something that’s racist,” Portnoy said. “I thought he was an ISIS guy. … Throw a head wrap on this guy and he’s a terrorist.” After those comments stirred criticism, Portnoy <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/dave-portnoy-apologizes-barstool-sports-staff" target=_blank>released a video</a> aimed mostly at Barstool employees in which he said “the intent was to make people laugh.”

In 2021, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barstool-sports-dave-portnoy-sex-choking-violent-stoolies" target="_blank">Insider.com</a> published a story in which three women alleged that sexual encounters with Portnoy “turned into frightening and humiliating experiences” and two additional women alleged that Portnoy “choked and filmed them without advance permission.” The news outlet published a follow-up article in 2022 in which three more women alleged that Portnoy filmed them during sex without asking.

Portnoy denied all the allegations and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2021/11/08/media-barstool-sports-portnoy-insider/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5" target=_blank>led a campaign</a> against Insider and some of its employees deriding what he described as “hit pieces.” He filed a defamation suit after the second story, although his lawsuit was dismissed and the judge noted that Insider had “corroborated the women’s accounts with photographs, text and social media messages, videos, medical reports, police documents, an Uber receipt, and statements from at least three friends who saw or spoke with the women soon after their interactions with plaintiff.”

Since the One Bite Pizza Festival was announced in early August, some influencers, writers and activists have been calling out the pizzerias and sponsors participating in the nearly sold-out event, scheduled for Saturday at a minor league ballpark in Brooklyn, with remaining tickets as of publication time starting at $219.99. Some of the biggest names in pizza — Di Fara, Lucali and John’s of Bleecker Street in New York; Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and Sally’s Apizza in New Haven, Conn., — are among the 35-plus shops slated to participate in the festival, which is sponsored by Coca-Cola, High Noon, New Amsterdam Vodka, Peroni and other brands. Many of the pizzerias have received favorable reviews from Portnoy.

Joe Rosenthal, a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxYf-0kvehq/?img_index=1" target=_blank>Minnesota-based mathematician</a> who has positioned himself as the conscience of the food and restaurant industries, has been leading the charge against those involved with Portnoy’s festival. He has posted regularly on his Instagram account, with its 33,000-plus followers, writing that the pizzerias, influencers and trade publications are showing that “Portnoy can continue his violent misogyny and campaigns of abuse, and they will continue to support him.” Rosenthal wants the public to educate those businesses about Portnoy’s past behaviors and pressure them to make a decision.

This week, Jeremy Schneider wrote an opinion piece for <a href="http://nj.com/" target="_blank">NJ.com</a> headlined, “<a href="https://www.nj.com/food/2023/09/why-are-nj-pizzerias-supporting-misogynist-bully-dave-portnoy-opinion.html" target="_blank">Why are N.J. pizzerias supporting misogynist bully Dave Portnoy?”</a> And best-selling cookbook author J. Kenji López-Alt said in a recent Instagram story that Portnoy had “put together this list of pizzerias who are either not aware of his history...or know but don’t care.”

None of the pizzerias or sponsors contacted by The Post indicated that they were pulling their support. Some said they lent their name and reputation to the event in exchange for publicity or access to the young, social media-savvy audience that Portnoy attracts.

And some support Portnoy, whom they see as a champion of small business. His pizza reviews, they say, can increase revenue up to 50 percent. They point out that his <a href="https://www.barstoolsports.com/the-barstool-fund" target=_blank>Barstool Fund</a> has raised tens of millions of dollars to help restaurants and other small businesses during the pandemic. Santillo, for one, doesn’t understand why critics are attacking him and others for siding with Portnoy.

“The guy is definitely controversial. I know a lot of things he says I don’t like. I’m not a normal follower of his because I’m pretty conservative myself,” Santillo said in a phone interview.

Scott Roth

“Nobody’s all good, and nobody’s all bad,” the owner continued. “Right now, to me, his good points are outweighing his bad points. Everybody has a dark side, but basically, don’t shoot the piano player. I’m just a piano player here. Why you want to shoot me for?”

Kevin Jackson, general manager of John’s of Bleecker Street, expressed similar feelings about Portnoy. “When you talk about business practices, he was the guy raising millions of dollars for businesses during covid,” Jackson said, adding that he didn’t know about the allegations of sexual misconduct against Portnoy. “He’s been good to pizzerias and restaurants in general. That’s my take on that.”

When Portnoy learned The Post was reporting on his festival, he called reporter Emily Heil and accused the news organization of orchestrating a “hit piece.” He complained about an email Heil sent to a sponsor, which apparently had been forwarded to Portnoy, asking for comment responding to criticism “some of the sponsors and participants have drawn ... by seeming to associate themselves with Dave Portnoy, who has a history of misogynistic comments and other problematic behavior.”

“It seemed like you were going to try to shame sponsors for being associated with me and put them in a box,” he said. “When I know they all love me.”

Portnoy agreed to a full-fledged interview, but when The Post asked<b> </b>to reschedule, he declined an alternate time and declined the offer to answer questions in writing.

After Schneider’s opinion piece, Portnoy cast it as an attack on those small businesses. “Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not worried about any places dropping because I have close relationships with almost all of them and they love me,” Portnoy wrote in a blog post. “But imagine if I didn’t? This guy is trying to create a war and headaches for these places and create a firestorm around them.”

Portnoy<b> </b>also said: “What does [Schneider] expect to happen if pizza places drop out?” he wrote. “I’ll just happily let them go on their way?”

After his piece, Schneider was bombarded with insulting tweets and direct messages. Portnoy himself wrote a blog post about how “old Dave would have gone ballistic on this guy and wished horrible things upon him,” and then proceeded to insult Schneider multiple times. “He can’t stop thinking about how successful I am and what a failure he is,” Portnoy wrote.

In an interview, Schneider said: “It’s about a pattern of bullying behavior that many journalists and critics have faced before and will face again. It’s also about local pizzerias who may not know Portnoy’s history, only his successful pizza review videos, and link themselves to such a person without knowing the whole story.”

Portnoy has been hyping the festival online (where he called it <a href="https://www.barstoolsports.com/video/3476616/introducing-the-greatest-day-in-the-history-of-pizza" target="_blank">“The Greatest Day in the History of Pizza”</a>) and in media interviews, making clear that the participating businesses – some of which have scored in the rarefied strata of 9 and above in Portnoy’s rating system — have his imprimatur. The “hand-picked” vendors would be offering “my favorite pizzas I’ve ever done,” he said in an interview with the NY1 cable channel.

Some say Portnoy’s ability to help pizzerias’ bottom line makes it hard for them to refuse his requests to participate in an event like One Bite. Santillo, for example, said he is closing his shop on Saturday to participate in the event, which might not even be a moneymaker for the pizzerias, as DeMarco Mieles told The Post. But DeMarco Mieles said there are other benefits to participating, such as access to a younger crowd.

“We have to keep the same old-school charm and old way of doing things, but the only way to stay in business and get your story out there is through social media nowadays,” DeMarco Mieles said.

What’s more, Santillo said, no one forced him to participate. “I’m independent,” he said. “I’m doing it out of my own free will. It’s like this: I don’t need the money, and I don’t need the publicity. But he helped me, and he’s asking me for help, so I’m going to do everything I can.”

Even though Portnoy has considerable influence on the fortunes of these small businesses, at least one pizza expert thinks the multimedia mogul is aiming for respectability in more mainstream circles.

“Even though he thumbs his nose at legitimacy, he actually craves it,” said Ed Levine, the founder of Serious Eats and the author of “Pizza: A Slice of Heaven.” “He’s trying to gain legitimacy through associating with a lot of old-school pizzerias.”

Those who have attempted to criticize the festival or question why anyone would want to be involved with it have found themselves in the crosshairs of Portnoy and his army of followers, called Stoolies. After López-Alt’s critical Instagram story, Portnoy bit back during a One Bite review.

“If you see Kenji Alt walking down the street, give him the bird,” Portnoy said in reference to López-Alt in his video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGU41pkWFtg" target=_blank>review of Funzi’s Pizzeria</a>, where the owner, Kevin Cox, appears to be uncomfortable by the rant.

Asked for a response, López-Alt said via text: “I felt sorry for Kevin, who thought he was just having a nice conversation then had to deal with this tirade. Dave’s opinion of me means as much to me as his opinions on pizza.”

Most of the event’s sponsors, a group of 16 brands that are described on the festival website as “partners” providing samples and merchandise, did not return calls or emails seeking comment. But for some, the opportunity to work with the participating pizzerias — not Portnoy — was the draw.

Marra Forni, a Maryland-based maker of pizza ovens, is bringing eight coal ovens and seven wood-burning models for the pizzerias to use. Jill Connor, the company’s marketing manager, says the company knew about Portnoy’s reputation when it signed on, but saw the festival as an opportunity to showcase its products to the pizza industry. “Our job is to support the industry and the people who build and grow it,” she said. “That’s what we were excited about.”

Larry Nicholson, owner of MPM Food Equipment Group, had a similar take. He’s providing 15 electric ovens and says the reason to participate came down to one word: sales. “We have no relationship with Portnoy,” Nicholson said. “We’re trying to capture the business of the pizzerias that will be there – that’s our whole idea behind the festival, not anything to do with One Bite and Portnoy.”

He says he personally isn’t a fan of Portnoy’s bad reviews. “I don’t like that he goes into a place and he can tank it if he gives it a bad review,” he said. “But I’m just trying to do what we’re trying to do, which is sell pizza ovens.”

Three-time nominee for a James Beard Award

Winner of James Beard Award in 2011 for food-related columns and commentary

University of Nebraska at Kearney, BA in journalism

Tim Carman is a food reporter at The Washington Post, where he has worked since 2010. Previously, he served for five years as food editor and columnist at Washington City Paper.

Tim Carman

University of Virginia, B.A. in English

Emily Heil is a reporter covering national food news and trends. Previously, she co-authored the Reliable Source column for The Post. 

Emily Heil

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Dave Portnoy’s pizza festival brings buzz and backlash for pizzerias

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for the Washington Post

Dave Portnoy's pizza festival serves slices of buzz and backlash

(Rob Kim/Getty Images)

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