A lot of people enjoy Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy’s pizza reviews. But a certain pizza shop owner in Massachusetts definitely does not enjoy them.
Portnoy was conducting one of his popular One Bite Pizza Reviews in Massachusetts on Thursday when he was suddenly confronted by an angry pizza shop owner who used a New York Times article as proof that Portnoy’s reviews hurt small businesses.
The owner of Dragon Pizza in Somerset, Massachusetts, emerged from the interior of the restaurant to confront Portnoy who was eating outside.
“Enjoy your pizza, as any customer, but I don’t appreciate what you do, coming in and judging a business with one bite,” the owner asserted. “I hope you enjoy your pizza, but I don’t appreciate what you do to small businesses.”
“Well, I help them,” Portnoy shot back.
“I don’t see it that way,” the owner responded.
The “One Bite” reviews are a bit of a misnomer. Portnoy normally eats at least half a slice before rendering judgment. One Bite is probably useful as a catchy name for a feature. But not really an accurate description of what actually happens.
Regardless, the owner of Dragon Pizza believed what he believed and wanted none of Portnoy’s pizza review segment.
“Let me be a little clearer: Move on,” the owner said. “Don’t stand in front of my business.”
Portnoy, of course, sought to make himself clear as well.
“Let me be clear, f*ck you,” the Barstool chief responded.
From there, the argument degenerated into name-calling that culminated in the owner threatening to call the police.
The owner took a picture of himself giving Portnoy the finger and posted it on X.
Portnoy, of course, had his own story to tell.
“Left wing lunatics like this guy who have read all the hit pieces written about me by the far left and have decided that it’s all true,” Portnoy wrote on Barstool. “These people believe that I embody everything they think is wrong with America. They see me as a bizarro world version of Donald Trump.”
Portnoy also pushed back on the pizza shop owner’s claim that he hurts small businesses by reminding him of the tens of millions of dollars he’s raised through the Barstool Fund, which funnels millions to businesses hurt by Covid lockdowns.