WATCH: Dave Portnoy Saves Small Business From Closure Just A Day Before Christmas In Heart-Warming Clip [CHRISTMAS DAY POST]
The President of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, recently visited a pizza shop in Baltimore, Maryland, for one of his famous reviews. He ended up giving the shop’s owner a huge Christmas gift of $60,000 to ensure the business stayed open for at least another year in the heart-warming clip.
In the video posted on social media on Monday, Portnoy stops by TinyBrickOven in Baltimore’s Federal Hill neighborhood to review the establishment’s product. During the clip, Portnoy discovers that the business owner, Will Fagg, is actually planning to close up shop in just a few days. He tells Portnoy that the restaurant has not been able to secure a liquor license, which has had a negative impact on business.
This video is 6m 27s long but it’s a Portnoy masterpiece and it deserves your undivided attention.
Unbelievable thing he just did for this pizza place. 🫡pic.twitter.com/12w0V2ulZu
— Amiri King (@AmiriKing) December 24, 2024
“We can’t get our liquor license here,” Fagg said, according to CBS News. “Our politicians gave this market down here their liquor license, but they won’t give us ours.”
As he’s waiting for the pizza, Portnoy shares a hint of his plan, turning to the camera and saying, “We’re gonna have to keep this place open.” As he’s eating the “very good, thin, New York-kinda style” pizza, Portnoy points out a sticker on the box that says TinyBrickOven will close on December 25 without financial assistance. Portnoy goes on to ask Fagg how much money he would need to stay open for a year, and he eventually lands on $60,000 to which Portnoy agrees. In the video, Portnoy said Fagg can expect to have the money before Christmas. He rates the pizza a 7.9.
“The whole neighborhood is crazy, wanting us to stay open…our politicians just turned their backs on us, it’s really disappointing,” Fagg told Portnoy. A report from The Baltimore Banner revealed that the Barstool Sports founder was spotted in the middle of December visiting a number of restaurants in Maryland, including Frank’s Pizza & Pasta on Bel Air Road in Baltimore and Pizza John’s in the city of Essex.
Baltimore has seen several local restaurants announce closures over the last several weeks, including another spot in Federal Hill, Mother’s Grille. The establishment announced that it would close on January 19. Dave Rather, the owner of Mother’s Grille, spoke with the media, stating that he was going to close that branch and focus his time and attention on its other locations.
“Now there’s tons of places down here, 25 bars and restaurants,” he stated. “The restaurant business is tough. You know, anybody that can last this long, it’s saying something.”
Another eatery, Nacho Mama’s, also told the public it would be shutting down two of its locations, one located in Towson and the other in Canton, after three decades of operation. The owner gave no reason for the closures. The restaurants will cease operations on January 12, 2025.