Dragon Pizza is packed after Dave Portnoy’s fight with the owner

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by Jared Schwartz

September 1, 2023 | 10:14 pm

It must be an acquired taste.

A day after Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy got into a heated altercation with the owner of Dragon Pizza in Somerville, Massachusetts, the pizzeria was packed with apparently satisfied customers.

One customer even disagreed with Portnoy’s review, giving his cut — a maple bacon steak — a much higher rating than Portnoy received.

“I’d probably give this one about a 9 [out of 10]…But it’s a little flexible, and I have to agree,” the customer told The Post while chewing. “Yes I saw [the altercation]. I thought it was better than he rated it, but that’s just my taste. owner, [identified by the Boston Globe as Charlie Redd]He seemed a little out of control, maybe he was having a bad day.

“It was caught on camera, I guess that’s what it was.”

The 46-year-old Portnoy, who recently bought back Barstool Sports from Penn Entertainment for $1, visited the pizza shop to get one of his pizza reviews, which have been one of his trademarks since his rise to sports media fame.

In a series now called “One Bite,” Portnoy visits popular pizzerias, takes one bite and then scores a review of the pizza right outside the restaurant, giving it a rating from 1 to 10.

Portnoy clearly didn’t enjoy his slice of Dragon Pizza and began criticizing it as “trash” and a “hot mess,” giving it a 6.4 rating.

That’s when Reid came out and confronted Portnoy.

“Enjoy your pizza as much as any customer would, but I don’t appreciate what you do, where you come in and judge a business in one bite,” Reid said.

After Portnoy responded that he helped small businesses, the owner responded, “I don’t see it that way,” before returning to the pizzeria.

A few moments later, Reid reappeared and asked Portnoy to stop standing in front of his work.

“Let me be clear, fuck you,” Portnoy repeatedly responded before calling the owner a “mother” and an “a-hole.”

Reid threatened to call the police, and when Portnoy asked why, he replied: “For being a prostitute.”

Although Reid could be seen at the pizzeria on Friday, it appears he has no interest in parlaying that attention into new fame.

A paper sign reading “We don’t talk about that” was taped to the window.

The customer who gave a rating of 9 out of 10 said his decision to visit Dragon Pizza on Friday was due in part to Portnoy’s review.

“It got me thinking about getting a slice of pizza,” he said. “That was him.”