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'I Don't Appreciate What You Do to Small Businesses': Pizza Shop Owner Goes Viral After Bad Barstool Review, Says Business Is Booming Dave Portnoy's pizza review of Dragon Pizza turned sour when the owner called out the Barstool owner in a new viral video.

By Sam Silverman

Key Takeaways

  • Dave Portnoy is known for his "One Bite Pizza Reviews."
  • One pizza shop is thriving despite (or in spite of) a bad Barstool review.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Dave Portnoy's public feud with a pizza shop owner is proving that there's no such thing as bad press.

Earlier this month, the Barstool Sports founder dubbed Dragon Pizza in Somerville, Massachusetts, "the worst pizza place in America" after his pizza review was interrupted and slammed by shop owner Charlie Redd in a now-viral video. However, the intense clip hasn't hurt sales for the pizza joint.

"Dave, enjoy your pizza as any customer, but I don't appreciate what you do coming in and judging a business with one bite," Redd said during the review. "I hope you enjoy your pizza, but I don't appreciate what you do to small businesses."

RELATED: 'Technically Correct': Internet Loses It Over Man's Pizza Delivery After Ordering Toppings 'On The Side'

Portnoy, who reviews pizza around the country for his "One Bite Pizza Review" series, refuted the statement and called Dragon Pizza "trash." Despite the viral spat, the shop claims to be selling out of food in the wake of the controversy.

To keep up with the new demand, Dragon Pizza had to close for a day to prepare after selling out several days in a row, according to the shop's Instagram.

RELATED: A Pizza Company Is Hiring a Full-Time 'Pizza Influencer' Role — And It Pays Six Figures

While the review proved to be beneficial to the business, the shop owner is still at odds with Portnoy.

"But I don't want to give him credit for complicating my life," Redd said about Portnoy to Boston.com. "We're running our pizza shop, and everyone is happy. I'm receiving death threats. I've received threats at my home. I'm receiving tons of all sorts of different attacks in many different ways."

Sam Silverman

Content Strategy Editor

Sam Silverman is a content strategy editor at Entrepreneur Media. She specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), and her work can be found in The US Sun, Nicki Swift, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style and Health. She writes for our news team with a focus on investigating scandals. Her coverage and expertise span from business news, entrepreneurship, technology, and true crime, to the latest in entertainment and TV news. Sam is a graduate of Lehigh University and currently resides in NYC. 

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